With AI-driven search rapidly changing how users discover local businesses, many business owners and SEOs are starting to notice strange trends. Maybe your local rankings look strong, and impressions are holding steady, but clicks to your website are flat or even declining. What gives?
The answer often lies in what traditional SEO metrics don't show you. As search engines like Google ramp up AI-powered features, such as AI Overviews, and experiment with more zero-click results, and as users increasingly turn to tools like ChatGPT for local recommendations, the way your business shows up online is evolving fast, and not always in ways you can measure with legacy tools.
To truly understand your local SEO performance today, you need to track your visibility not just in traditional local search results, but also across AI-powered search experiences. That's where Local Falcon comes in.
Tracking Different Types of Local Search Visibility with Local Falcon (And Why You Need To)
To get a complete picture of how your business is performing in local search, it's important to look beyond simple keyword rankings and clicks. Local Falcon makes it easy to monitor visibility across all the major platforms where customers are discovering local businesses, from Google's search ecosystem to GenAI platforms like ChatGPT.
1. Google Business Profile (GBP) Visibility
Understanding how your business ranks in the local pack and Google Maps for your target keywords is the foundation of any local SEO strategy. Local Falcon's geo-grid rank tracking reports show exactly where your business appears geographically, helping you uncover ranking patterns and blind spots.
Why it matters: Most local searches still result in actions like website visits, phone calls, or direction requests straight from your Google Business Profile. If you're not tracking GBP performance directly, you're missing where most conversions actually start.
How to do it:
- Add your Google Business Profile locations to Local Falcon.
- Run a Quick Scan or a Campaign Scan using Google Maps as the data source.
- Review your Scan Report results, including ranking metrics and the Falcon AI analysis and optimization recommendations.
2. Apple Business Connect (ABC) Visibility
Apple Maps is used by millions of iPhone users, and is even available on the web to anyone, making it another important source of local visibility to monitor. Local Falcon tracks how your business shows up on Apple's local search platform through your Apple Business Connect listing.
Why it matters: Apple Maps is the default navigation app for iOS users, and its influence is growing. If you're not measuring performance here, you're ignoring a significant slice of mobile-centric traffic.
How to do it:
- Add your Apple Business Connect locations to Local Falcon.
- Run a scan using Apple Maps as the data source.
- Check the Scan Report ranking metrics to understand your Apple Maps visibility.
3. Google AI Overviews (AIOs)
AI Overviews are Google's AI-generated search summaries that often appear above traditional results. They frequently mention specific brands and cite locally relevant sources, including business sites, reviews, or listings, providing aggregated information without requiring a user to click on a GBP or website link.
Why it matters: Getting mentioned in AIOs gives your business visibility at the very top of search results. Local Falcon's AIO tracking helps you see whether your business is included, which sources are cited, who your top competitors are for AIO visibility, and how your presence is shifting as Google expands this relatively new feature.
How to do it:
- Run a scan for any business location using Google AI Overviews as the data source.
- Experiment with different conversational, long-tail queries to explore which keywords trigger AIO appearances in your market.
- Review the Scan Report results (don't forget to check the Source Information section for insights into how you may be able to boost AIO mentions).
4. ChatGPT Visibility
AI chat tools like ChatGPT are being used by more people every day to ask for local business recommendations or conduct research related to specific products or services. Local Falcon tracks whether your business appears in these local AI responses.
Why it matters: Local visibility in conversational AI is no longer hypothetical. It's already influencing how users make decisions. If you're not showing up here, you may be invisible to a growing segment of your potential customer base.
How to do it:
- Run a scan for any business location using ChatGPT as the data source.
- Be sure to test a variety of conversational keywords to uncover what prompts ChatGPT to mention local businesses like yours.
- Check your brand mentions in the Scan Report (remember to review the Source Information section for insights into how to improve your AI visibility).
5. Grok Visibility
X's Grok AI is quickly becoming a discovery tool inside the X ecosystem, surfacing recommendations and answers that often include local businesses. Local Falcon can track if and how your business is mentioned within Grok's AI responses.
Why it matters: Grok leverages X's real-time conversation data, making it a unique channel for local visibility. If your business is referenced here, you may capture the attention of highly engaged users already looking for recommendations or services in your niche.
How to do it:
- Run a scan for any business location using Grok as the data source.
- Test queries phrased the way people naturally ask for recommendations on social platforms.
- Review the Scan Report to see whether your business is cited, who your competitors are, and what context drives Grok mentions.
6. Gemini Visibility
Google's Gemini AI is being integrated across Google's products, from Search to Workspace, and is emerging as a major platform for conversational discovery. Local Falcon lets you see if Gemini references your business in its responses to local-intent queries.
Why it matters: Gemini is central to Google's long-term AI roadmap. If your business appears in Gemini results, you're gaining early visibility in what's likely to be one of the most influential AI-driven ecosystems. Ignoring it could mean missing out on major visibility in the future of Google-powered local business discovery.
How to do it:
- Run a scan with Gemini as the data source.
- Use natural-language, local-intent queries as the keywords for your scan.
- Analyze the Scan Report, especially the Source Information section, to identify what data points Gemini is pulling from and how to strengthen your presence.
7. Google AI Mode Visibility
Google's AI Mode is the conversational search experience now officially rolled out alongside traditional Google Search results.
Unlike AI Overviews, AI Mode operates more like a chatbot, delivering interactive responses that often highlight businesses or services directly. Local Falcon tracks your Google AI Mode visibility in these exchanges.
Why it matters: As more users opt to use AI Mode for local research, your business has the chance to appear in conversational recommendations inside the world's most widely used search engine. Early monitoring here helps you understand how Google is interpreting and surfacing your brand in AI Mode responses.
How to do it:
- Run a scan for any business location using Google AI Mode as the data source.
- Experiment with conversational, follow-up style queries since AI Mode often adapts to ongoing dialogue.
- Review your Scan Report to learn whether your business is featured, how competitors are positioned, and which sources are driving AI Mode mentions.
Your Next Steps
Local visibility isn't just about ranking in traditional local search results anymore. Businesses have to ensure they're showing up across the full range of tools people use to find local products, services, and information.
From tracking traditional Google Business Profile and Apple Business Connect rankings to helping you understand your AI visibility in AI Overviews, ChatGPT, and other leading AI search platforms, Local Falcon gives you the tools and level of insight you need to stay competitive in local search.
Start comprehensively tracking your business's local SEO performance today and see where you stand across Google, Apple Maps, and the most prominent AI search tools!
