Allison has over 20 years of advertising agency and media relations experience. Being on the agency and client side she offers a unique perspective to client needs and what it takes to achieve them. As a seasoned marketing professional she has managed strategic planning and multi-media marketing for many healthcare clients, banks, schools, non-profits and universities, as well as the Kentucky Derby Festival. She prides herself on creating and maintaining great relationships. Her experience is a great match for leading and training teams and helping businesses grow
If you’ve been anywhere near a marketing headline lately, you’ve probably heard some version of this:
“AI is killing SEO.”
“Google search is changing forever.”
“Websites are about to be irrelevant.”
Let’s slow that down for a second.
AI is changing search, but for local and regional businesses, the reality is far less scary (and far more manageable) than the headlines suggest.
In fact, strong SEO is exactly what helps businesses show up inside this new AI-powered search environment.
Local visibility still wins.
Search clicks have declined but of those that click, 68% of Google searchers click on one of the top three organic results, reinforcing how critical strong organic visibility remains — especially for businesses competing locally where intent is high and decisions are made quickly.
Key Takeaways
AI relies on SEO — it doesn’t replace it.
AI pulls directly from your website, reviews, and local signals. Strong SEO is what makes your business visible, trusted, and accurately represented in both search results and AI-generated answers.
Local visibility still wins the click.
Even as search behavior evolves, 76% of Google users click one of the top three organic results, making strong local SEO critical where intent is high and decisions happen fast.
What AI Actually Looks For
AI tools tend to take your website very literally.
The language you use on your site often becomes the language AI repeats back to users. That means:
AI also looks beyond Google for credibility signals, including:
Sound familiar?
That’s SEO doing exactly what it’s supposed to do.
Why Local & Regional Businesses Still Have the Advantage
AI has disrupted large-scale, informational content far more than it has local commerce.
Local businesses still win by:
SEO is still the engine that drives all of this.
What Businesses Should Be Focused on Right Now
No overhauls. No panic. Just smart fundamentals:
These steps support both SEO and AI visibility.
People are still searching. They’re still comparing options. And they’re still choosing local businesses they can trust. What’s different is how information is surfaced — and that makes clarity, credibility, and visibility more important than ever.
SEO remains the foundation that feeds both traditional search results and AI-generated responses. It’s what helps search engines and AI tools understand who you are, what you offer, and why your business is relevant locally.
For local and regional businesses, the goal hasn’t changed:
Be clear. Be credible. Be easy to find.
Businesses that focus on strong SEO fundamentals aren’t being replaced by AI — they’re being reinforced by it, today and as search continues to evolve.
People are still searching. They’re still comparing options. And they’re still choosing local businesses they can trust. What’s different is how information is surfaced — and that makes clarity, credibility, and visibility more important than ever.
SEO remains the foundation that feeds both traditional search results and AI-generated responses. It’s what helps search engines and AI tools understand who you are, what you offer, and why your business is relevant locally.
For local and regional businesses, the goal hasn’t changed:
Be clear. Be credible. Be easy to find.
Businesses that focus on strong SEO fundamentals aren’t being replaced by AI — they’re being reinforced by it, today and as search continues to evolve.
SEO is still the foundation that:
For local and regional businesses, the goal hasn’t changed:
Be clear. Be credible. Be easy to find.
SEO helps you do all three — today and as search continues to evolve.
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