How Local Businesses Can Improve Visibility in AI Overviews Without Chasing Vanity Traffic

Google’s AI Overviews now appear in more than 40 per cent of local business queries, based on a 2025 study analysing 60,000 search terms. That single statistic should stop every local business owner mid-scroll. The way customers find plumbers, physios, accountants and cafés has shifted beneath their feet, and most haven’t noticed yet.

For years, local SEO success was measured by traffic volume, keyword rankings and domain authority scores. These numbers looked reassuring in monthly reports, but they rarely told the full story. A site could attract thousands of visitors through low-intent informational queries and still generate zero phone calls. That kind of traffic is what marketers call vanity traffic: big numbers that feel good but don’t move the needle on revenue.

The rise of AI Overviews makes this distinction even sharper. When Google synthesises answers at the top of the search results page, many informational visitors never click through at all. An analysis of over ten million keywords found that AI Overviews increased their presence across domain keyword rankings by an average of 155 per cent between Q1 and Q4 of 2025, and they appeared most often for queries that already generated zero clicks. Chasing those vanity visits is like filling a bucket with a hole in the bottom.

So what should local businesses actually do?

Vanity Traffic vs. Meaningful Visibility

Focus on Being the Answer, Not Just a Result

AI Overviews pull from sources they judge to be trustworthy, relevant and clearly structured. Unlike traditional local pack results, one study found almost no correlation between a business’s physical distance from the searcher and its ranking position within an AI Overview. The correlation coefficient sat at just 0.001. That’s a radical departure from the proximity-based logic of standard local packs, and it means content quality and authority now carry far more weight.

For a local business, this translates to a simple but demanding shift: stop writing content designed to attract clicks from anyone with a pulse, and start creating material that directly addresses the specific questions your ideal customers ask. A Melbourne accountant writing a detailed, well-sourced explanation of FBT obligations for small business owners is more likely to be cited in an AI Overview than one publishing generic articles about “tax tips” aimed at a national audience.

Get Your Structured Data Right

AI systems don’t guess. They parse. Schema markup, consistent NAP (name, address, phone) data across directories, and a fully completed Google Business Profile are no longer optional extras. They’re the structured signals that tell AI models your business is real, active and relevant to a specific location and set of services.

Schema types that matter most for local AI visibility:

• Article schema – helps AI identify your content type and topical authority
• FAQ schema – maps directly to question-and-answer patterns AI Overviews favour
• HowTo schema – signals step-by-step expertise for service-related queries
• Organisation schema – establishes business credibility when nested with author data

Nesting these—for example, connecting author schema to organisation schema—builds the kind of trust signal that generative systems reward when selecting sources.

Let Reviews Do the Heavy Lifting

AI search systems now interpret review text, not just star ratings. A 2025 local search analysis found that AI Overviews pull sentiment, context and recurring themes directly from customer reviews. A steady stream of authentic feedback tells the AI your business is active and worth recommending.

To make your reviews work harder for AI visibility:

• Respond to every review in natural language, referencing the services mentioned
• Encourage customers to be specific—“fixed our ducted heating in Thornbury within two hours” carries more weight than a bare five-star rating
• Generate reviews across multiple platforms, not just Google
• Use review language to reinforce your core services and service areas

Measure What Matters

Retiring vanity metrics doesn’t mean ignoring data. It means choosing better data. Track which queries trigger AI Overviews featuring your content. Monitor branded search volume, as a rising tide there often signals that your content is being seen in AI summaries even when clicks don’t follow. Segment traffic by intent and landing page, and connect it to actual leads, calls or bookings.

A practical framework for local businesses:

One documented case involved a local HVAC company whose organic traffic dropped 22 per cent year over year, yet organic revenue rose by 31 per cent after pruning low-intent content and doubling down on high-intent service pages. That’s the kind of outcome that matters.

Stop Optimising for Robots. Start Optimising for Answers.

The businesses that will thrive in this new landscape are the ones that treat visibility as a byproduct of usefulness, not an end in itself. Clear, well-structured content. Verified local data. Genuine customer voices. These are the signals AI Overviews are built to reward.

Not sure how your business shows up in AI-driven search? We can help you find out. At Myoho Marketing, we specialise in Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO), SEO and performance advertising for small and mid-sized businesses across Australia. We’ll audit your AI visibility, fix the structural gaps holding you back and build a content strategy that earns citations, not just clicks. Book a free GEO consultation and see how AI platforms see your brand today.