Chat GPT local ranking factors you NEED to know

and more local SEO news and analysis

June 02, 2025

Hi everyone,

I have a lot of things to share this week 👇️

1. How to track GBP conversions without verifying your Profile

You don’t want to deal with verifying your Google Business Profile, but you still want to know if it brings you any business? This tip is for you:

  • Go to the Profile in the search results

  • Click “Suggest an edit”

  • Select the website field and add a link your site with a UTM tag on it.

  • Once the edit is approved, you will be able to track how many website visits your Profile generates via Google Search Console.

Phil Rozek says that suggested edits are more likely to get approved on unclaimed listings, so this tip could be useful for tracking GBP leads while dealing with the long process that is GBP verification.

Lots of SEOs shared their experience with this method — see what they said on LinkedIn.

2. AI mode sucks at local SEO

Adam Dorfman recently shared an insightful analysis showing how the new AI Mode struggles with local intent.

He searched for “sushi near me” and found that:

  • The AI suggested places 4.9 miles away from his location, while Google Maps showed places just 0.3 miles away.

  • One of the suggestions was a ramen shop with no sushi on the menu.

  • The AI results mostly came from Yelp, not Google’s own local database.

  • The AI results showed the same businesses twice: once from Yelp, then from Google.

  • It also gave generic advice and disclaimers for choosing a restaurant, which weren’t very helpful.

After seeing these results, it’s clear that the new AI Mode isn’t quite ready for accurate local search yet.

The Local Pack is powered by Google’s refined local algorithm. In contrast, AI Mode relies heavily on Yelp (huh?!), doesn't prioritize nearby locations, and sometimes includes irrelevant businesses and info.

So it's safe to say:

Local Pack > Google’s AI Mode, at least for now.

3. Chat GPT local ranking factors you NEED to know

Joe Youngblood shared some new research on the /r/localseo subreddit showing the connection between ChatGPT local results and Bing.

He and his team reviewed 250+ local ChatGPT searches and came up with the list of ranking factors:

  1. Consensus: If the content ChatGPT is trained on shows that your business is one of the best in your area and/or your industry, you’re likely to rank well.

  2. Bing Places: Microsoft owns both ChatGPT and Bing, so it’s no surprise that they seem to prefer ranking businesses with valid Bing Places listings.

  3. Bing organic results: ChatGPT considers content ranking on Bing when ranking their local recommendations.

  4. Completed citations: If your business has complete, accurate profiles on well-ranking websites, ChatGPT will take them into consideration.

  5. Website testimonials: ChatGPT sometimes references customer feedback on your website, especially when your website ranks well for the terms the LLM searches the web for.

  6. Google review recency (I’ve been saying this): Joe says that ChatGPT cited lack of new Google reviews as a reason NOT to rank certain businesses.

I made a little checklist based on these factors — if you click on it, you can save it as a PDF from LinkedIn 👇️

And you can read Joe’s full article here 👇️ 

4. Use GBP Products while they’re still here

Time may be running out to use the Products section on your Google Business Profile.

Google is getting more aggressive about not approving “products” being uploaded to the NMX Products section. I’ve been hearing about cases where Google has rejected real estate properties, vehicles, and legal services being added as Products.

Swipe through this carousel to read my thoughts 👇️ 

See this carousel on Instagram.

5. Learn what local SEO looks like in 2025

What does local SEO look like in 2025? Find out on June 11 (Wednesday) at 12:30 pm ET.

I’ll be joining the brilliant Mike Blumenthal, Joel Headley, and Rebecca J. Becker on a webinar for Rio SEO: AI, reviews & the future of local search: What’s actually working in 2025.

Here’s what we’ll discuss:

  • What’s new in local search and why it matters to your business

  • How AI is changing search results, Google Business Profiles, and your content plan

  • What reviews really mean in 2025 and how to use them to your advantage

  • How to keep your local presence strong in the future

Hope to see you there!

And, as always, don’t forget to follow me on LinkedIn, Bluesky, Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok so you don’t miss any of my local SEO insights!

Darren