The shift: customers now ask AI who to call
BrightLocal’s Local Consumer Review Survey 2026 (1,002 US adults, published February 2026) found that use of ChatGPT and other generative AI tools for local business recommendations rose from 6% the year before to 45%. That makes AI the third most popular source of business recommendations in the survey.
The same survey shows Google’s share as a review platform dipping from 83% in 2025 to 71%, while Apple Maps nearly doubled, from 14% to 27%. Consumers use an average of six review sites. Google is still the center of gravity, but the audience is spreading out.
Where AI answers actually get their information
BrightLocal’s Local AI Visibility Study, published September 16, 2026, tracked roughly 200,000 localized searches for about 1,300 business locations across ChatGPT, Google AI Mode and AI Overviews, and logged the sources each answer cited. Three findings matter most for reviews:
- Business websites were the biggest source, making up 42% of all citations.
- Google Business Profile was next, at 28.5% of all citations across the three platforms. The study calls it, by far, the most important source of information, especially on AI Mode and AI Overviews.
- Yelp was the largest third-party review source, at about 9.5% of citations in the study’s source table.
In other words, the AI reads your profile, your reviews and your website together. A great review count on one platform does not help much if your website is vague about what you do and where.
Not every AI reads the same sources
The study found the three AI surfaces disagree with each other a lot. AI Mode and AI Overviews shared only 29% of the businesses they named, and ChatGPT overlapped with either Google surface only 19 to 20% of the time. Google’s own tools lean heavily on Google Business Profile data. ChatGPT draws on a wider mix of the web.
That has a practical consequence. A business that only cares about Google reviews is optimizing for two of the three places customers now ask. Reviews on a second platform, and a clear website, are what show up in the third.
Where to collect reviews next: a simple order
- Google, always first. It is still the most used review platform and it feeds the two Google AI surfaces directly. Ask every happy customer, every time. Our guide to getting more Google reviews without being annoying has the scripts.
- Apple Maps, if your customers carry iPhones. Its review usage nearly doubled in a year in BrightLocal’s survey, and it powers Siri and Apple Maps answers. Claim your listing through Apple Business Connect; we cover the setup in Bing Places and Apple Business Connect.
- Yelp or Facebook, whichever your category lives on. Restaurants and home services tend to be read on Yelp; many trades and community-driven businesses get more from Facebook. Pick the one your customers already mention.
- Your industry’s own site. Healthcare, legal, home improvement and hospitality each have category sites that AI tools treat as specialist sources. One strong profile there is worth more than five empty ones elsewhere.
Do not spread thin. Two platforms with steady, recent reviews beat six platforms with three reviews each.
Make your website the source the AI quotes
Because business websites were the largest citation source in the study, the cheapest AI-visibility win for most local businesses is on their own site:
- One clear sentence near the top of each service page saying what you do, where, and for whom.
- Prices or price ranges, if you can publish them. Answers that need a number go looking for one.
- Your service area named in plain words, matching your Google Business Profile.
- Real reviews shown on the page, with names and dates, not just a star badge.
- Answers to the questions customers ask on the phone, written the way you would say them.
Google’s documentation on AI features says there are no special optimizations needed to appear in AI Overviews or AI Mode beyond normal good practice, and its listed best practices include keeping your Business Profile information up to date. The checklist above is that, done thoroughly.
Reviews are also how you get picked, not just found
Visibility is only half the job. In BrightLocal’s study, businesses showed up in Google Maps for 66% of tracked searches versus 32 to 38% in the AI surfaces, and AI answers changed a lot between repeat runs of the same question. When a customer does see your name, recent reviews that mention the job they need are what turn a mention into a phone call. Reply to them, too; our review reply guide covers the good, the bad and the fake.
If you want to know what the AI tools say about your business today, our 15-minute AI self-audit walks you through it, or we can manage your profile and reviews for you.
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Get the free audit → Call 1-800-481-8638Questions readers ask
Do Google reviews still matter if customers use ChatGPT?
Yes. In BrightLocal’s 2026 Local AI Visibility Study, Google Business Profile made up 28.5% of all citations across ChatGPT, AI Mode and AI Overviews, and it was the most important source for Google’s two AI surfaces. Google is also still the most used review site.
How many people use AI to find local businesses?
BrightLocal’s Local Consumer Review Survey 2026 found 45% of US consumers used ChatGPT or other generative AI tools for local business recommendations, up from 6% the year before.
Is Yelp worth it in 2026?
For categories where customers read Yelp, yes. Yelp was the largest third-party review source in BrightLocal’s AI citation data, at about 9.5% of citations. If your customers do not use Yelp, put the effort into the platform they do use.
What should I put on my website to show up in AI answers?
State what you do, where and for whom near the top of each service page; publish prices or ranges if you can; name your service area to match your Google Business Profile; show real dated reviews; and answer the questions customers ask by phone.
How many review sites should a small business focus on?
Two is a good number: Google plus the one platform your customers actually use. Steady, recent reviews on two sites do more than a handful of reviews scattered across six.