Search is changing fast. This year, we’ve seen more instances of search engine results sharing space with AI-powered features that are changing how people find information.
Along with the changes to how search engines display information, we’re also seeing users explore new methods to search for information. Google AI Mode, Gemini, ChatGPT, Perplexity – there are many large language models (LLMs) capturing users’ attention, providing new ways for users online to discover and make decisions about your brand.
Customer sentiment, shown through reviews and ratings, is becoming a key part of both local and branded search.
For brands looking to stay ahead, focusing on sentiment, review ratings, and authority signals will be key. These are the items that not only affect rankings but also impact what shows up in search snippets and LLM responses.
LLMs like Google’s AI Mode are pulling together and highlighting customer sentiment within their responses when asked about specific brands or for geo-modified search queries, think “home repair near me”.
For businesses, paying attention to their review strategy and reputation will be key to standing apart in local results, overall organic visibility, and showing up favorably in AI responses. However, even with these changes, many of the tried-and-true best practices that have helped brands succeed in local search in the past still apply.
Searches with local intent: Google’s AI Mode
When it comes to local search, “near me” queries continue to be highly important. In traditional search, these typically trigger a Local Pack followed by organic blue links.
In Google’s AI Mode, the experience is similar. Users are shown a list of local businesses, often with short descriptions, star ratings, and review summaries.
The links cited are usually citation platforms like Yelp or TripAdvisor, business websites, or publications, and it’s common to find Google Business Profile place cards. Clicking these opens the familiar Google Business Profile interface, keeping users within the Google ecosystem.
What does this mean for businesses aiming to capture visibility in AI-driven local search results? Many of the foundations of local SEO still apply.
- NAP consistency: Ensure your business name, address, and phone number (NAP) are accurate and consistent across all listings.
- Citations: Maintain listings on trusted third-party sites like Yelp, TripAdvisor, and local directories to help reinforce credibility.
- Google Business Profile optimization: Fully complete and regularly update your profile with accurate info, photos, business hours, and relevant categories.
- Reviews: Generate and respond to reviews to build trust and signal relevance to both users and search engines.
Branded search results for local businesses
When searching for a local business using branded terms in AI Mode, it’s common to see many of the same elements and data sources as traditional search. These business overviews often include a description of the company, the products or services offered, and customer sentiment.
Often, the customer sentiment section summarizes review data pulled from multiple sources, such as TripAdvisor, Yelp, industry-specific sites such as Apartments.com, and Google Business Profile.
What’s unique about AI Mode is that it provides unbiased summaries of pros and cons about a business based directly on available customer reviews, which can come directly from Google Business Profile or be a mixed of review data from trusted online sources. These clear overviews include overall sentiment and often link to the business profiles.
AI Mode isn’t the first time Google has experimented with review summaries.
Some industries, like restaurants, already have “Review Summaries” in organic search results. These generative AI summaries highlight Google Business Profile review data, usually with a more positive tone, alongside the star rating and list of reviews.
The importance of reviews
Reviews shape how your brand appears online, whether they are displayed front and center on your Google Business Profile or surfaced as snippets in responses from LLMs. Google’s AI Mode, ChatGPT, and Perplexity all returned some information or mention of customer reviews when searching for local businesses, especially for branded queries.
These responses emphasize how both positive and negative offline experiences can influence what is said about your brand online and the importance of customer perception, especially when those experiences get highlighted for customers who may be discovering your brand for the first time.
Businesses need to pay attention to reviews, if not across all platforms, then at least on Google Business Profile. Review data is being pulled into AI-driven results and also plays a role in local search visibility.
Google is placing more emphasis on reviews. In July, Google updated its documentation on local search rankings, with the most notable change found in the Prominence section:
“Prominence means how well-known a business is. Prominent places are more likely to show up in search results. This factor’s also based on info like how many websites link to your business and how many reviews you have. More reviews and positive ratings can help your business’s local ranking.”
How can businesses adapt?
By following the tactics local businesses should already be doing to succeed in local search:
- Focus on generating new, recent reviews.
- Respond to both positive and negative reviews.
- Read reviews to understand the strengths and weaknesses of your business. Seeing a trend in negative reviews? That could indicate it’s time to make some changes and address those weaknesses.
- Monitor brand mentions not just for backlinks but also to understand what people are saying about your business online, including community forums, social media platforms, and online publications.
In addition to traditional review sites, platforms like Reddit, TikTok, and Quora are showing up more frequently in branded and local search results. These conversations are also being picked up and summarized in tools like Perplexity and ChatGPT. That means the things people are saying about your business in comment threads or short-form videos can influence how your brand is being represented across both organic and AI-powered results.
What else can be done:
- Look closely at how your business is perceived online and do the same for your competitors.
- Compare your review count and average star rating to those of businesses showing up alongside you in the Local Pack. How does your business stack up?
- Check how AI tools like LLMs or Google’s AI Mode describe your competitors during branded searches and identify where they source that information.
- Try asking AI tools to compare your business and a competitor. The way these tools summarize differences can give insight into strengths, weaknesses, and areas where you may need to improve to stay competitive in the market.
LLM data sources
LLMs pull from a range of online sources to build summaries about businesses. For local and branded search queries, much of the information they use closely mirrors what shows up in traditional organic search results. This includes data from:
- Google Business Profiles.
- Third-party review sites.
- Official business websites.
- Wikipedia.
- Online directories and aggregators.
- News articles.
- Public conversations on forums or social media.
LLMs don’t use the same ranking algorithm as Google Search, but they rely on much of the same publicly available information.
Why this matters:
- The efforts businesses make to improve local SEO, such as maintaining accurate listings, collecting reviews, and building authority, also help shape how their brand is represented in AI-generated search results.
- Reinforces the importance of managing your presence across multiple platforms and staying aware of where your brand is mentioned.
- Highlights trusted third-party sites where your business may be listed but not actively managed. These listings still influence visibility and should not be overlooked.
- Identifies which platforms are trusted within your specific industry, revealing opportunities to strengthen your presence on niche or vertical-specific sites.
Managing reputation at scale for multi-location businesses
For multi-location and microbrand businesses, managing sentiment at the local level adds another layer of complexity. It is not just about how the overall brand is perceived, but how each location appears in search results. This is especially important for industries like senior living, apartment communities, and healthcare, where customer experience and trust are crucial in decision-making.
A few negative reviews tied to a single location can shape perception across the board. That is why reputation strategies need to scale while still staying localized. Each location needs a clear plan to monitor feedback, respond to reviews, and build a strong presence in both traditional and AI-powered search results.
Core local SEO principles remain
Search is evolving fast, and we can expect more LLMs and AI-powered features to continue to shape how information is delivered to users.
Customer sentiment and brand perception are now more important in shaping how a business appears online, whether it’s in traditional organic search results or another platform.
Why?
Because perception matters, both online and in real life. Tools like Google’s AI Mode, Perplexity, Gemini, and ChatGPT are putting reviews, ratings, and sentiment summaries front and center, making customer feedback more visible than ever.
Now is the time for brands to take a close look at how they appear in LLMs, understand the feedback being surfaced, and identify areas to improve. Doing this not only helps with visibility in AI-driven search but also strengthens your local market presence.
As part of a broader brand reputation and visibility strategy, it’s essential to regularly monitor how your business is showing up in both traditional and AI-powered search results. That includes checking branded SERP features like AI Overviews, People Also Ask, video carousels, and social content pull-ins. These elements shift often, and staying aware of what’s being surfaced helps inform both SEO and reputation efforts.
You don’t need to reinvent the wheel. To keep up with the changing search landscape, you just need to focus your efforts in the right direction.