Over the past year, we’ve witnessed a fundamental shift in how people search online.
Gone are the days of users scrolling through ten blue links.
Now, thanks to AI-powered search engines like Google's AI Overviews, Bing Copilot, and Perplexity AI, users are getting direct, summarised answers instantly.
But here’s the question most local businesses aren’t asking yet:
“Where are these AI engines getting their information from?”
The answer? SEO citations, also known as local citations.
That’s why Local SEO is more important today than it’s ever been.
A local citation is any mention of your business's key details - name, address, and phone number (NAP) - across the web.
Common examples include:
These SEO citations act like “business fingerprints.” They help search engines (and now AI models) understand who you are, what you do, where you're based, and whether you’re trustworthy.
In a recent BrightLocal study, researchers analysed how AI search engines gather data for local queries.
The findings were eye-opening:
AI engines also pull data from industry directories, reviews, social platforms, and your own website.
This proves that AI tools rely on the same local citation ecosystem that traditional Local SEO has used for years. Only now, they're summarising it automatically, often without the user clicking through.
If your SEO citations are incomplete, inconsistent, or outdated, it becomes harder for AI tools to trust your business as a reliable source.
That could mean:
With Google’s AI Overviews appearing in up to 25% of U.S. search results (as of early 2025), the risks of being invisible are growing fast.
Whether you work with a digital agency like Orca or manage your marketing internally, here are five non-negotiables in 2025:
Your business name, address, and phone number should be identical on Google, Yelp, Bing, Facebook, and directories.
Discrepancies confuse both search engines and AI.
As a rule of thumb, if the address listed in a directory can be pasted into Google Maps and correctly locate your business, you’re in good shape.
Update hours, services, photos, and FAQs regularly.
Google’s AI Overviews rely heavily on this data when generating responses.
Don’t ignore “quiet” platforms like Foursquare, MerchantCircle, or niche directories.
AI models do not rely on popularity; they pull from any structured source they can find.
Reviews influence whether AI engines treat you as a trusted brand.
Keep responses professional, polite, and proactive; it's a strong trust signal.
BrightLocal found that 58% of AI-generated answers reference a business’s own site.
Structured content, FAQs, and accurate service details help machines understand what you offer.
At Orca, we’ve been ahead of this curve for a while.
Here’s how we help clients stay visible and competitive:
Whether you're a multi-location brand or a single local shop, we can tailor a local SEO strategy that ensures you're the business AI recommends, not your competitor.
The tools may have changed. The algorithms may be more complex. But the principle remains the same.
If you want customers to find you, you need to be visible where they’re looking.
In 2025, they're increasingly getting answers - and recommendations - from AI.
So whether you choose to do it yourself or let Orca handle the hard work, now is the time to double down on your SEO citations and local SEO efforts.
