AI Overviews and Local Search: How AI Changes Local Results

Local search is fundamentally changing. Where the Local Pack, Google Maps, and Google Business Profile (GBP) once dominated the screen, Google is increasingly placing AI-generated answer boxes above them. For local businesses in Austria, this creates a new imperative: not only rank in the Local Pack, but also be cited in the AI answer. This article contextualizes the data, explains the mechanics, and provides an actionable approach.

Note on data basis: Most reliable studies on AI Overviews come from the US market. This data serves here as a benchmark and is marked as international. Austria-specific market data (StatCounter, DataReportal) is separately identified.

Why AI Overviews are relevant for local businesses

Local search is a mass phenomenon. 46% of all Google searches have local intent (international), and 76% of consumers who search "near me" visit a store within one day (international). Those who are visible here have a direct conversion opportunity. AI answers are now pushing into precisely this result space.

The extent is significant. A US case study by Whitespark shows: AI Overviews appear on average in 68% of all local business queries, while the Local Pack only appears in 39% (international). At the same time, usage is rising. According to BrightLocal, the share of consumers using AI for local recommendations has risen from 6% (2025) to 45% (2026) (international). AI is thus the third most-used tool for local recommendations, behind Google and Facebook, but ahead of Yelp and TripAdvisor.

For SMEs in Austria, this is doubly significant. The market is digitally mature: In Austria, there were approximately 8.69 million internet users in early 2025 with a penetration of 95.3% (Austria). And search runs almost entirely through one channel: Google holds a search engine market share of 81.87% in Austria (Austria, May 2026). What Google shows in the answer is therefore seen by practically all searchers in the country. Those missing from the AI Overview lose reach with a rapidly growing user group.

How it works: When Google shows AI Overview instead of Local Pack

AI Overviews and the extended AI Mode are not complete replacement formats for the Local Pack, but behave differently depending on search intent. The Whitespark study describes an "inverse relationship": As the probability for one format rises, it falls for the other. Intent is decisive.

• Transactional/local intent: With clearly local queries (e.g., "dentist 1070 Vienna"), the Local Pack dominates. Local-intent queries show a Local Pack 93% of the time and an AI Overview only 15% (international). Here, classic local SEO remains the most important lever.
• Informational intent: With questions without direct purchase impulse (e.g., "What does a professional teeth cleaning cost?"), the picture flips. Informational queries show an AI Overview 92% of the time and a Local Pack only 6% (international).
• Hybrid intent: Mixed forms trigger both formats, with a clear tendency toward the AI answer.

This mechanism is no accident, but part of Google's roadmap. According to Google itself, the introduction of AI Overviews in the largest markets USA and India drives an increase in Google usage of over 10% for the query types that display AI Overviews (international). Google therefore has a strong self-interest in expanding the format.

However, prevalence fluctuates significantly and is not static. A Semrush analysis of over 10 million keywords shows: The AI Overview trigger rate rose in 2025 from 6.49% (January) to 24.61% (July) and then fell to 15.69% (November) (international). In parallel, the intent mix shifted: The informational share fell from 91.3% (January) to 57.1% (October), while commercial and transactional AI Overviews increased (international). This means: AI answers are increasingly penetrating commercial, purchase-oriented queries, precisely where the Local Pack previously had sole authority.

Impact on click-through rates and local traffic

The most direct effect of AI Overviews is the zero-click trend: Many users receive their answer without clicking. An Ahrefs analysis of 300,000 keywords (150,000 with, 150,000 without AI Overview) documents the extent: The average click-through rate of the top position is 58% lower when an AI Overview is present (international). Position one therefore loses a large portion of its clicks to the AI box.

For local SMEs in Austria, this means concretely: Informational content (guides, explanatory texts, service FAQs) loses value as a pure traffic source, but gains value as a citation source for the AI answer. Those cited in the AI Overview benefit from visibility and brand authority, even without a click. Those not cited disappear doubly: no click and no mention. The strategic consequence is a shift in objectives, away from pure clicks, toward citation and subsequent branded search.

Important for context: With clearly local, purchase-ready search intent, the Local Pack remains the main channel, and the GBP entry including Maps interaction is hardly affected. The CTR loss primarily hits organic results for informational queries.

Which sources AI answers cite for local recommendations

AI answers synthesize from multiple signal sources. For local recommendations, four groups are central:

• Google Business Profile: The structured foundation (name, address, phone, category, opening hours, attributes). The GBP is the central entity reference for local AI answers and AI Mode.
• Reviews and reputation: AI actively summarizes reviews. According to BrightLocal, 50% of all consumers (and 71% of active AI users) trust that AI correctly summarizes reviews (international). Additionally, 23% rely solely on the summary, while 59% additionally check the review profiles (international).
• Directories and business portals: Consistent entries in third-party sources (e.g., Herold.at, WKO-Firmen-A-Z, FirmenABC) confirm the entity and provide AI with additional facts.
• First-party website: Your own website with clear, structured content (services, location, FAQ) provides the machine-readable context that AI needs for synthesis.

The core logic: The more consistently a business is described across all these sources, the higher the probability of appearing as a reliable entity in the AI answer.

Best practices: GBP optimization and AI visibility (AEO/GEO)

Optimization for AI Overviews combines classic local SEO with Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) and Generative Engine Optimization (GEO). The following measures are priorities:

• Maintain Google Business Profile completely: Correct primary category plus relevant additional categories, exact and consistent NAP data (including district and postal code, e.g., 1070 Vienna), current opening hours including holidays, meaningful photos, and regular posts. The GBP is the most important entity reference for local AI answers.
• NAP consistency across all sources: Name, address, and phone number must be character-exact and identical across GBP, website, and all directories. Any deviation weakens the entity signal and citation probability.
• Actively manage reviews: Continuously request reviews, respond to every review, maintain a stable average rating. Since AI summarizes reviews, the frequently mentioned topics in reviews directly shape the AI answer.
• Implement structured data: LocalBusiness schema, FAQPage schema, and Service markup as JSON-LD make facts machine-readable and facilitate inclusion in AI answers.
• Create FAQ and question-answer content: Answer informational queries directly and concisely. Since the AI Overview dominates these queries, clearly structured, citable content is the key to AI visibility.
• Strengthen local entities and E-E-A-T: Consistent mentions in local media, business directories, and partner sites build the topical and geographic authority that AI systems evaluate as a trust signal.

Common mistakes

• Focus only on the Local Pack: Those who ignore informational queries forfeit AI visibility for precisely the queries where the AI Overview dominates over 90% of the time.
• Inconsistent NAP data: Different spellings across directories weaken the entity and reduce citation probability in AI answers.
• Neglecting reviews: Because AI summarizes reviews, neglected or negative reviews directly impact the AI answer.
• Pure click optimization: Optimizing content only for CTR ignores that with AI Overview queries, click-through rate drops by 58%; citability becomes an independent target metric.
• No structured data: Without machine-readable schema, AI systems lack the context to reliably utilize website content.
• Ignoring multilingualism: In Austria, dialectal and multilingual search queries occur; content should reflect the natural, regional search language of the target audience.

Metrics and measuring AI visibility

AI visibility requires its own metrics beyond classic ranking:

• AI Overview appearance per keyword: Tracking which local keywords trigger an AI Overview and whether your own business appears as a source within it (via specialized SERP and SEO tools).
• Citation/mention rate in AI answers: Share of relevant queries in which the business is mentioned in AI Overview, AI Mode, or external AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT).
• GBP Insights: Calls, route requests, website clicks, and the search terms through which the profile is found, as a robust indicator of local performance despite zero-click.
• Review KPIs: Number, average rating, and response rate, as these signals flow directly into AI summaries.
• Organic local traffic and branded search: Clicks and impressions for local keywords in Google Search Console, supplemented by the development of direct branded search as a secondary effect of AI visibility.

Further reading and action recommendation

AI Overviews and AI Mode are not abruptly changing local search, but shifting weights: The Local Pack remains dominant for purchase-ready, local intent, while informational queries are increasingly intercepted by AI answers, with commercial queries following. For local businesses in Austria, this means playing on both levels.

Recommended next steps as checklist:

• Immediately: Fully audit GBP (categories, NAP, photos, posts) and establish NAP consistency across all directories.
• Short-term: Implement structured data (LocalBusiness, FAQPage) and establish a review process with 100% response rate.
• Medium-term: Build informational FAQ and guide content for local topics that serve as AI citation sources.
• Ongoing: Monitor AI Overview appearance and citation rate for the most important local keywords and iteratively refine content.

This creates visibility that works equally in the classic Local Pack, in the AI Overview, and in AI Mode.