As AI Overviews take center stage in Google’s local search results, understanding their behavior is no longer optional, it’s essential. LocalPlus’s new research dives into just how often AI Overviews appear in local queries, how they overlap with Local Packs, and what this means for local SEO strategy.

Research Purpose

Whitespark explored three key questions:

• How frequently do AI Overviews appear in local searches?
• Are there patterns in the types of queries that trigger them?
• How often do AI Overviews and Local Packs show up together?

The goal? To help local businesses and SEOs understand where to focus their visibility efforts in today’s AI-powered search landscape.

Methodology

LocalPlus manually ran 540 local queries across Houston, Phoenix, and Denver, targeting six industries: plumbers, personal injury lawyers, dentists, optometrists, medical clinics, and real estate agents.

Queries were categorized by intent:

• Local intent (e.g., “dentists near me”)
• Informational intent (e.g., “how much does a root canal cost?”)
• Hybrid intent (e.g., “best dentist for implants in Denver”)

Neither researchers nor servers were physically located in the search regions.

                                     The Local Pack

                                AI Overview

Key Findings

1. AI Overviews Show Up in 68% of Local Business-Type Searches
Across all cities and industries, AI Overviews appeared for an average of 68% of queries, while Local Packs showed up for just 39%. This reveals how deeply AI is now integrated into the local search experience.

2. AI Overview Prevalence is Consistent by Industry
No matter the city, industries like law and healthcare had similar AI Overview appearance rates. For example, personal injury lawyers in all three cities saw AI Overviews in 70% of searches. This consistency suggests that inclusion may hinge more on industry than geography.

3. Local Packs Still Dominate Purely Local Queries

Local intent queries (like “optometrist Houston”) returned Local Packs in 93% of cases, but only 15% triggered AI Overviews.

4. AI Overviews Dominate Informational and Hybrid Queries
Informational queries saw AI Overviews in 92% of cases.

Hybrid queries (blending local + informational intent) saw AI Overviews in 97% of cases.

If your customer is asking complex questions with local context, they’re almost guaranteed to see an AI Overview.

5. Real Estate Stands Out
In the real estate industry, AI Overviews appeared in 50% of local-intent queries—higher than any other sector studied.

Query Intent	AI Overview	Local Pack
Local	15%	93%
Informational	92%	6%
Hybrid	97%	17%

These stats highlight how AI and Local Packs serve different user needs—and how marketers must diversify their strategies.

The Citation Breakdown: Who’s Getting Credit?

In one Houston plumbers test, 60% of AI Overview citations pointed to third-party sites (e.g., Yelp, Reddit, Quora), while 40% linked to local businesses directly.

This shows that being listed on third-party platforms still matters. Piggybacking off authoritative publishers remains a viable strategy for earning AI visibility.

What Does This Mean for Local SEOs?

1. AI Overviews Are Eating CTR
Ahrefs found that AI Overviews reduce click-through rate (CTR) by 34.5% on average. Even if calls and sales remain steady, it’s worth asking: how long will this trend continue—and can it impact organic rankings long term?

2. AI Makes Local Search Feel Like a Game
Features like AIOs are often marketed as “fun” and experimental, but their implications are serious. Errors and hallucinations in AI-generated answers can mislead customers and damage credibility. As Lily Ray points out, labeling this content “experimental” doesn’t absolve Google from responsibility.

3. Google’s History of Flip-Flopping
Don’t bet your entire local marketing strategy on AI Overviews. Google often abandons SERP features, and this one may not stick around forever. Keep your tactics diverse and your communication direct with customers.

TL;DR – What You Need to Know

• AI Overviews now appear in 68% of local business searches.
• Industries matter more than location when predicting AI Overview visibility.
• AI dominates informational and hybrid queries.
• Local Packs still rule local-intent searches.
• Citation strategy matters: 60% of sources are third-party sites.
• AI Overviews drastically reduce organic click rates.
• Google may change course at any time—don’t go all-in on any one tactic.

Let’s keep learning, experimenting, and growing together in Google’s ever-evolving search landscape.