AI Search and Local Marketing Statistics 2026: 42 Facts for Small Businesses

AI assistants are now a real way customers find businesses: ChatGPT has about 900 million weekly users, Google’s AI Overviews reach more than 2 billion people a month, and AI Mode passed 1 billion monthly users in 2026. But AI is far pickier than Google Maps, recommending only a small share of local businesses, and reviews, accurate listings and clear websites decide who makes the list. Below are 42 statistics from published research, each linked to its source.

How many people use AI search in 2026?

• 900 million people use ChatGPT every week, up from 400 million a year earlier. Source: OpenAI, February 2026 (summarized on Wikipedia)
• 700 million weekly ChatGPT users were counted by OpenAI’s own research in July 2025, when the platform handled about 18 billion messages a week. Source: OpenAI / NBER, How People Use ChatGPT
• Nearly 80% of ChatGPT conversations are about practical guidance, looking up information or writing. Source: OpenAI / NBER, How People Use ChatGPT
• More than 70% of consumer ChatGPT messages are not work-related, so personal decisions like choosing a local business are a big part of use. Source: OpenAI / NBER, How People Use ChatGPT
• More than 2 billion people a month see Google’s AI Overviews, across more than 200 countries. Source: Alphabet Q2 2025 earnings call
• More than 1 billion people a month use Google’s AI Mode, according to Alphabet’s Q2 2026 earnings remarks. Source: Alphabet Q2 2026 earnings remarks
• 950 million people a month use the Gemini app. Source: Alphabet Q2 2026 earnings remarks

What it means for local businesses: AI assistants are no longer a niche. A growing share of customers will ask an AI tool for advice or a recommendation before they ever see your website.

How do AI summaries change clicks to websites?

• 8% vs 15% Google users clicked a regular search result in 8% of visits when an AI summary appeared, compared with 15% when no summary appeared. Source: Pew Research Center, July 2025
• 1% of visits to a search page with an AI summary ended in a click on a link inside the summary. Source: Pew Research Center, July 2025
• 26% vs 16% of visits ended the browsing session entirely after an AI summary page, compared with pages without one. Source: Pew Research Center, July 2025
• 18% of Google searches in Pew’s March 2025 sample produced an AI summary. Source: Pew Research Center, July 2025
• 58% of people in the study ran at least one Google search that produced an AI summary in a single month. Source: Pew Research Center, July 2025

What it means: fewer people click through to websites, so being named inside the AI answer, and having accurate details in it, matters more than ever.

How do people actually search with AI?

• 23 words is the average length of a ChatGPT prompt, compared with about 4 words when ChatGPT’s search mode is turned on. Source: Semrush, 80 million clickstream records
• 70% of ChatGPT prompts did not fit traditional search intent categories, meaning many are questions people never typed into Google. Source: Semrush, 80 million clickstream records
• 31% of ChatGPT prompts triggered a web search, with about 2 searches per prompt and an average of 5.48 words per search. Source: Nectiv, 8,500+ ChatGPT prompts
• 7.22 words is the average Google AI Mode query, almost twice the length of a traditional Google search (4.0 words). Source: Semrush, Google AI Mode study

What it means: people describe their problem in their own words. Pages that answer real questions in plain language are easier for AI tools to use.

How do customers choose local businesses in ChatGPT?

• 75% of ChatGPT sessions for finding a local service included at least one short, keyword-style search, such as “dentist near Boston”. Source: Sagapixel study of 177 ChatGPT sessions (summary by ALM Corp)
• 45% of those sessions used only a single prompt, and the average was 2.1 prompts. Source: Sagapixel study of 177 ChatGPT sessions (summary by ALM Corp)
• 3.7 businesses were checked on average from ChatGPT’s suggestions; only 27% of people looked at just one. Source: Sagapixel study of 177 ChatGPT sessions (summary by ALM Corp)
• 39.2% of users visited a business website directly from ChatGPT. Source: Sagapixel study of 177 ChatGPT sessions (summary by ALM Corp)
• 40% of participants felt ready to call and book based only on what ChatGPT told them. Source: Sagapixel study of 177 ChatGPT sessions (summary by ALM Corp)
• 20.5% switched to Google to double-check a business after finding it in ChatGPT. Source: Sagapixel study of 177 ChatGPT sessions (summary by ALM Corp)

What it means: customers decide quickly and often without visiting your website. What AI says about your hours, services and reviews can be the whole first impression.

How often does AI recommend local businesses?

• 1.2% of multi-location brand locations are recommended by ChatGPT, compared with 35.9% that appear in Google’s local 3-pack, based on about 350,000 locations. Source: SOCi 2026 Local Visibility Index
• 11% and 7.4% of locations are recommended by Gemini and Perplexity respectively. Source: SOCi 2026 Local Visibility Index
• 4.3 stars is the average rating of business locations that ChatGPT recommends. Source: SOCi 2026 Local Visibility Index
• 68% accuracy for business profile details on ChatGPT and Perplexity, compared with 100% on Gemini, which uses Google Maps data. Source: SOCi 2026 Local Visibility Index
• Less than 1% chance that ChatGPT or Google’s AI returns the exact same list of recommended brands twice, across nearly 3,000 test runs. Source: SparkToro and Gumshoe.ai (via Search Engine Land)

What it means: AI shortlists are short and change often. Strong reviews and the same accurate details everywhere are what keep a business in the mix.

Why do reviews matter more in the AI era?

• 97% of consumers read reviews for local businesses. Source: BrightLocal Local Consumer Review Survey 2026
• 41% always read reviews when looking for a business, up from 29% the year before. Source: BrightLocal Local Consumer Review Survey 2026
• 31% will only use a business rated 4.5 stars or higher, up from 17% a year earlier. Source: BrightLocal Local Consumer Review Survey 2026
• 74% look for reviews written in the last three months. Source: BrightLocal Local Consumer Review Survey 2026
• 80% are more likely to use a business that responds to all of its reviews. Source: BrightLocal Local Consumer Review Survey 2026
• 50% are put off by generic or templated replies to reviews. Source: BrightLocal Local Consumer Review Survey 2026
• 42% trust AI platforms as much as traditional review sites for local recommendations. Source: BrightLocal Local Consumer Review Survey 2026

What it means: a steady flow of recent reviews, with personal replies, helps you win both with customers and with the AI tools that summarize your reputation.

How do business buyers use AI to pick providers?

• 51% of B2B software buyers now start their research in an AI chatbot rather than Google, up from 29% a year earlier. Source: G2 Answer Economy report, 2026 (summary)
• 54% of buyers say AI chatbots shape their vendor shortlist, more than review sites or vendor websites. Source: G2 Answer Economy report, 2026 (summary)
• 69% of buyers chose a different vendor than they first planned because of what an AI chatbot told them. Source: G2 Answer Economy report, 2026 (summary)
• 94% of business buyers used AI during their most recent purchase. Source: Forrester 2026 Buyers’ Journey Survey (summary)

What it means: if you sell to other businesses, many buyers will form their shortlist inside an AI chat before contacting anyone.

What are small business owners struggling with?

• 59% of small businesses say getting new leads and customers will be a challenge in 2026. Source: LocalIQ Small Business Marketing Trends Report 2026
• 53.3% of more than 11,000 small business owners named customer demand as their biggest challenge. Source: Small Business Expo, 2026 State of Small Business Report
• 54% of small business owners named finding or retaining customers as their most common challenge. Source: NerdWallet Small Business Report
• 7 to 8% of gross revenue is the long-standing SBA guideline for marketing spend, for businesses under $5 million in sales with healthy margins. Source: U.S. Small Business Administration guidance (via Chron)

What it means: almost every owner is fighting for the same customers. The businesses that are easy to find, easy to trust and easy to call win more of them.

How we chose these statistics

We included only figures from published research, surveys and company announcements, and linked each one to its source or a summary of it. Where a study was covered by another outlet, we say so. Percentages describe the groups each study measured, which are often US consumers, US small businesses or specific platforms, so treat them as strong signals rather than exact predictions for every market. We review this page every quarter and update it when better data is published.

Want to know what this means for your business? Read our guides on what GEO is and how to get more customers for a small business, or book a free growth audit and we will show you how AI tools describe your business today.

Related: website cost guide, GEO guide, Westchester services, AI search glossary.

Frequently asked questions

How many people use ChatGPT in 2026?

OpenAI reported about 900 million weekly ChatGPT users in February 2026, up from 400 million a year earlier.

How often does ChatGPT recommend local businesses?

SOCi’s 2026 study of about 350,000 business locations found ChatGPT recommended 1.2% of them, compared with 35.9% that appeared in Google’s local 3-pack. Gemini recommended 11% and Perplexity 7.4%.

Do AI Overviews reduce clicks to websites?

Yes. Pew Research Center found Google users clicked a regular search result in 8% of visits when an AI summary appeared, compared with 15% without one, and clicked a link inside the summary in only 1% of visits.

How important are reviews for AI recommendations?

Very. Locations recommended by ChatGPT average 4.3 stars in SOCi’s data, and BrightLocal found 31% of consumers now only use businesses rated 4.5 stars or higher.

Can I use these statistics in my own article?

Yes. Please cite the original source linked next to each statistic, and you are welcome to link to this page as the place you found it.

Last updated: October 1, 2026. Statistics are reviewed every quarter.