What this is
More people now ask AI tools to find a local business. They type “who’s a good plumber near me?” into ChatGPT. Or they read the short summary Google writes with AI at the top of the results. Google calls those AI Overviews. Its chat-style search is called AI Mode.
These tools don’t invent a list from nothing. They pull from what is already out there: your Google profile, your reviews, map apps, listing sites and your website. If those are thin, wrong or don’t match, the AI has less to go on.
Where AI tools get their info
- Google’s AI Overviews, AI Mode and Gemini use Google’s own data. Google says your Business Profile can help you show up in its AI answers.
- ChatGPT searches the web and can show a map of nearby places. OpenAI says it may use outside partners for local listings, but not which ones. In 2026, Yelp agreed to share its reviews and business details with OpenAI.
- Microsoft Copilot gets its web results from Bing. Your details on Bing come from Bing Places, Microsoft’s version of a Google profile.
- Siri and Apple Maps use your Apple place card. You manage it in Apple Business, which used to be called Apple Business Connect.
What I do
I start with you, not a tool. Free online checkers scan your website and hand you an “AI score.” I don’t use them. One web agency ran its own site through 18 of them and got scores from 28 to 100.
- Ask your customers’ questions. What do people ask you on the phone before they book? I put those questions, in their words, to ChatGPT, Google, Copilot and Perplexity. I ask each one a few times and note who comes up.
- Find the sources. Many AI answers show where they came from. That tells me which profiles, listings and sites matter for your kind of business.
- Get your Google profile right. It feeds Google’s AI answers, so it comes first. See full profile optimization.
- Fix your other listings. Bing Places, your Apple place card and the main directories, so your name, address and phone match everywhere. See matching business listings.
- Keep honest reviews coming. AI tools read reviews. Real reviews about real jobs give them more to work with. See review growth.
- Check your website. Some web hosts and security settings block AI bots, often without the owner knowing. I check that the search bots for ChatGPT, Perplexity, Bing and Google can get in, and that your site says plainly what you do and where. If it needs changes, I tell you what and quote it first.
What I won’t sell you
- An llms.txt file. Some people say AI tools read this special file. Google says its search ignores it.
- A rewrite “for AI.” Google says you don’t need to write in a special way for its AI. Clear pages for people work for AI too.
- Fake mentions or fake reviews. Google says chasing fake mentions isn’t as helpful as it looks. Real ones, like a local news story or a sponsor page, are worth having.
Read Google’s own advice in its guide to AI features in Google Search.
Honest expectations
AI answers vary. They change with how the question is worded, where the person is, and when they ask. In a 2026 SparkToro study, AI tools asked the same question gave the same list of brands less than 1 time in 100.
So nobody can promise an AI tool will recommend you. Not me, not anyone. This is about improving your odds, not a guarantee. The good news: most of it is the same work that helps you on Google Maps.
What I need from you
The questions customers ask you most, in their words. A short call is enough, or I’m happy to come to your business anywhere in the Edmonton area.
Then a little time on your Bing and Apple listings, so they stay in your name:
- Bing. You sign in to Bing Places with your Google account and connect your Google profile. Your details copy across, and changes on Google carry over to Bing.
- Apple. You set up a free Apple Business account, then add me as a user. Apple checks that your business is real first. That can take a few days and may need a document, like a business licence or a utility bill.
I’ll walk you through both. You stay the owner, and I never need your passwords.
Want a quick look first? My free review already asks ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google who they recommend in your area.