--- title: "AI Search Statistics for Local Businesses (2026)" description: "45% of consumers now ask AI for local business recommendations, up from 6%. The 2026 AI search statistics, each sourced, sampled and caveated." lang: en json-ld: | [ { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "Article", "headline": "AI Search Statistics for Local Businesses (2026)", "description": "45% of consumers now ask AI for local business recommendations, up from 6%. The 2026 AI search statistics, each sourced, sampled and caveated.", "datePublished": "2026-09-24", "dateModified": "2026-09-24", "url": "https://tailwindsops.com/insights/ai-search-statistics-local-business", "mainEntityOfPage": { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://tailwindsops.com/insights/ai-search-statistics-local-business" }, "image": "https://tailwindsops.com/twitter-card-og-v2.png", "articleSection": "AI Search Visibility", "author": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sonny Round", "jobTitle": "Co-Founder", "worksFor": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "Tailwinds Ops" } }, "publisher": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "Tailwinds Ops", "url": "https://tailwindsops.com" } }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "FAQPage", "mainEntity": [ { "@type": "Question", "name": "How many people use AI to find local businesses?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "BrightLocal's 2026 Local Consumer Review Survey found 45% of US consumers used AI tools for local business recommendations in the past year, up from 6% the year before. The survey sampled 1,002 US adults across all business categories." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Which AI tool do consumers use most for local recommendations?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "ChatGPT. BrightLocal found 31% of consumers used it for business recommendations in the past 12 months. Google's AI Mode followed at 23%, with Gemini third." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "How often does ChatGPT recommend a local business?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "SOCi's 2026 Local Visibility Index found ChatGPT recommended a given location 1.2% of the time, against 35.9% appearance in Google's local 3-Pack. The index covers multi-location brands, so treat it as a benchmark rather than exact odds for a single location." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Do AI Overviews reduce clicks to local business websites?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Pew Research Center found Google users clicked a traditional search result on 8% of visits when an AI summary appeared, against 15% without one. The data covers 900 US adults in March 2025 and Google searches only." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Do customers trust AI business recommendations?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Most AI users do, and they verify anyway. BrightLocal found 63% of AI users trust AI recommendations, while 88% fact-check the reviews AI tools cite and 97% at least sometimes compare recommendations against real reviews." } } ] }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://tailwindsops.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Insights", "item": "https://tailwindsops.com/insights" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "AI Search Statistics for Local Businesses (2026)", "item": "https://tailwindsops.com/insights/ai-search-statistics-local-business" } ] }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "Organization", "name": "Tailwinds Ops", "url": "https://tailwindsops.com", "logo": "https://tailwindsops.com/og-image.png", "email": "info@tailwindsops.com", "description": "AI-powered lead reactivation for roofing, HVAC, and solar companies. We turn dormant CRM leads into booked jobs with zero new ad spend.", "foundingDate": "2025", "areaServed": "US", "serviceType": "Lead Reactivation", "sameAs": [ "https://x.com/TailWindsOps" ] } ] --- [](/) Services [Free AI Scan](/ai-visibility-checker)[Insights](/insights)[info@tailwindsops.com](mailto:info@tailwindsops.com)[Book a Free Audit Free Audit ](#book) 1. [Home](/) 2. / 3. [Insights](/insights) AI Search Visibility # AI Search Statistics for Local Businesses (2026) 45% of US consumers now ask AI for local business recommendations. Every figure on this page is linked to its primary source, with the sample and the catch stated. Sonny Round, Co-Founder — Tailwinds Ops · September 24, 2026 ## Key Takeaways - 45% of US consumers used AI tools for local business recommendations in the past year, up from 6% the year before (BrightLocal, 1,002 US adults). - ChatGPT recommended a given location 1.2% of the time, against 35.9% appearance in Google's local 3-Pack (SOCi, 2,751 brands). - Google users clicked a search result on 8% of visits when an AI summary appeared, against 15% without one (Pew Research Center, 900 US adults). - 88% of AI users fact-check the reviews that AI tools cite, and 97% at least sometimes compare AI picks against real reviews. - Google's AI Mode passed 1 billion monthly active users in 2026, per Alphabet's Q2 2026 earnings call. For years a local business owner had one search question: do we show up on Google? A growing share of customers now ask ChatGPT or Google's AI Mode instead, and get two or three names back. This page collects the numbers behind that shift, each linked to its study with the sample size and limits stated. ## How many consumers use AI to find local businesses? 45% of US consumers used an AI tool to find a local business recommendation in the past year, up from 6% a year earlier. The figure comes from BrightLocal's [2026 Local Consumer Review Survey](https://www.brightlocal.com/research/lcrs-ai-trust/), a panel of 1,002 US adults. That makes AI the third most used source for local recommendations, behind Google and Facebook and ahead of Yelp and TripAdvisor. > **AI search** is any tool that answers a question with generated text instead of a list of links: ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Copilot, and Google's AI Overviews and AI Mode. For a local business, the practical difference is that the tool names a few businesses and stops. Usage splits hard by age. 64% of adults aged 30–44 asked an AI tool for a business recommendation in the past year, against 24% of those over 60. One caveat on reading the survey: its AI-specific breakdowns come from the 455 respondents who had used AI for local recommendations, and it covers every business category, not home services or hospitality on their own. ## Which AI tools do people use for local recommendations? ChatGPT leads. BrightLocal found 31% of consumers used ChatGPT for business recommendations in the past 12 months, followed by Google's AI Mode at 23% and then Gemini. For an owner, two ecosystems matter most: OpenAI's and Google's. On the [Q2 2026 earnings call](https://blog.google/company-news/inside-google/message-ceo/alphabet-earnings-q2-2026/), Sundar Pichai said AI Mode had passed 1 billion monthly active users since its global expansion the previous October, and the Gemini app had reached 950 million. Those are global, company-reported totals, not local-search figures. ## Has AI replaced Google for local search? No. Google still carries most local searches, but it now shares the research journey. In early 2025 just 3% of consumers treated an AI platform as their default for local searches, according to BrightLocal. Over the following year, the share of consumers using Google reviews fell from 83% to 71%. Customers are checking more places before they call. BrightLocal's [2025 Consumer Search Behavior study](https://www.brightlocal.com/research/consumer-search-behavior/) of about 1,000 US consumers fills in the picture. 40% said they actively use generative AI when searching online, and 5% default to ChatGPT for general searches, rising to 10% among Gen Z. The same study found 85% rate contact details and opening hours as important when researching a local business. Whatever tool people ask, they still need your phone number and hours to be right. AI search statistics for local businesses at a glance Metric Figure Source Sample and date Consumers using AI for local recommendations 45% (up from 6%) BrightLocal Local Consumer Review Survey 2026 1,002 US adults, published March 2026 Consumers using Google reviews 71% (down from 83%) BrightLocal Local Consumer Review Survey 2026 1,002 US adults, published March 2026 Used ChatGPT for a business recommendation 31% BrightLocal Local Consumer Review Survey 2026 1,002 US adults, published March 2026 Locations recommended by ChatGPT 1.2% (vs 35.9% in Google's 3-Pack) SOCi Local Visibility Index 2026 2,751 multi-location brands, ~350,000 locations Locations recommended by Gemini 11.0% SOCi Local Visibility Index 2026 2,751 multi-location brands, ~350,000 locations Google result clicks when an AI summary shows 8% of visits (vs 15% without) Pew Research Center 900 US adults, March 2025, Google only AI users who fact-check cited reviews 88% BrightLocal Local Consumer Review Survey 2026 455 AI users within the 1,002 panel Contractors with AI embedded in operations 12% ServiceTitan State of AI in the Trades 2026 1,000+ contractors, surveyed Oct–Nov 2025 Google AI Mode monthly active users 1 billion+ Alphabet Q2 2026 earnings call Company-reported, global, July 2026 ## See what AI says about your property right now [Run a Free AI Visibility Site Scan](/ai-visibility-checker) ## How often does AI actually recommend a local business? Rarely. SOCi's [2026 Local Visibility Index](https://www.soci.ai/blog/local-visibility-benchmarks/), covering 2,751 brands and roughly 350,000 locations, found ChatGPT recommended a given location 1.2% of the time and Gemini 11.0%. The same locations showed up in Google's local 3-Pack 35.9% of the time. AI hands out far fewer spots than a search results page does. Two caveats. The index measures multi-location brands, so treat it as a benchmark, not a single-shop operator's odds. And SOCi reads the gap as a filtering effect: a search page might show a dozen options, while an AI answer often surfaces one or two. We broke down why a business gets left out of that short list, and the order to fix it in, in [why ChatGPT doesn't recommend your business](/insights/why-chatgpt-doesnt-recommend-my-business). ## Do people still click through to websites when AI answers? Less often. [Pew Research Center](https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2025/07/22/google-users-are-less-likely-to-click-on-links-when-an-ai-summary-appears-in-the-results/) tracked the browsing of 900 US adults in March 2025. Google users clicked a traditional result on 8% of visits when an AI summary appeared, against 15% when none did. They clicked a link inside the summary on 1% of visits. Sessions ended outright more often too: 26% versus 16%. Which searches trigger a summary matters here. Pew found 18% of all Google searches produced one, but 60% of searches starting with a question word did, and 53% of searches ten words or longer. "Who's the best roofer near me that handles insurance claims" is exactly that kind of query. Google's position, stated on its Q2 2026 call, is that AI features in Search now send billions of clicks to websites every week. Both can hold at once: total clicks stay large while the share any one result gets shrinks. ## Do consumers trust AI recommendations? Most people who use AI trust it, then check it anyway. Among BrightLocal's AI users, 63% said they trust AI tools' business recommendations and 10% said they don't. 64% trust tools like ChatGPT as much as reviews. Among people who don't use AI, 53% distrust its recommendations. The checking is what matters for an owner. 88% of AI users fact-check reviews that AI tools cite: 51% to see whether a review is legitimate, 37% to see where it came from. 97% at least sometimes compare an AI recommendation against real reviews, and 42% always do. Getting named by ChatGPT sends the customer straight to your review profile. If that profile is thin or stale, the recommendation goes to waste. ## Where do AI tools get local business information? Mostly from the business's own website, then directories, review sites and data aggregators. BrightLocal ran [20 searches across 10 industries](https://www.brightlocal.com/blog/ai-search-using-listings-sources/) on Google AI Mode, Gemini, Perplexity and ChatGPT Search in 2025. Business websites were the largest share of sources on every platform. Yelp appeared in 33% of searches, and niche industry directories carried heavy weight in trades like dentistry and law. Twenty searches is a small sample, so read it as directional. It lines up with BrightLocal's December 2024 ChatGPT study, which found business websites used as a source 58% of the time. Reviews sit on top of that as a gate. SOCi found locations ChatGPT recommends average 4.3 stars, against 3.9 on Gemini and 4.2 on Perplexity, and that below roughly 4 stars many AI systems won't consider a business. The average business in the index responds to 46.9% of its Google reviews and 3.1% of its Yelp reviews. ## How are contractors and other operators responding? Slowly. ServiceTitan's [State of AI in the Trades 2026](https://www.servicetitan.com/blog/2026-ai-in-the-trades-report-takeaways), a survey of more than 1,000 contractors run by Thrive Analytics from October to November 2025, found 12% had embedded AI in their processes and 35% had not used it at all. That survey measures AI inside the business, a separate question from being found by AI. The pattern still holds: customers moved first. Full contractor data is in [AI adoption among home service contractors](/insights/ai-adoption-home-service-contractors). For a business where reviews and AI answers drive almost every booking, see [how independent hotels get found in AI search](/insights/independent-hotel-ai-search-visibility). ## What should a local business do with these numbers? Measure first, then fix what blocks a recommendation. A 45% usage rate settles whether customers ask AI about your category. What's left is whether your name comes back when they do, and most owners have never checked. - Ask ChatGPT and Google's AI Mode the question your customer would ask, five or six times each. Answers change from run to run, so count how often you get named. - Put what you do, where you do it, and your hours in plain text on your website. It is the source AI tools read most. - Match your name, address, phone and hours across Google Business Profile, Yelp, Apple Maps, Facebook and your trade's main directory. - Get your rating above 4.0 and answer reviews on every platform you're listed on, Yelp included. - Rerun the same prompts every month and track the percentage over time. Our [free AI visibility site scan](/ai-visibility-checker) checks the site-side basics in about a minute. Our [AEO service](/services/aeo) handles the whole program. ## See what AI says about your property right now [Run a Free AI Visibility Site Scan](/ai-visibility-checker) ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How many people use AI to find local businesses? BrightLocal's 2026 Local Consumer Review Survey found 45% of US consumers used AI tools for local business recommendations in the past year, up from 6% the year before. The survey sampled 1,002 US adults across all business categories. ### Which AI tool do consumers use most for local recommendations? ChatGPT. BrightLocal found 31% of consumers used it for business recommendations in the past 12 months. Google's AI Mode followed at 23%, with Gemini third. ### How often does ChatGPT recommend a local business? SOCi's 2026 Local Visibility Index found ChatGPT recommended a given location 1.2% of the time, against 35.9% appearance in Google's local 3-Pack. The index covers multi-location brands, so treat it as a benchmark rather than exact odds for a single location. ### Do AI Overviews reduce clicks to local business websites? Pew Research Center found Google users clicked a traditional search result on 8% of visits when an AI summary appeared, against 15% without one. The data covers 900 US adults in March 2025 and Google searches only. ### Do customers trust AI business recommendations? Most AI users do, and they verify anyway. BrightLocal found 63% of AI users trust AI recommendations, while 88% fact-check the reviews AI tools cite and 97% at least sometimes compare recommendations against real reviews. ## See what AI says about your property right now [Run a Free AI Visibility Site Scan](/ai-visibility-checker) ## Keep reading [AI Search Visibility Why ChatGPT Doesn't Recommend Your Business (And What Actually Fixes It) AI assistants name two or three local businesses and stop. 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