Throw Out the Old Local SEO Playbook — and Do This Instead

TL;DR: Building a Local SEO strategy in the AI era isn't about one-size-fits-all tactics—it's about adapting your strategy by region, industry, and platform using structured data, review signals, and answer engine optimization to maximize brand visibility everywhere customers search.

Beyond Google: 4 questions to ask to make sure you're discovered everywhere

Search is now fragmented across many channels, includingsocial platforms, traditional search, and now, AI search engines like Google Gemini and ChatGPT — each using different citation sources and ranking logic. In fact, the latest research from Yext shows that:

• Gemini cites first-party websites 52.15% of the time.

• OpenAI's ChatGPT leans on third-party listings 48.73% of the time.

• Domain overlap between any two AI models tops out at just 4.5%, meaning visibility in one doesn't guarantee discovery in another.

Complicating things for multi-location marketers is that what may work for a retail location in Seattle might flop in Orlando. Another recent Yext analysis of more than 8.7 million search results shows that local SEO performance is heavily influenced by regional differences. A search engine won't treat a dentist in Dallas the same way it may treat one in Boston, and neither should you.

The good news? According to SEMrush, 58% of brands don't optimize for local search, and only 30% have a plan in place. That means you're not behind — and now's the right time to start.

Asking yourself these four questions can help your brand adapt and win no matter where your customers are searching.

1. Am I optimizing SEO by industry and region?

There's no such thing as an "SEO best practice" that applies to all your locations.

The signals that drive visibility differ by vertical and by geography. The same SEO move that boosts your bank's ranking in Austin, Texas, might prove less effective in Yonkers, New York.

Yext research found that Google's algorithm favors different traits by vertical:

• In healthcare, it favors review volume and frequency

• In retail, Google favors keyword matches, review count, and review frequency

• In hospitality, the algorithm favors photo quality and consistency of business hours and merchant descriptions

• For restaurants, Google favors review rating and frequency of owner responses

A strong regional SEO strategy means optimizing for the search engine ranking factors that matter most to your industry. In Financial Services, users often scroll and compare — so brands can still win further down the page. In Healthcare, most engagement happens in the Local Pack, making top-of-page visibility more important for driving clicks.

See the research | Best Practices Will Only Take You So Far: A statistical look at regional and industry variation in local SEO ranking factors

2. How are my customers discovering brands and making purchase decisions?

Local Pack ranking factors vary by industry — and influence how brand visibility translates into real-world engagement. Not every customer stops searching when they read an AI Overview. In fact, people searching in high-trust categories like healthcare and finance act more like researchers than buyers. They scroll further. They compare more. They're also more likely to click on a well-optimized listing below the Local Pack than a generic one in the top three.

Yext research found that in healthcare and finance, brands ranked #6–10 sometimes outperform those at #3 — because users in high-trust categories scroll, compare, and validate before acting.

This is your opportunity: If you're not #1, you can still win if you optimize for actions, not just eyeballs.

• Audit your CTAs

• Track which calls-to-action drive conversions by region

• Optimize listings for clarity, not just ranking

See the research | Impact of SERP Ranking on Engagement: Investigating CTR performance & Highlights in Unique YMYL Behavior

3. What If the SEO rules change based on where I operate?

You wouldn't run the same paid media strategy in every market. Don't do it with SEO.

Yext Research found that Local Pack visibility drops off more steeply in some regions than others — and factors like review response time, freshness, and even photo volume behave differently depending on where you operate.

• In the South and West, win with fast, consistent review response times because slow response times lead to double-digit visibility drops.

• Overall, restaurant brands win with recent high-rated reviews, not with the most reviews.

• Hospitality's top performers win with curated visual assets, not more-is-more or cluttered profiles.

Still think one brand means one strategy for every location? Not quite. For multi-location brands, SEO performance is more nuanced. The Northeast is less influenced by traditional SEO signals, while Midwest businesses that delay updates over the weekend risk dropping from view.

The takeaway: winning visibility means aligning your strategy with how customers search—and how Google ranks—at the local level.

Not sure how you're performing at the local level? Use Scout to find out where you're visible, how you stack up to competitors, and what to fix — across every ZIP code, location, and keyword. Run a scan with Scout.

4. Am I focused on the metrics that matter?

In the new search landscape, actions > rankings.

What matters isn't where you appear — it's what users do once they find you. Clicks, calls, directions, bookings, and structured citations are stronger indicators of visibility and trust than traditional rank metrics.

In Answer Engine Optimization (AEO), it's not just if you're cited—it's how. Yext's analysis of 6.8 million AI citations found that 86% come from sources brands can influence:

• 43% from first-party websites

• 43% from third-party listings

• 8% from reviews and social content

If 86% of citations stem from sources you can influence, the question becomes: Are your listings structured so AI and search engines can read, cite, and rank them accurately? Are customers seeing reliable signals—like fresh reviews, rich content, and accurate data—everywhere they search?

Brands that prioritize clear calls to action, strong differentiators (including reviews), and complete profiles are more likely to be discovered—and clicked on—even if they're not in the top position. In high-trust, regulated industries like healthcare and finance, users often scroll further when the decision matters. Visibility beyond position #1 still drives real engagement.

Actions > Eyeballs. That's the new marketing mindset.

Don't just track rank. Track what people do. If you're only tracking where you rank — not how customers engage — you're flying blind. Run a scan to see where you rank.

The bottom line?

There's no one-size-fits-all local SEO strategy anymore. Marketers need to stop following static checklists and instead align tactics with local signals, industry context, and platform-specific behaviors.

Brand visibility doesn't come from doing "all the things." It comes from doing the right things, in the right places, for the right people.

Want to see what's working for your locations? Book a Scout visibility diagnosis