Local SEO vs. AI Search SEO: What Small Businesses Need to Know

Two questions every small business owner is asking: do I still need Google SEO? Yes. Do I need AI search SEO? Also yes. Here's how they're different and why you need both.

Local SEO Still Matters

Google still drives most traffic. Ranking for "plumber + your city" or "med spa + your zip code" still produces real, qualified leads. Google Business Profile optimization, citation building, and review automation are still essential.

AI Search SEO Is the New Frontier

ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, and Google's AI Overviews now influence 40%+ of search behavior, especially in younger demographics. When someone asks AI "best plumber near me," AI picks 3-5 companies. The rest don't exist in that user's reality.

The Overlap

Good local SEO is mostly good AI search SEO. Both reward depth, clarity, schema markup, and authoritative signals. We optimize for both simultaneously — same effort, double the visibility.

Cost

Both done properly: under $2,000/month at Heights Digital. Most agencies charge $5K-15K and do less. (210) 729-4008.