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Google Business Profile and Local Services Ads management and Local SEO agency.

Local Search & AI Industry Research Index — Third-Party Studies

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What the rest of the industry has measured about local search and AI. This is a curated index of 138 findings from 25 published studies by BrightLocal, Semrush, Ahrefs, SparkToro, Sterling Sky and others. Every figure links to the study that produced it.

We apply one rule to everything here: every figure must be traceable to the primary source that published it, and we state what that source disclosed. Sample sizes and date ranges appear on the cards. Where a publisher does not disclose its methodology, the card says so plainly. Findings that cannot be traced to a primary source are excluded, however widely they are repeated.

Where a finding touches something we have measured ourselves, the card links to our own study. For the research we ran directly, see the Steady Demand Research Index.

Industry Research

Reviews & Reputation

Published Feb 11, 2026

Consumer review behaviour, star-rating thresholds and response expectations.

Reading reviews

BrightLocal · Feb 11, 2026surveyed97%of consumers read reviews for local businessesn=1,002 US adults, SurveyMonkey panel.BrightLocal · Feb 11, 2026surveyed41%always read reviews when browsing for a businessUp from 29% in 2025.BrightLocal · Feb 11, 2026surveyed74%seek reviews written in the last three monthsn=1,002 US adults.

Rating thresholds

BrightLocal · Feb 11, 2026surveyed31%will only use a business rated 4.5 stars or higherNearly double the 2025 figure.BrightLocal · Feb 11, 2026surveyed68%will only use a business rated four stars or highern=1,002 US adults.BrightLocal · Feb 11, 2026surveyed47%will not use a business with fewer than 20 reviewsn=1,002 US adults.BrightLocal · Feb 11, 2026surveyed9%are willing to use a business with five or fewer reviewsn=1,002 US adults.

Owner responses

BrightLocal · Feb 11, 2026surveyed89%expect a business owner to respond to reviewsn=1,002 US adults.BrightLocal · Feb 11, 2026surveyed80%are more likely to use a business that responds to all reviewsn=1,002 US adults.BrightLocal · Feb 11, 2026surveyed50%are unlikely to choose a business that posts generic responsesn=1,002 US adults.BrightLocal · Feb 11, 2026surveyed81%expect a response within a week19% expect a same-day response.

Where reviews are read

BrightLocal · Feb 11, 2026surveyed71%use Google as a review sourceDown from 83% in 2025.BrightLocal · Feb 11, 2026surveyed27%use Apple Maps as a review sourceNearly doubled from 14% in 2025.

Leaving reviews

BrightLocal · Feb 11, 2026surveyed69%wrote a review in the last 12 monthsn=1,002 US adults.BrightLocal · Feb 11, 2026surveyed83%of those asked to leave a review went on to leave onen=1,002 US adults.

Fake reviews

BrightLocal · Feb 11, 2026surveyed97%think businesses should face punishment for fake reviewsn=1,002 US adults.

Trust and authenticity

SOCi · May 15, 2025surveyed55%of consumers cite concerns about fake reviewsOver 1,000 US consumers.SOCi · May 15, 2025surveyed65%are more likely to choose businesses that respond to reviewsOver 1,000 US consumers.
Industry Research

Google Business Profile

Published Jun 26, 2026

Third-party measurement of the local pack, AI local packs and paid units.

AI local packs

Sterling Sky · Jun 26, 2026measured5,943 vs 18,330unique businesses shown in AI local packs vs regular 3-packsSame query set. Places Scout rank tracking.↳ Our citation ledger measured which businesses AI surfaces, and from where
Sterling Sky · Jun 26, 2026measured32%as many businesses featured in AI local packs as in 3-packsAcross 322 markets.Sterling Sky · Jun 26, 2026measured88%of markets showed fewer unique businesses in AI local packs322 markets examined.
Sterling Sky · Jun 26, 2026measured7%of tracked keywords showed an AI-powered local packPlaces Scout rank tracking reports.↳ We measured the citation behaviour behind those AI local results

Paid units in the pack

Sterling Sky · Jun 26, 2026measured1% → 22%of mobile reports showing local pack ads during 2025Start of 2025 to December 2025.
Sterling Sky · Jun 26, 2026measured11% → 31%of tracked queries showing Local Services AdsStart of 2025 to November 2025.↳ Our LSA benchmarks show what that rising competition did to cost and lead volume

AI referral traffic

Sterling Sky · Jun 26, 2026measured0.1% → 2%ChatGPT traffic as a share of Google traffic, over two yearsOne multi-location client.Sterling Sky · Jun 26, 2026measured22%of the traffic that Bing sends, ChatGPT now sendsOne multi-location client.

Reviews needed to rank

Local Falcon · Jan 14, 2026measured47median Google reviews for a business ranking in the local 3-pack50.4M US search results, 1,993 categories, 2,779,825 profiles.Local Falcon · Jan 14, 2026measured4.3-4.5 starsminimum rating to compete in the local 3-packMost winners sit at 4.8-4.9 stars.Local Falcon · Jan 14, 2026measured20median reviews to rank – home health care, the least competitive category50.4M US search results.Local Falcon · Jan 14, 2026measured215median reviews to rank – plumberElectrician 56. Chiropractor 150. Auto repair 188.Local Falcon · Jan 14, 2026measured346median reviews to rank – dentistTire shop 413. Breakfast restaurant 976.

Urban vs rural

Local Falcon · Jan 14, 2026measured1.5-2xas many reviews needed to rank in metro areas vs ruralHVAC contractor: 132 rural, 361 metro.↳ What we changed on a profile to move rankings in 72 hours
Industry Research

Local Search Behaviour

Published Jun 9, 2026

How people search, and how often a search sends a click to the open web.

Zero-click search

SparkToro · Jun 9, 2026measured68.01%of US Google searches ended without a clickJan-Apr 2026. Similarweb clickstream panel.↳ Where the clicks go instead: we classified 14,472 AI citations
SparkToro · Jun 9, 2026measured49%of Google searches ended without a click in 2019Baseline for the same measure.
SparkToro · Jun 9, 2026measured0.34%of Google searches were routed to AI ModeJan-Apr 2026, US.↳ We measured how AI Mode cites local businesses when it does appear
iPullRank · Jul 30, 2026measured46.96%of Google searches end without a click13.1 billion search events, 10.2 billion sessions, 9.1 million users, Oct 2024 – Dec 2025. Datos clickstream panel. Note: SparkToro puts this at 68.01% for Jan-Apr 2026 using a different panel and definition – the two are not directly comparable.↳ Where the attention goes instead – we classified 14,472 AI citations
iPullRank · Jul 30, 2026measured+2.6 pointsrise in the zero-click rate over 15 months13.1 billion search events, 10.2 billion sessions, 9.1 million users, Oct 2024 – Dec 2025. Datos clickstream panel.iPullRank · Jul 30, 2026measured49% vs 41%zero-click rate, United States vs Japan and VietnamPhilippines highest at 54%. 13.1 billion search events, 10.2 billion sessions, 9.1 million users, Oct 2024 – Dec 2025. Datos clickstream panel.

Device and channel

BrightLocal · Feb 11, 2026surveyed73%of consumers started their last local search on mobile19% used a computer. 8% used a tablet.

After the reviews

BrightLocal · Feb 11, 2026surveyed54%visit the business website after reading reviewsn=1,002 US adults.BrightLocal · Feb 11, 2026surveyed34%are ready to buy or book after reading reviewsn=1,002 US adults.BrightLocal · Feb 11, 2026surveyed93%have made a purchase after reading reviews27% spent more than $1,000.

AI adoption

Pew Research Center · Jun 17, 2026surveyed49%of US adults now use AI chatbotsUp from 33% in 2024. n=5,119 US adults, American Trends Panel.Pew Research Center · Jun 17, 2026surveyed24%of US adults use chatbots dailyn=5,119 US adults, Feb 17-23 2026.Pew Research Center · Jun 17, 2026surveyed44%of US adults use ChatGPT specificallyn=5,119 US adults.
Pew Research Center · Jun 17, 2026surveyed60%of Americans say they read AI summaries at search resultsn=5,119 US adults.↳ What those summaries actually cite for local businesses
Pew Research Center · Jun 17, 2026surveyed42%of chatbot users use them to search for informationn=5,119 US adults.

Fragmented discovery

SOCi · May 15, 2025surveyed3.6different apps Gen Z consumers use to find and choose a single local businessOver 1,000 US consumers.SOCi · May 15, 2025surveyed67%of younger consumers preferred Instagram for local searches over GoogleOver 1,000 US consumers.

Device gap

iPullRank · Jul 30, 2026measured66% vs 49%zero-click rate on mobile vs desktop in the United StatesUK gap is wider still: 65% mobile against 46% desktop. 13.1 billion search events, 10.2 billion sessions, 9.1 million users, Oct 2024 – Dec 2025. Datos clickstream panel.

Discovery vs navigation

iPullRank · Jul 30, 2026measured14%of Google clicks go to a site the searcher actually namedThe other 86% are discovery. 13.1 billion search events, 10.2 billion sessions, 9.1 million users, Oct 2024 – Dec 2025. Datos clickstream panel.↳ Discovery is exactly what AI answers are absorbing – here is what they cite
iPullRank · Jul 30, 2026measured76.0%of searches involve a single event only38.2% end after exactly one click. 13.1 billion search events, 10.2 billion sessions, 9.1 million users, Oct 2024 – Dec 2025. Datos clickstream panel.

Where searches leak

iPullRank · Jul 30, 2026measured30.5%of would-be Wikipedia searches are intercepted before reaching GoogleIMDB 33.4%, Reddit 14.2%, GitHub 12.7%, OpenAI 11.1%. 13.1 billion search events, 10.2 billion sessions, 9.1 million users, Oct 2024 – Dec 2025. Datos clickstream panel.
iPullRank · Jul 30, 2026measured720,000navigational searches per week to AI tools combined13.1 billion search events, 10.2 billion sessions, 9.1 million users, Oct 2024 – Dec 2025. Datos clickstream panel.↳ People are navigating to AI, then asking it about local – we tested what it answers with

Who clicks

iPullRank · Jul 30, 2026measured7xmore ad clicks from 55-64 year olds than from 18-24 year olds13.1 billion search events, 10.2 billion sessions, 9.1 million users, Oct 2024 – Dec 2025. Datos clickstream panel.iPullRank · Jul 30, 2026measured33%more often women clicked ads than menZero-click rates were near identical: 47.5% women, 47.0% men. 13.1 billion search events, 10.2 billion sessions, 9.1 million users, Oct 2024 – Dec 2025. Datos clickstream panel.

Download all figures as CSV – free to cite, with attribution to the original publisher.

Data last updated August 30, 2026

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