AI Visibility for Local Businesses: Findings From 294 Real Scans
We analyzed 294 local business visibility scans. The average LocalStak Score is 40 out of 100, and 42% of businesses are absent from AI search answers for high-intent local questions.
Local businesses are not ready for AI search: the average LocalStak Score across 294 scans is 40/100, and CHOSEN - the ability to win the customer over competitors - is the weakest dimension at 36/100.
What We Found
AI assistants and local search are now a primary way customers find local businesses. LocalStak Research analyzed 294 visibility scans of real local businesses to answer a simple question: how visible are owner-operated businesses in local and AI-driven search today?
The weakest link is competitiveness, not findability. Businesses scored slightly better on being findable (FOUND, 43) and trustworthy (TRUSTED, 42) than on giving customers a compelling reason to choose them (CHOSEN, 36). When AI assistants name alternatives, an undifferentiated business loses the customer before a phone call ever happens.
Every business in this study was scanned against the same three dimensions: FOUND (can customers and AI find the business), TRUSTED (do customers trust it once found), and CHOSEN (will they choose it over alternatives). Each dimension combines weighted signals from the business's local presence, review profile, and AI-search performance. The overall LocalStak Score weights FOUND at 35%, TRUSTED at 30%, and CHOSEN at 35%.
These findings describe the businesses that chose to run a scan, which may not represent all local businesses. Scores are estimates from a single scan snapshot - they flag where to look, not measured rankings, traffic, or recommendation rates. Percentages are rounded. No causal claims are made; association between dimensions and package recommendations does not imply cause.
- Run a visibility scan to establish your FOUND, TRUSTED, and CHOSEN baseline.
- Fix the highest-impact CHOSEN gaps first: review response process, quote follow-up, and call coverage.
- Make your business AI-readable: complete profiles, consistent service-area data, and content that answers the questions customers actually ask.
- Verify every recommendation against independent evidence before spending on it.
How does your business compare?
Run a free LocalStak visibility scan to see how your business appears across AI and local search.
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