Why Google Business Profile Matters for AI Search
Your Google Business Profile is probably the most important piece of digital real estate you own. And you almost certainly haven't touched it since you set it up.
I say this to business owners all the time and they look at me like I'm mad. It's just a listing, right? A place where customers check your opening hours and maybe leave a review. That's how it used to work. Not anymore.
When someone asks ChatGPT or Gemini for a plumber in Hitchin or a solicitor in Letchworth, your Google Business Profile plays a massive role in whether you get mentioned. Gemini pulls directly from it. Other AI tools cross-reference it. If your profile is thin, outdated, or incomplete, you're essentially invisible to AI search.
How AI search actually uses your profile
AI tools don't browse the web the way humans do. They pull from structured, trusted data sources. Your Google Business Profile is one of the most trusted because it's verified and organised in a way machines can easily read.
When someone in Baldock asks ChatGPT "who does bathroom fitting near me?", the AI looks at structured data first. Your Business Profile contains exactly that. Categories, services, location, reviews, photos. All machine-readable. All getting processed by AI when someone asks a relevant question.
A heating engineer in Stevenage had a Business Profile with just his name, phone number, and "Plumbing & Heating" as his category. That was it. No services listed, no photos, no posts, three reviews from 2021. AI had barely anything to work with. We filled the whole thing out properly and within a month he was appearing in AI results he'd never shown up in before.
Why your website alone isn't enough anymore
Ranking on page one of Google used to be the entire game. Build your site, write some content, chase some backlinks, hope for the best.
AI search changes that equation quite a bit.
People increasingly get answers without clicking any links. ChatGPT gives a direct recommendation. Perplexity summarises information from multiple sources. Google's AI overviews do the same. If your business isn't in the data these systems reference, you don't exist in that answer. Simple as that.
Your website matters, obviously. But AI systems want structured, verified information about your business from multiple sources. That's where your Google Business Profile becomes critical.
What makes a profile actually work for AI
Completeness matters more than you'd expect. Every empty field is a missed signal.
Fill out your services section properly. If you're an electrician, list every service you offer. Don't just write "electrical work" and call it a day. Be specific. Emergency callouts, rewiring, EV charger installation, PAT testing, the lot.
Categories need attention too. Choose the most specific primary category that fits your business. Then add relevant secondary categories. AI uses these to understand what you actually do, so vague categories get vague results.
Photos help more than most people realise. AI systems can analyse images now. A bathroom fitter with twenty photos of completed bathrooms sends much stronger signals than one with just a logo. Every photo is evidence.
Reviews give social proof, but they also give context. When a customer writes "fixed our boiler on Christmas Eve, absolute lifesaver", that tells AI you do emergency heating repairs over the holidays. Specific reviews teach AI about your services in ways your website might not.
The local connection AI cares about
AI search strongly favours local relevance. Someone asking for recommendations in Royston shouldn't get London agencies. Geography matters enormously.
Your Google Business Profile anchors you to a specific location. That's powerful for local businesses across North Hertfordshire. AI knows exactly where you operate and can recommend you confidently to people in your area.
Keep your service areas updated. If you cover all of North Hertfordshire, make sure that's reflected. If you've expanded, update it. AI uses this information constantly.
And consistency. I bang on about this every chance I get because it matters every single time. Your business name, address, and phone number need to match everywhere online. When AI cross-references information and finds inconsistencies, it creates doubt. Doubt means you get skipped.
Regular updates send active signals
A stale profile suggests a stale business. AI seems to favour businesses that show activity. Regular posts, updated photos, responses to reviews. All signals that you're operating and engaged.
You don't need to post every day. Even monthly helps. Share a recent project, mention you're open over bank holidays, upload a photo from a job this week. Five minutes once a month.
Responding to reviews particularly matters. It shows you're paying attention and you care about the customer experience. AI appears to weight businesses higher when they actively engage with feedback. Plus it looks professional to anyone reading the reviews, which is half the point.
AEO builds on this foundation
AEO takes everything in your Google Business Profile and makes it work harder. The goal is making sure AI tools know exactly what you do, where you serve, and why you're the right choice.
For local businesses in Hitchin, Letchworth, Baldock, Royston, and across North Hertfordshire, this matters enormously. Most of your competitors haven't optimised their profiles for AI search. Most haven't even thought about it.
If you want to understand how your profile performs for AI search and what you could improve, book a call with us. We specialise in AEO in North Hertfordshire and can show you exactly what to fix first.