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Author tested Google AI Mode, ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Claude every week for 6…
Brief
Local businesses are already being ranked by LLM-driven search and the post claims practical testing shows Google AI Mode, ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Claude behave differently: the author tested those four weekly for six months (covering dentists, roofers, plumbers, HVAC companies, and personal injury lawyers in five cities) and found Google AI Mode returns Google Business Profiles in the top five results 90% of the time. Yelp is a major source for Perplexity and Apple Maps and shows up often in ChatGPT, so businesses that ignored Yelp are at risk. Review wording matters—14 mentions of “water heater installation” can beat 200 generic reviews—and unlinked mentions on local sites and exact NAP consistency also shape LLM outputs. The post warns owners they have roughly 12–18 months to optimize profiles, reviews, service-page detail, and citation consistency for AI search.
Why it matters
Author tested Google AI Mode, ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Claude every week for 6 months (tests run across dentists, roofers, plumbers, HVAC companies, and personal injury lawyers in 5 different cities).
Key details
- Google AI Mode returned Google Business Profiles among the top 5 results 9 out of 10 times, meaning website rankings played almost no role in those AI results.
- Perplexity and Apple Maps pull heavily from Yelp; ChatGPT uses a mix of sources but shows Yelp frequently — so ignoring Yelp is now a liability for local businesses.
- Google AI Mode reads review text and lifts language directly; example: if reviews mention “water heater installation” 14 times, that business outranks a competitor with 200 generic “great service” reviews.
- Unlinked brand mentions (local listicles, newspapers, chamber blogs) and strict NAP consistency (e.g., ‘Suite 200’ vs ‘Ste 200’ treated as different entities) influence LLM-based local rankings; business owners have ~12–18 months to address AI-search risks.