Local Falcon Research

Analysis of 10,000 US restaurants finds 74.9% never appear in Google's AI recommendations, even with strong ratings and 1,000+ reviews.

Local Falcon analysis finds Family Dollar has closed at least 350 U.S. stores in the past 10 months, with closures concentrated in the South and Appalachia.

This report presents findings from the largest known study of AI local search visibility, analyzing 189,905 ChatGPT search results alongside 16.4 million Google search results for restaurant-related queries. Our analysis reveals a systemic visibility gap between traditional search and AI-powered platforms—one that has profound implications for the estimated 30 million local businesses in the United States alone.

New research from Local Falcon analyzes 50.4 million US search results across 1,993 business categories to reveal exactly what it takes to rank in Google's Local 3-Pack. Key findings: the median business ranking needs 47 reviews (not hundreds), ratings cluster tightly between 4.5-4.9 stars, and location type dramatically impacts competition - urban businesses face 3-5x more competition than rural ones. The study also explores how these same signals appear to influence AI-powered search recommendations.

This whitepaper reveals how Google AI Overviews are changing local search - and why businesses should pay attention.