Will AI-Generated Search Results Materially Change Local Search This Year?

Summary

Voices of Search Podcast Summary

Episode Title: Will AI-Generated Search Results Materially Change Local Search This Year?
Host: I Hear Everything (Hosted by Jordan Cooney)
Guest: Mike Walruth from YEXT
Release Date: May 20, 2025

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Introduction

In this episode of the Voices of Search podcast, host Jordan Cooney welcomes listeners to a focused discussion on the evolving landscape of local search in the era of artificial intelligence (AI). The episode centers around a pivotal question: Will AI-Generated Search Results Materially Change Local Search This Year? With Mike Walruth from YEXT as the guest, the conversation delves into the implications of AI advancements on local SEO strategies.

Lightning Round: Buy or Sell AI-Generated Search Results

Mike Walruth introduces the segment, setting the stage for a rapid-fire discussion to provide listeners with actionable insights.

Key Question:
Are you buying or selling that AI-generated search results will materially change local search this year?

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Discussion

Mike Walruth:
"AWT all in buy okay, why the buy? Why the buy? What's what do you think is changing there?"
(02:25)

Guest Speaker:
"You know, if you look at what you knew 6-12 months ago, if you asked ChatGPT or Grok or Perplexity or any of these, if you said, hey, where's the best burger near me? What they would have all universally given you an answer. I don't have access to the Internet and I don't have access to that data. So you're better off asking Google. Yeah, right. You're not going to get any of those answers today. Right. And so the fact that they're, you know, it goes back to what we said. It's is, you know, answers. If I go, if I open the public free version of ChatGPT right now and I ask it, where's the best burger near me? It's going to give me an answer to the question. And that is local search at its core. And so if I sell burgers anywhere near where I'm sitting today, I have to figure out how to be the answer to that. So it's inevitable and it's happening faster than we think."
(02:33 - 03:21)

Insights from the Discussion:

1. AI Integration in Local Search:

   • Evolution of AI Capabilities: The guest highlights the rapid advancements in AI models like ChatGPT, which now can provide accurate local search results, a function traditionally dominated by search engines like Google.
   • Accessibility of AI Responses: Unlike earlier versions, current AI models can tap into real-time data to answer location-specific queries effectively.

2. Impact on Local Businesses:

   • Visibility Challenges: Businesses must adapt their SEO strategies to ensure they are the primary answers provided by AI, emphasizing the need for optimized local content.
   • Speed of Change: The transition to AI-driven local search is accelerating, requiring businesses to proactively adjust their marketing approaches.

3. Strategic Implications for SEO:

   • Proactive Optimization: Companies need to focus on being the authoritative answer in their local niches to maintain visibility in AI-generated search results.
   • Data Utilization: Leveraging up-to-date data and customer insights becomes crucial in aligning with AI's data-driven responses.

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Conclusions and Takeaways

The episode underscores the inevitable shift towards AI-generated search results in local search domains. As AI technology becomes more adept at handling location-specific inquiries, businesses must pivot their SEO strategies to remain visible and competitive. Embracing data-driven approaches and optimizing local content are essential steps to thrive in this evolving landscape.

Notable Quotes:

• "If I open the public free version of ChatGPT right now and I ask it, where's the best burger near me? It's going to give me an answer to the question. And that is local search at its core."
  — Guest Speaker (02:33)

• "So it's inevitable and it's happening faster than we think."
  — Guest Speaker (03:10)

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Additional Information

For more insights and updates on SEO and content marketing strategies, visit voicesofsearch.com or follow Mike Walruth on LinkedIn.

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This summary captures the core discussion of the episode, focusing on the transformative impact of AI on local search and providing actionable insights for businesses navigating this shift.

Transcript

[Jordan Cooney]

The Voices of Search Podcast is a proud member of the I Hear Everything Podcast Network. Looking to launch or scale your podcast, I Hear Everything delivers podcast production, growth and monetization solutions that transform your words into profit. Ready to give your brand a voice? Then visit iheareverything.com welcome to the Voices of Search Podcast. A member of the I Hear Everything Podcast Network, ready to expedite your company's organic growth efforts. Sit back, relax, and get ready for your daily dose of search engine optimization wisdom. Here's today's host of the Voices of Search Podcast, Jordan Cooney.

[Mike Walruth]

We're going to transition to our lightning round, so these questions are quick responses, you know, one to two minutes diving into some of the topics that we've been discussing, but maybe giving our listeners a little direction in our lightning round. So our first question Buy or sell? Are you buying or selling? That AI generated search results will materially change local search this year.

[Sponsor Voice]

This podcast is also sponsored by Ahrefs. What if I told you that you could monitor your website's SEO, health backlinks and organic rankings at no costs? Sounds too good to be true. Well, it's not, because my friends at Ahrefs just launched Ahrefs Webmaster Tools. Ahrefs new Webmaster Tools product quickly helps you improve your site's visibility by pointing solutions to over 100 technical issues that might be holding your search performance down. Plus, AWT monitors for backlinks so you'll know the most linked to pages and how those links are affecting your rankings. And AWT shares what keywords your website ranks for and compares how you stack up against competitors for key metrics like search volume, keyword difficulty, and traffic value. Look, monitoring your website used to require multiple expensive tools, and now, thanks to Ahrefs, that's not the case anymore because AWT will help you monitor your SEO, health, backlinks and keywords for free. And no, it's not one of those 14 day free trial offers. It's a powerful site audit tool that will keep working for you for free. So check out Ahrefs webmaster [e-mail] AWT that's a H R E F S.com.

[Mike Walruth]

AWT all in buy okay, why the buy? Why the buy? What's what do you think is changing there?

[Unknown Speaker]

You know, if you look at what you know6 12 months ago, if you asked ChatGPT or Grok or Perplexity or any of these, if you said, hey, where's the best burger near me? What they would have they all universally would have given you an answer. I don't have access to the Internet and I don't have access to that data. So you're better off asking Google. Yeah, right. You're not going to get any of those answers today. Right. And so the fact that they're, you know, it goes back to what we said. It's is, you know, answers. If I go, if I open the public free version of ChatGPT right now and I ask it, where's the best burger near me? It's going to give me an answer to the question. And that is local search at its core. And so if I sell burgers anywhere near where I'm sitting today, I have to figure out how to be the answer to that. So it's inevitable and it's happening faster than we think.

[Sponsor Voice]

Time for a one minute break to hear from our sponsor, Pre Visible. So you're looking for SEO help and you got a couple of options. You could start replying to spam from agencies that claim they can get you to rank number one on Google. You can pay an hourly rate for a consultant who will inevitably nickel and dime you with hourly charges. Or you can work with a cookie cutter agency to quickly launch a strategy less project with low success rate. None of those sound very good now, do they? Well, that's where Pre Visible's integrated consulting model comes in. Pre Visible draws From a collective 40 years of SEO and digital marketing experience to unlock your organic growth opportunities. They build custom solutions that combine strategy, technical expertise, content and reporting to effectively operationalize SEO for your business. Pre Physical's four stage approach ensures that your SEO programs thrive by starting off with a strategy first approach. Then they support you in your efforts to create quality content, help you identify technical issues, and most importantly, they'll work with your cross functional teams to integrate your SEO strategies to make sure that your SEO budget actually drives results, not just your agency's bottom line. So join brands like Yelp, eBay, Canva, Atlassian Square, all who rely on the SEO consultants at Pre Visible. For more information go to Previsible IO That's Pre Visible. P R E V I S I B L E I O.

[Mike Walruth]

Awesome. Thank you. And that wraps up this episode of the Voices of Search podcast. A huge thank you to Mike Walruth from YEXT for joining us. If you'd like to contact Mike, you can find a link to his LinkedIn profile in our show notes or at the voicesofsearch.com for more information about Yext, please visit yext.com and a special thanks.

[Sponsor Voice]

To Ahrefs for sponsoring this podcast. Monitoring your website used to require multiple expensive tools, but that's not the case anymore, thanks to Ahrefs, because they just launched their Ahrefs Webmaster Tools product, which monitors your SEO health, helps you keep track of your backlinks, and gives you the insight into what keywords are performing for free. So check out Ahrefs webmaster [e-mail] awt that's ahrefs a h r e f s.com awt.

[Mike Walruth]

If you haven't subscribed yet and want a daily stream of SEO and content marketing knowledge in your podcast feed, hit the subscribe button in your podcast app or on YouTube and we'll bring you back to our feed. Okay, that's all for today and until next time. Remember, the answers are always in the data. Sam.