AI Overviews Explained: 7 Steps for Local Businesses to Get Featured in 2026

As a local business in Brighton, there’s one thing that you must have noticed. Something has changed in Google search results over the past year. At the top of the results page, before the organic listings, you can now see a new element: a generated AI summary which gives a direct answer to the user’s question.

This is Google’s AI Overviews, and it is reshaping how local businesses are discovered online. Do you have a local plumbing business in Brighton? Do you know what to optimise? Then your business can be well positioned.

Google’s AI Overviews now appear in a significant proportion of UK search results, particularly for informational and service-related queries. Local businesses that are cited within them gain a powerful trust signal — even when users don’t immediately click through.

What are Google AI overviews and why are They Important for Local Businesses?

Google AI overviews, previously known as SGE (Search Generative Experience), are AI-generated answer boxes that generally appear at the top of Google search results. The information is presented in a summarised format, sourced from trusted web sources, to answer users’ questions.

Why does it matter for local businesses?Why does it matter for local businesses?

For local businesses, being cited in an AI Overview makes their business credible and authoritative in the local area. AI Overview generally answers local queries using Google Business Profiles, customer reviews, and website content. When users receive AI-generated answers without clicking, being cited becomes more valuable to websites than ranking on page one.

You dont need a big budget or countless backlinks to appear in the AI overview. The trick is to have a clear structure, trustworthy content and a structured website.

How to optimise your local business for Google AI Overviews

Step 1: Complete and optimise your GBPStep 1: Complete and optimise your GBP

Your Google Business Profile (GBP) is the single most important source Google uses to generate AI overviews for local queries. Hence, it is essential to keep your profile complete and up to date. Make sure your GBP includes:

• Complete business name, address and phone number
• Details of primary and secondary business categories
• Services or products listed with descriptions and prices
• High-quality photos of your premises, team, and work
• Authentic link to the website
• Detailed business description with services and location

Quick Win: Add a weekly Google Business Profile post. Regular posting signals to Google that your business is active, which improves your visibility in both Maps and AI-generated results.

Step 2: Build Location-Specific Pages on Website

AI Overviews for local queries generally pull information from the website content as well as from GBP. In addition to a dedicated location page and a service-based location page, Google considers the website’s structure when extracting content. Each location page should clearly answer:

• The service that your business provides
• The exact address along with the town, area, and postcode radius
• The reason for choosing you over your competitors
• The process from contact point to completion
• The reviews from the local customers

Example page title and H1: “Accountants in Brighton | Personal Tax Small Business Accounting – Smith & Co”

Step 3: Write content that directly answers local questions

Questions trigger AI Overviews. The website content needs to provide clear, direct answers to the likely questions local customers might ask. By creating content on service pages and blogs, and adding FAQ sections, you can post direct, precise answers to questions.
The following format works the best:

• Question as a heading (H2 or H3)
• Direct answer in the first 50 words below the heading
•  Supporting detail, local context, or examples following the answer

Example Q&A format: Q: How much does an accountant cost in Brighton? A: Accountancy fees in Brighton typically range from £50–£150 per hour for personal tax services, and from £300–£800 per month for small business accounting packages, depending on the complexity of your affairs and the firm you choose.

Step 4: Collect and respond to the Google reviews consistently

Customers and their reviews are powerful tools that help the website rank in Google’s AI-generated search results. A strong review strategy for AI overviews includes:

• Actively asking satisfied customers to leave a Google review immediately after a positive interaction
• Making it easy — send a direct link to your GBP review page via email or SMS
• Responding to every review, positive or negative, with a thoughtful and professional reply
• Encouraging detailed reviews that mention your service, location, and the outcome — not just star ratings

A review that says ‘Great service’ gives Google very little to work with. A review that says ‘Smith & Co handled our self-assessment tax return in Brighton quickly and saved us money’ gives Google location, service type, outcome, and sentiment — all valuable signals for AI Overview generation.

Step 5: Implement Local Business Schema Markup

With the help of local business schema markup, you can make Google’s AI understand the services in which your business has been involved. The schema also helps to ascertain the place of operation and the offerings made by the business. Without proper schema, Google will have to infer information from the page content, which can lead to errors and ambiguity.

The local business schema should include:

• Business name, address, and phone number (matching your GBP exactly)
• Business type (e.g. Plumber, AccountingService, Restaurant)
• Geographic area served
• Opening hours
• URL and logo
• Aggregate rating (if you have reviews on your site)

Step 6: Ensure NAP Consistency Across the Web

NAP stands for Name, Address and Phone Number of the business. Google’s AI generally cross-references this information from multiple sources, like your GBP, local directories, and third-party review sites. Hence, if there are inconsistencies in this information, it can create ambiguity in customers’ minds and reduce the AI’s overview of the website.

Audit your NAP consistency across:

• Your Google Business Profile
• Your website header, footer, and contact page
•  Yelp, Trustpilot, Checkatrade, or any industry-specific directories
• Facebook, LinkedIn, and other social profiles
• Any local newspaper or council listings that may reference your business

Step 7: Build Locally Relevant Content Authority Over Time

A single optimised page is not enough. Google’s AI Overviews prefer using sources that demonstrate topical authority. Hence, your business needs to publish credible, locally relevant content consistently.

A simple local content plan for a service business might include:

• One blog post per month answering a common local customer question
• A case study every quarter featuring a local customer (with their permission)
• Seasonal content relevant to your local area (e.g. ‘Preparing Your Brighton Property for Winter Roof Inspections’)
• Guest posts or mentions on local news sites, business directories, or community blogs to build local backlinks

Consistency matters more than volume. A steady publishing cadence of one high-quality, locally relevant piece per month will outperform a burst of ten thin posts followed by six months of silence.

Local Businesses That Act Now Will Have a Head Start

Google AI Overviews are the future, and businesses that act quickly will benefit. Local businesses that begin optimising for them now will establish a visibility advantage that compounds over time as AI search becomes the norm rather than the exception.

At Object Ad Solutions, we help local businesses across Brighton, Sussex, Surrey, and the wider UK build the digital foundations needed to thrive in AI-powered search. If you’d like a free audit of your local SEO and AI Overview readiness, get in touch with our team today.