For most small local businesses, it probably isn’t time to move advertising dollars from Google to ChatGPT. But it is time to start paying very close attention.
ChatGPT Ads is now a real advertising platform, with local geographic targeting and ads matched to the context and intent of a user’s conversation.
That could become very valuable.
But for local businesses, Google still has one particularly big advantage.
GOOGLE IS ALREADY BUILT AROUND LOCAL BUYING INTENT
When someone needs a plumber, Realtor, medspa, attorney, restaurant, or other local service, Google is already deeply embedded in the process.
A single search can provide:
- Google Maps and distance
- Reviews and ratings
- Hours and phone numbers
- Directions
- Website links
- Google Business Profiles
- Paid ads
- AI-generated summaries
Most importantly, people already have years of experience using Google when they’re ready to find and contact a local business.
ChatGPT frequently enters the buying process differently.
Instead of searching “medspa Los Gatos,” someone might ask:
“What treatments work best for sun damage without making me look overdone, and how do I find a good provider near me?”
That’s a valuable potential customer, but it represents a different kind of search.
For now, we would be cautious about moving money away from a Google Ads campaign that is already generating good local leads.
BUT ADVERTISING ISN’T THE ONLY CHATGPT OPPORTUNITY
This may actually be more important.
Someone can ask ChatGPT:
- “Who are some good senior relocation specialists near Los Gatos?”
- “What medspas near Campbell specialize in natural-looking skin rejuvenation?”
- “Find an estate attorney in San Jose who works with probate.”
ChatGPT can search the web and recommend businesses in its answers. Those recommendations are separate from advertising.
So before worrying about whether you should advertise on ChatGPT, there’s another question you should probably ask:
When someone asks ChatGPT about businesses like yours, does it know that your business exists?
SEO ISN’T DEAD. ADD GEO TO IT.
Search Engine Optimization remains important. It is now expanding to include Generative Engine Optimization, or GEO: helping AI systems understand who you are, what you do, where you do it, and why your business is relevant.
The same fundamentals still matter:
- Clearly written service pages
- Strong local and location-specific content
- Accurate business information
- Useful original blog content
- Frequently asked questions answered clearly
- Good website structure and crawlability
- Reviews, citations, and credible mentions elsewhere online
In other words, GEO doesn’t replace SEO. It broadens what your website needs to accomplish as people increasingly use AI alongside conventional search.
THE BOTTOM LINE
ChatGPT advertising is worth watching and may already be worth testing for some businesses. But Google still has a substantial advantage when a local customer is actively searching and ready to call, visit, or book.
The more immediate issue affects every business, whether you ever purchase a ChatGPT ad or not.
Your customers are beginning to ask AI where to go, what to buy, and whom to trust.
When they ask about a business like yours, will AI find you?
A website that clearly explains what you do, where you do it, and which customer problems you solve gives both traditional search engines and AI systems better information to understand your business and incorporate your website into relevant search results and AI-generated responses.
That’s why strong SEO and GEO aren’t just about Google rankings anymore. They’re about making sure your business is visible wherever your next customer chooses to search.