How to rank in Google AI Overviews as a local business
There is no special trick. Google's guidance for site owners:
"There are no additional requirements to appear in AI Overviews or AI Mode, nor other special optimizations necessary." (Google Search Central: AI features and your website)
To be eligible as a supporting link, a page "must be indexed and eligible to be shown in Google Search with a snippet" (Google). Google's SEO basics that still apply to AI features include (Google):
| Check | What it means for a service business |
|---|---|
| Crawling allowed | Your robots.txt, host or security tool doesn't block Googlebot |
| Content in text | Prices, services, areas and hours written on the page, not only in images or PDFs |
| Internal links | Each service page is linked from your menu or home page |
| Structured data matches the page | Any markup says the same thing the visitor reads |
| Business Profile up to date | Hours, services, phone and categories are current |
Google also says you don't need AI text files, new markup or special schema to appear (Google).
AI Overview traffic drop: why clicks fell while rankings held
Because people click less when a summary answers them. Pew Research tracked the browsing of 900 US adults in March 2025:
"Users who encountered an AI summary clicked on a traditional search result link in 8% of all visits. Those who did not encounter an AI summary clicked on a search result nearly twice as often (15% of visits)." (Pew Research Center, 2025)
Long questions trigger summaries more than short searches. In the same study, 8% of one- or two-word searches produced an AI summary, against 53% of searches with 10 words or more (Pew). So "how much does it cost to replace a water heater" is far more likely to show a summary than "plumber near me".
Does being cited in an AI Overview bring clicks?
Some. Seer Interactive studied 3,119 informational search terms across 42 client organizations from June 2024 to September 2025. When an AI Overview appeared, cited brands got 35% more organic clicks than brands not cited (Seer Interactive, 2025). Seer warns it can't prove the citation causes this: stronger brands may simply be cited more (Seer). Even cited, click rates were below searches with no AI Overview at all.
Google's own view is that clicks from AI Overview pages "are higher quality (meaning, users are more likely to spend more time on the site)" (Google).
AI Mode in Google Search: what changes for a local business
AI Mode answers longer, comparing questions with a full response and links (Google). For local services, two things matter:
- Google may call you for the customer. Customers using Google Search or Maps can ask Google to confirm the price and availability of services from nearby businesses, and Google may call your business to get them; the customer then gets your quote by email or text (Google Business Profile Help). Google says it works only in select regions; in the US, all states except Indiana, Louisiana, Minnesota, Montana and Nebraska. Its page doesn't say whether Canada is included (Google). Calls go to the phone on your Business Profile, so answer it or you miss the quote. You can opt out in your profile settings (Google).
- Keep your Business Profile current. Google lists an up-to-date Business Profile among the SEO basics that still apply to AI features (Google).
Both AI Overviews and AI Mode are available in the US and Canada (Google Search Help: AI Overviews; Google Search Help: AI Mode).
How to tell if AI Overviews hurt you
Search Console includes AI Overview and AI Mode traffic in the Performance report under the "Web" search type (Google).
- In Search Console, compare clicks and impressions for the same three months a year apart.
- Impressions steady and clicks down: people see you but get the answer on Google. Typical for question searches.
- Impressions down too: check rankings and indexing first.
- Then check calls and bookings. If those held, fewer clicks cost you little.
Example
A plumber's cost guide
Its "water heater replacement cost" page kept position 3 but lost half its clicks after an AI Overview appeared. Calls from "plumber near me" held. Response: keep the page current so it stays a cited source, and judge it by calls, not clicks.
An HVAC company with an out-of-date profile
The profile still showed winter hours and no service list. Fix: update hours and services, and keep the profile phone answered, since Google's automated quote calls go there.
Different for you?
- You want ChatGPT, not Google, to name you: How to get ChatGPT to recommend your business.
- Your Business Profile doesn't show at all: Google Business Profile not showing.
- You're deciding whether to pay for "GEO": Is GEO worth it?.
- You want pages and profile kept current for search and AI answers: SEO & GEO agent.