TL;DR: How local SEO can help with AI search visibility
AI search tools each use different search engines to power their results when querying the live web. ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot pull from Bing’s index, while Duck.ai uses Bing Search and Apple Maps for local results. Google Gemini uses Google and Claude uses Brave Search. If your business only has a Google Business Profile (GBP), you could essentially be invisible to several AI platforms and missing out on being cited in their AI-generated answers. Claiming and completing your Bing Places and Apple Business Connect listings are one of the quickest wins available for local SEO in AI search (as well as optimising your GBP), and it costs nothing but time.
Local SEO and AI Search
For most marketing teams, local SEO has meant one thing… Google. You’d get your Google Business Profile set up, aim for the map pack, request reviews, create some localised landing pages, sprinkle in some business directory listings and (hopefully) job done.
That made sense when Google was the only game worth playing. But AI Search has changed search completely. Tools like ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, Claude and Perplexity each answer questions with AI, yet they pull from different search engines that aren’t Google. They each have their own data ecosystems, and if your business isn’t present in those ecosystems, you won’t appear in their answers.
The good news is that fixing this doesn’t require a big budget or a technical SEO agency. It mostly requires a few hours and a bit of focused work.
Why appearing in more places is key for AI search
Traditional search worked by crawling and indexing the web, then ranking pages for a given query. AI search works differently, where these tools synthesise answers from their respective model’s training data, augmented with live web data where required, to provide an accurate up-to-date answer. Because these platforms each use different search engines to power their answers, where they get their data from suddenly makes a big difference to where you need to be present online.
Here’s how the main AI tools break down:
ChatGPT Search
Chat GPT relies heavily on Bing’s index. Research published by Seer Interactive in February 2025, analysing over 500 ChatGPT citations, found that 87% matched Bing’s top search results. If Bing hasn’t indexed your site or your business listing, ChatGPT Search is unlikely to surface you either.
Microsoft Copilot
Copilot is a Microsoft product and unsurprisingly uses Microsoft Bing. If your business isn’t indexed by Bing or doesn’t have a Bing Places for Business listing, again – you’re unlikely to get cited in local Copilot answers.
Claude
Claude, Anthropic’s AI platform, leverages Brave Search as its search engine for retrieving real-time web information. Unlike many privacy-focused alternatives that rely on Microsoft Bing or Google APIs, Brave Search operates on its own independently built web index, having severed ties with Big Tech providers by 2025.
DuckDuckGo
DuckDuckGo uses Apple Maps to power its local and map-based search results and it uses Bing’s search index for search. That partnership with Apple has been in place since 2019. When someone searches for a local business or service through DuckDuckGo, local maps-based data comes from Apple Maps and not Google.
Perplexity
Perplexity maintains its own independent web index and crawls the web in real time. It doesn’t rely on Bing or Google, which means neither Google nor Bing optimisation alone guarantees you’ll appear there. Consistent, accurate business information across the web still helps, which is why the steps below are important for Perplexity visibility too.
Google Gemini
Google Gemini (Google’s AI) uses Google’s own search ecosystem, including Google Business Profiles. Google’s ‘AI Mode’ in search also runs on Gemini.
The practical takeaway from all this is that optimising for Google alone means you’re covered for Gemini, but potentially not going to show up in ChatGPT Search, Copilot, and DuckDuckGo’s local results.
The three key maps profiles
Google Business Profile
Google Business Profile is still essential. If you haven’t claimed and completed your Google Business Profile yet, start here. It’s the foundation for Google Search, Google Maps, and Google Gemini. This is absolutely key to local results in both traditional local SEO and locally-focused answers in AI search.
Bing Places for Business
This is one profile many B2B marketing teams skip and it’s a huge missed opportunity. Bing Places for Business feeds into Microsoft Copilot and ChatGPT search, so it’s key for AI visibility. If you already have a Google Business Profile, Microsoft lets you import that data directly into Bing Places for Business, so the setup can be very fast.
Go to bingplaces.com, sign in with a Microsoft account, and search for your business. If it already appears (Bing often auto-generates basic listings from web data), claim it and complete the profile. If it doesn’t appear, you can create one from scratch. Either way, make sure your business name, address, phone number, and website matches exactly what’s on your Google Business Profile. This is known as ensuring NAP (Name, Address, Phone) consistency and is a strong signal for local SEO. Keep your NAP consistency across your profiles and online directory listings, which is key for local visibility in both SEO and AI search.
Apple Business Connect
Apple Maps is used by every iPhone, iPad, and Mac, plus it powers DuckDuckGo’s local results. Many businesses already have a basic Apple Maps listing generated automatically from web data (including the inclusion of Yelp profile data), but these listings are often incomplete or inaccurate.
Go to businessconnect.apple.com and search for your business. If it’s there, claim it using your business domain email address. If it isn’t, create a new listing. Once claimed, add your logo, photos, accurate opening hours, and a clear description. Verification is usually simple and doesn’t require any technical knowledge.
Why consistency matters more than completeness
Across all three platforms, your business name, address, and phone number need to be identical. This is sometimes called NAP consistency, and it’s important because AI tools cross-reference data to assess whether a business is legitimate and active. Inconsistencies between platforms, even small ones like “Ltd” versus “Limited” or a different phone number format, can create uncertainty that undermines your credibility as a data source.
Extending that consistency to your website and any other online directories where your business appears strengthens the signal further. The more consistent the information is across the web, the clearer it is to AI tools that your business is real, established, and worth citing – while helping you build entity authority.
Keeping listings active
A claimed listing that never gets updated sends a weak signal. Brad Wetherall, former Director of Operations at Google who spent over a decade overseeing Google Business Profile, explained in an episode of The Best SEO Podcast how Google’s algorithm evaluates ongoing activity as a trust signal.
A few things that help, based on his insights and general best practice:
- Add photos regularly rather than uploading a batch all at once. Consistent additions over time signal an active, trading business.
- Keep your services or product descriptions current, especially if your offering has changed.
- Respond to reviews. Wetherall noted that consistent review frequency carries more weight than total volume. A steady stream of responses helps signal to AI tools that there is a real, active business behind the listing.
- Avoid anything that looks suspicious, such as frequently changing your business name, address, or phone number, as this can negatively affect your trust score within Google’s systems and trigger re-verification.
None of this needs to be a major time commitment. A monthly check across all three platforms takes less than 30 minutes.
Where to start
Work through this in order:
- Claim and complete your Google Business Profile at business.google.com
- Claim or create your Bing Places listing at bingplaces.com, importing your Google data if that’s easier
- Claim your Apple Business Connect listing at businessconnect.apple.com
- Check that your business name, address, and phone number are identical across all three – with similar ‘about’ bios for your business.
- Set a monthly reminder to update photos and respond to any new reviews
That’s it. No agency or budget required. A small investment of time upfront and a simple monthly commitment gives your business a local presence where AI search tools are pulling much of their data from.
About the author
Mike Smith is a marketing consultant with over 9 years of B2B marketing experience, based in Kingsbridge, South Hams, Devon. marketingstuff.co.uk is his blog for solo marketers, small marketing teams, small businesses and sole traders, who want to get better results without much marketing budget. Mike is an expert in local search and can help business owners in Kingsbridge and the South Hams to succeed in getting found and winning business locally.
FAQs
Does my business need to be on Bing for it to appear in ChatGPT?
Yes, largely. ChatGPT Search draws heavily from Bing’s index. Research from Seer Interactive found that 87% of ChatGPT Search citations matched Bing’s top results. If your business or website isn’t indexed by Bing, it’s unlikely to be surfaced by ChatGPT when someone asks a question your business could answer.
Does DuckDuckGo use Google for local business results?
No. DuckDuckGo uses Apple Maps to power its local and map-based search results, a partnership it has had since 2019. To appear in DuckDuckGo’s map results, you need a claimed and completed Apple Business Connect listing.
What is NAP consistency and why does it matter for AI search?
NAP stands for Name, Address, and Phone Number. Search engines cross-reference business data from multiple sources to verify that a business is real and trustworthy, which also affects whether AI will cite you due to their reliance on search engines. If your details differ between Google, Bing, Apple Maps, and other directories, it creates conflicting signals that can reduce your chances of being listed in local map packs or cited in AI-generated answers.
Do I need to pay for any of these listings?
No. Google Business Profile, Bing Places for Business, and Apple Business Connect are all free to claim and use. The investment is time, not money.
How long does it take to set up all three listings?
If you already have a Google Business Profile, setting up Bing Places takes around 10 to 15 minutes using the import tool. Apple Business Connect typically takes a similar amount of time. Plan for an hour in total if you’re starting from scratch on all three. If you want to complete your profile fully, such as uploading imagery, listing your services with individual service descriptions etc., this will take a lot longer. But you can chip away at it each month during your scheduled maintenance slot.
Will being on Bing and Apple Maps help with traditional SEO as well as AI search?
Yes. Bing is a traditional search engine with its own organic results, and it has a meaningful share of search traffic, particularly in the UK. Apple Maps influences local discovery across iOS devices and in DuckDuckGo which is growing in popularity as a search engine due to its focus on privacy. Both are worth optimising for independently of AI search, and the effort overlaps almost entirely.