45% of Your Customers Now Ask AI Where to Go. Does It Name You?

Almost half of consumers now ask AI where to go. Up from 6% a year ago, per BrightLocal's 2026 research, backed by AP News. AI is now the #3 way people find a local business.

In Greenville, that's a customer typing "best plumber in Greenville" or "who does mulch in Simpsonville" into ChatGPT. If your name's not in that answer, you're not losing to a competitor. You're just not in the conversation.

Here's the gap: only 35% of small businesses have a Google Business Profile, and less than half of the businesses that rank in local search show up in AI recommendations (BrightLocal/SOCi 2026). Most of the market is unoptimized. That's an opening.

What gets you named

• A complete, active Google Business Profile. Name, address, phone, hours, service area, photos. That's where AI pulls from.
• Recent reviews. AI trusts fresh reviews more than a big pile of old ones.
• A site AI can read. Clear pages, same name/address/phone everywhere, schema. Nothing fancy.

The five-minute check

Open ChatGPT and Google. Ask for the service you provide in your town. If your name doesn't show up, that's your starting point.

The fix is boring and cheap. We run a $90 SEO + GEO audit that shows what Google and ChatGPT currently say about your business, plus the first three fixes that would move the needle. Written report, no monthly commitment.