Blog
Notes on AI search and local visibility.
How AI assistants pick the local businesses they recommend, what moves the Maps 3-pack, and why the name buyers are handed gets the inbound. No fluff, no buzzwords pretending to be insight.
- AI Search
We Scanned 410 Local Business Websites for AI Visibility. Most Have the Same Blind Spots.
Real scan data from 410 HVAC, law firm, and med spa websites: average AI visibility score of 71/100, 17 sites actively blocking AI crawlers, and 9 in 10 missing the question-and-answer content AI engines quote.
- AI Search
How AI Engines Decide Which Reviews to Quote
AI engines pull review snippets into their answers. Most local businesses have no idea why specific reviews get quoted while others get ignored. Here is what determines the choice.
- Schema & Structured Data
Schema Markup Cheat Sheet for Local Service Businesses
The exact JSON-LD schema types every local service business should ship in 2026. Concrete examples, no theory.
- AI Search
Why ChatGPT Recommends Your Competitor and Not You
AI assistants pick one or two local businesses to recommend per query. Here is what they look at, why most local operators get skipped, and how to read the gap.
- Google Business Profile
The Local Maps 3-Pack in 2026: How GBP Wins Are Decided
The Maps 3-pack has shifted in the last eighteen months. Here is what actually moves position now, what stopped working, and the GBP factors AI engines also weigh.
- Technical GEO
What Is llms.txt and Why Local Businesses Should Have One
llms.txt is a plain-text file that summarizes your website for AI crawlers. Here is what it does, how it differs from robots.txt, and what the local-business version should contain.
- Local SEO
Service-Area Pages Are What AI Engines Cite
Generic city lists do not move AI search rankings. Service-area pages with specific local content do. Here is what differentiates a page worth citing from one the model ignores.
- Backlinks & Authority
Backlink Gap Analysis for Local Service Businesses
Backlinks still drive local rankings and AI citations. Most local operators have no idea who their competitors link from. Here is how a backlink gap analysis works and what to do with the result.
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