Traditional Google search
People enter a search and receive a list of web results. This is what most people mean when they say "SEO," and it's still the foundation everything else sits on.
SEO guides Guide 05 · Google, local & AI
Google, local SEO and AI search: what's the difference?
These three areas get talked about as if they're separate specialisms, but for most small businesses they overlap far more than they differ. It's worth understanding how, so you're not chasing three separate strategies unnecessarily.
A well-structured, useful website helps all three. There's no guaranteed method to "rank in ChatGPT" — and anyone claiming otherwise is overselling it.
Google, local & AIThree lenses on the same websiteA well-built site strengthens all three at once.
01Three overlapping areas
Different surfaces, similar foundations
Where people actually find you.
Local search
Google Maps, local pack results and your Google Business Profile can all influence visibility for location-based searches — particularly important if most of your customers are nearby.
See local website designAI-assisted search
Search engines and AI tools increasingly summarise or surface information from websites and other trusted sources, rather than just listing links.
The same underlying work — clear structure, accurate information and genuine usefulness — supports all three. You don't need a separate strategy for each one; you need one website that's genuinely easy to understand.
Pragmatic, not hype
What you can realistically improve.
None of this is a trick. It's the same discipline that's always underpinned good SEO, applied consistently.
Clear service descriptions
Explaining what you do in plain language, without vague marketing phrasing.
Accurate business information
Correct, consistent details wherever your business is mentioned.
Local relevance
Content that genuinely reflects where you work and who you serve.
Useful FAQs
Answering the real questions customers ask, clearly and specifically.
Structured content
Information organised so it's easy to follow — for people and machines.
Expertise & evidence
Genuine case studies and detail that demonstrate real experience.
Consistency across sources
The same facts, stated the same way, everywhere your business appears.
Crawlable pages
A site that search engines and AI tools can actually access and read.
02Questions
One of the most common questions
Worth setting up properly.
Wondering how all of this affects your position in search results?
Read why rankings varyDo I need a Google Business Profile?
For most small businesses serving customers locally, yes. It's usually one of the clearest ways to appear in local and map-based results, and it's free to set up and maintain.
Need help understanding what your website needs?