2025 Guide to Local SEO for AI-Powered Search Engines

In 2025, optimizing your website for search engines goes far beyond traditional keywords and backlinks—it’s about preparing for the AI-powered evolution in search technology, where SEO now hinges on a dynamic, intent-driven approach. AI-driven search provides more accurate, contextual, and user-friendly experiences by understanding user intent, consolidating data from various sources, and responding in a conversational, human-like way. These AI advancements enable search engines to interpret nuanced queries, deliver answers that are more aligned with user needs, and anticipate follow-up questions. As a result, optimizing for AI search isn’t just about visibility—are you ready to learn how to make your website a true conversational powerhouse that meets the needs of tomorrow’s searchers?

What is an AI Search Engine?

An AI search engine uses artificial intelligence to provide more accurate, contextual, and conversational search experiences than traditional search engines. Unlike standard keyword-based search engines, AI search engines rely on natural language processing (NLP) and machine learning to understand the intent behind user queries and deliver more relevant and personalized results.

Examples of AI Search Engines:

• Google’s Gemini: An AI-powered search experience that integrates generative AI to enhance search capabilities, offering more personalized and context-aware results.
• Microsoft’s Copilot: an AI-powered assistant integrated into Microsoft 365 and other applications, designed to streamline tasks, provide data insights, and enhance productivity through natural language interactions.
• SearchGPT: An AI-driven search engine that utilizes OpenAI’s GPT models to provide conversational search experiences, understanding complex queries and delivering detailed responses.
• Perplexity AI: An AI-powered search engine designed to answer complex questions by understanding user intent and providing concise, accurate information.

These AI search engines represent a significant shift towards more intelligent and intuitive information retrieval, aiming to enhance user satisfaction by delivering results that closely align with user intent.

Insights from Recent Research

As AI-powered search engines evolve, effectively optimizing your website for these platforms means embracing new strategies. Recent research highlighted by Search Engine Journal underscores the importance of certain optimization techniques that can enhance a website’s visibility in AI-generated search results. These findings reveal that AI algorithms prioritize content that offers credibility, authoritative insights, and factual backing.

Key Findings

• Citing Credible Sources: AI search engines increasingly prioritize content linked to credible sources. By incorporating citations from reputable websites, institutions, or recognized experts, you can enhance the authority of your content. This technique not only improves credibility but also aligns your content with the AI’s preference for trustworthiness, increasing its chances of ranking higher.
• Adding Relevant Quotations: AI algorithms value content enriched with relevant quotes from authoritative figures, experts, or reliable sources. Including well-chosen quotes enhances the content’s depth and relevance, giving it a human touch that AI engines are increasingly equipped to recognize and reward. This approach can be particularly beneficial in fields that require expert insights or have a strong need for validated opinions.
• Integrating Statistics: Data-driven content holds a competitive edge in AI search outcomes. Integrating statistics, studies, or data points provides factual support, which is valuable for AI algorithms geared toward presenting accurate information. Factual content enriched with statistics resonates well with AI searches, especially for users seeking precise answers or data-backed arguments.

New entrants like OpenAI’s SearchGPT are challenging traditional search engines by offering AI-powered search experiences. While still in the early stages, these platforms are contributing to the evolving landscape of AI-driven search.

Conducting Our Own Research: Testing AI Search Engine Rankings

To further understand how AI-driven search engines interpret and rank content, we’ve decided to conduct our own research. With one of our clients, Green Metal Roofing, currently achieving first-page rankings for multiple cities across Ontario—including holding the #1 organic spot in Burlington on both Google and Bing—we have an ideal case study for testing these AI search engines. Our goal is to see how well-established SEO tactics perform in the evolving landscape of AI search and to identify any unique ranking factors that might emerge. Through this study, we’ll gain insights into how AI search results differ from traditional search engines and what adjustments may be required to maximize visibility.

We phrased the prompt in a conversational style, asking, “Can you recommend a company to do metal roofing in Burlington?” to better align with how users naturally interact with AI search engines. This approach helps reveal how effectively AI platforms handle real-world, conversational queries in comparison to traditional keyword-focused searches.

Google’s Gemini

Gemini returned three recommendations, with Green Metal Roofing appearing as the third result. We wanted to better understand the criteria Gemini used to select these results, so we asked the AI to explain its methodology.

Gemini provided a comprehensive breakdown of its selection criteria, which included:

1. Online Reviews and Ratings: Gemini looked at customer feedback, ratings, and satisfaction levels on platforms like Google Reviews and HomeStars.
2. Company Reputation: Companies with established reputations in the industry were prioritized for their consistent quality and reliable customer service.
3. Specialization in Metal Roofing: Gemini focused on companies specializing in metal roofing, acknowledging the value of expertise and specific experience for these types of projects.
4. Licensing and Insurance: Only licensed and insured companies were included to ensure legitimacy and safeguard both the customer and contractor.
5. Customer Testimonials: Positive reviews and client success stories were key, showcasing companies that consistently deliver quality results.

We followed up with another question: “What are some of these resources that you used?” Gemini responded by listing specific platforms:

• Google Search: Used to find local businesses and their associated customer reviews.
• HomeStars: A platform providing detailed ratings and reviews, specifically focused on home improvement and contractor services.
• Reddit: Notably, Gemini even pulled recommendations from Reddit, where community members share recent experiences and recommendations, offering a grassroots perspective on local services.

Final Thoughts on Gemini

Gemini’s approach demonstrates a multi-faceted methodology, pulling information from a blend of search engine results, user reviews, and social recommendations. While Green Metal Roofing appeared as the third result, it’s noteworthy that Gemini favours a wide range of input sources to create a well-rounded list. However, the AI’s reliance on platforms like Reddit and Google Reviews reveals a potential for variability in results based on recent user activity and community trends. This underscores the importance of an optimized presence on multiple platforms to boost visibility in AI-driven search outcomes.

Microsoft Copilot

For the next phase of our AI search test, we used Microsoft Copilot to see where Green Metal Roofing would rank in response to a local query. We posed the conversational prompt, “Can you recommend a company to do metal roofing in Burlington?” and observed that Green Metal Roofing ranked first in Copilot’s list of three recommended companies. Interestingly, the other two recommendations differed from those given by Google Gemini, which provided insight into how each AI engine approaches local business rankings differently.

To delve deeper, we asked Copilot to explain the criteria used in its selections. Here’s the breakdown it provided:

1. Experience and Expertise: Copilot prioritized companies with a proven track record in metal roofing, highlighting the value of years of industry experience and specialized skills.
2. Customer Reviews and Testimonials: Companies with high ratings and positive client feedback were favored, indicating customer satisfaction is a key factor.
3. Quality of Materials and Workmanship: Copilot emphasized the importance of using premium materials and providing reliable, long-lasting craftsmanship.
4. Certifications and Warranties: Companies offering certified services and warranties were highlighted as they add a layer of trustworthiness and product durability.
5. Reputation and Trust: Copilot favoured companies with established reputations for professionalism and customer service in the local community.

When asked about resources used to compile its recommendations, Copilot cited business directories like Yelp and Google Maps, review platforms such as Trustpilot and HomeStars, company websites, social media, and industry awards and certifications as sources. This multi-source approach demonstrates its effort to provide reliable and balanced recommendations for service providers.

Final Thoughts on Copilot

Copilot’s resourceful approach, drawing from directories, review platforms, and social media, enables it to deliver informed recommendations based on a comprehensive view of a business’s reputation and service quality. Its selection criteria seem to leverage Green Metal Roofing’s website details, highlighting Copilot’s capability to use on-site information alongside external reviews, making it a valuable tool for locating trusted companies.

SearchGPT

For SearchGPT, the response to our prompt for recommended metal roofing companies in Burlington produced a list of ten results, with Green Metal Roofing ranking seventh. Upon asking about the criteria used for these recommendations, SearchGPT shared a detailed approach:

1. Location: Companies based in or serving the Burlington area were prioritized to ensure accessibility and relevance to your needs.
2. Specialization: Firms specializing in metal roofing services, including installation, repair, and maintenance, were selected to provide expertise in this specific field.
3. Experience: Companies with a substantial history in the industry were included, as experience often correlates with reliability and quality workmanship.
4. Customer Reviews: Positive feedback and testimonials from previous clients were considered to gauge customer satisfaction and service quality.
5. Range of Services: Providers offering a comprehensive suite of services, such as residential and commercial roofing solutions, were chosen to cater to diverse client requirements.
6. Quality of Materials: Emphasis was placed on companies utilizing high-quality, durable materials to ensure long-lasting roofing solutions.
7. Warranty and Guarantees: Companies offering warranties or guarantees on their workmanship and materials were preferred, indicating confidence in their services.

When questioned about the resources used to compile the list, SearchGPT indicated it relied on various sources to gather accurate information. These included company websites for service details and customer testimonials, platforms like the Better Business Bureau and other directories for reputation insights, customer reviews on sites like Google Reviews and Yelp, and verification of industry certifications. This comprehensive method enabled SearchGPT to curate a list that aligns with reliability, service range, and quality assurance standards for customers seeking metal roofing services.

Final Thoughts on SearchGPT

SearchGPT’s extensive use of reputable online directories, customer reviews, and company websites shows a methodical approach in curating recommendations based on expertise, customer satisfaction, and material quality. Its ability to pull from multiple resources, including industry certifications and company-provided information, indicates it can provide well-rounded results.

Perplexity

For Perplexity, our prompt for recommended metal roofing companies in Burlington returned a list of six providers, with Green Metal Roofing securing the second spot. When asked about the criteria used for this selection, Perplexity explained its process as a straightforward gathering of companies specifically mentioned in search results as Burlington-based providers of metal roofing services.

Perplexity clarified that this list was not exhaustive or ranked in any specific order but was instead influenced by companies highlighted in search results with notable mentions of their specialization and presence in the Burlington area. The tool emphasized that additional reputable metal roofing companies might be available beyond those surfaced in this particular search.

Final Thoughts on Perplexity

Perplexity’s method relies heavily on data already emphasized in the search results, which means its recommendations are drawn from what is most accessible in immediate queries rather than a comprehensive analysis across multiple factors. This approach yields a quick list of relevant companies, but it may miss broader considerations like reputation, customer reviews, and service quality found in more robust resources. For users seeking fast results, Perplexity offers a convenient but limited snapshot of providers.

Optimizing for AI Search Engines: A Checklist

To boost your visibility in AI-powered search engines, implementing targeted strategies is essential. Based on findings from recent research and insights gathered from our tests across various AI search platforms, here is a checklist to help you optimize effectively for AI-driven search:

In the rapidly evolving world of search, optimizing for AI-driven engines is essential for staying relevant, especially for local businesses aiming to reach nearby customers. AI search engines like Gemini, Copilot, and SearchGPT prioritize factors like credibility, user trust, and valuable on-site information, meaning that businesses must refine their SEO strategies to align with these preferences.

As AI continues to transform search dynamics, adapting your strategy with the guidance of an SEO expert can set you apart from competitors and keep you front-and-center for the customers who matter most. Ready to make the most of AI-driven search? Embrace these optimizations today, and let AI search engines drive your local reach tomorrow.