7 Ways Multi-Location Marketers Can Prepare Their Brands for GenAI Search

Search is evolving beyond traditional keywords and blue links. Today’s users discover brands through a mix of voice assistants, AI-powered chatbots, visual search, and conventional queries, and behind the scenes, a growing variety of bots are crawling your site to judge which pages best match each intent.

The good news? All these “new” methods still rely on the same core foundations of relevance, authority, and user experience. By doubling down on the basics, like clear location data, structured markup, locally focused content, and solid site performance, you’ll give every type of search engine (and its AI helpers) the building blocks they need to recommend your brand to the right audience.

Here are seven ways you can tune your multi-location presence so that whether someone’s asking Google,Perplexity, or ChatGPT, or tapping “near me” filters in a Maps app, your locations rise to the top. These steps aren’t about chasing every shiny feature AI offers; they’re about tightening up the essentials that power every discovery channel and be as relevant as possible in 2025..

Tip 1: Match Content to User Intent

Good content still boils down to solving real people’s problems—and that means thinking beyond keywords to the “why” behind each search. Start by applying E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) principles to every location page. Instead of generic boilerplate, give each page its own voice and local flavor so both users and AI-powered search algorithms instantly recognize you as the go-to expert in that neighborhood.

How to do it:

• Dive into intent: Map common queries (“open now,” “best price,” “services offered”) to specific pages. Address each question directly in your headings and copy.
• Localize deeply: Go beyond address and phone. Showcase staff photos and bios, highlight community events you’ve sponsored, embed genuine customer reviews, and include before-and-after photos unique to that branch.
• Demonstrate expertise: Feature author bylines from franchisees or local managers with years of experience. Share original insights or mini case studies—think quick stats (“Our Greenville store reduced wait times by 30% this year”) or a short story about a memorable local project.
• Optimize UX: Fast load times and mobile-responsive design let AI bots—and your customers—access content instantly. Solid Core Web Vitals aren’t optional; they’re the foundation for both user satisfaction and search visibility.

 

By building pages that genuinely reflect each location’s services, people, and community ties, you satisfy human readers and give every search engine signal—whether traditional or AI-driven—the clear intent it needs to rank you higher.

Tip 2: Ensure Your Location Pages Have Appropriate Structured Data Markup

According to Google’s structured data resource for developers, “Google Search works hard to understand the content of a page. You can help us by providing explicit clues about the meaning of a page to Google by including structured data on the page.” Structured data is a way to provide information about your location pages to search engines like Google, which is communicated using a standardized format called schema markup. 

How to do it:

• Local Business schema: Include key properties, name, address, geo coordinates, phone, opening hours, and even accepted payment methods. This makes your location immediately recognizable as a distinct business entity.
• Review and Aggregate Ratings: Mark up customer ratings and review counts so Google can display star ratings in search results. High ratings don’t just attract clicks; they validate your trustworthiness signal.
• FAQ Page Markup: If you address common questions (“Do you offer free estimates?”, “Is parking available?”), use FAQPage schema so those Q&As appear as expandable snippets under your listing. This answers intent faster and can boost click-through rates.
• Keep It Accurate: Whenever you update hours or services, revise your markup at the same time. Outdated schema can generate errors in Search Console and confuse both bots and customers.

 

Implementing these layers of schema helps AI-driven systems, and standard crawlers, surface your best content in more engaging formats, whether that’s a map panel, a knowledge graph entry, or a rich result with star ratings and quick answers.

Tip 3: Optimize and Maintain Each Google Business Profile

Google Business Profiles play a significant role in local search rankings. By optimizing your profiles with complete and accurate information, relevant categories, and keyword-rich descriptions, you improve your chances of appearing in local search results. This increased visibility can drive more foot traffic and revenue for your locations. 

How to do it:

• Fill out every field: Include Name, Address, Phone (NAP), all relevant business categories, services or products offered, accurate hours, and attributes such as “In-store pickup” or “Wheelchair accessible.”
• Use keyword-rich descriptions: Write a brief summary that incorporates important terms and your locale (for example, “Full-service auto repair in Maplewood specializing in EV battery maintenance”). Natural phrasing helps match both voice and text searches.
• Add quality media: Upload professional images of your storefront, interior, staff members, and signature work. Fresh visuals encourage engagement and signal activity to Google.
• Publish regular updates: Create GBP Posts to share promotions, events, or seasonal services. Consistent posts show Google that your business is active and keep customers informed.
• Respond to reviews: Reply to all feedback, whether positive or negative, with thoughtful and professional comments. Engaging with reviewers enhances trust signals and can improve your overall rating.
• Monitor and share KPIs: Track metrics such as search queries, profile views, clicks to call, direction requests, and website visits using Google Insights or a third-party tool. Review these metrics monthly and share summaries with location managers so the team understands how a well-maintained GBP drives real-world results.

 

A fully detailed, regularly updated Google Business Profile for each location ensures higher local search visibility and drives more customer actions by providing accurate information, fresh media, timely updates, and responsive engagement.

Tip 4: Keep Local Listings Accurate and Consistent

Ensuring your locations are accurately represented across major online directories and platforms is crucial for staying visible in search results. While claiming your Google Business Profile is a great start, it’s important to remember that Google isn’t the only player in the game.

As search behaviors evolve, consumers are turning to a variety of platforms to find local businesses, including Facebook, Apple Maps, Bing, Yelp, and hundreds of other niche-specific directories. Inconsistent or outdated information can lead to lower visibility in search results, making it harder for potential customers to find you, while inaccurate information, such as incorrect hours or addresses, can frustrate users and lead to a poor customer experience.

How to do it:

• Audit every directory: Compile your listings on major platforms and high-value niches. Note discrepancies in NAP (Name, Address, Phone) and business categories.
• Use a management tool: Choose a local listing platform that automates bulk updates, flags inconsistencies and publishes changes everywhere at once.
• Prioritize synchronization: Connect via APIs or partnerships where available so that a single correction rolls out instantly to Google, Apple Maps, Bing and beyond.
• Monitor for duplicates and errors: Schedule weekly or monthly checks to catch ghost listings, misspellings or outdated data before they harm your visibility.
• Align with location teams: Share a simple change-request workflow so store managers can report new hours, seasonal services or remodels and see updates go live quickly.

 

A single source of truth for your brand data ensures search engines and customers always find the right info no matter where they’re looking.

Tip 5: Have an Effective Local Reviews Program in Place and Respond to All Negative and Positive Reviews

Reviews serve as powerful social proof, influencing potential customers and impacting local search rankings. Google increasingly uses reviews as a signal of a legitimate business. More high-quality reviews can boost your local search visibility. 

How to do it:

• Encourage reviews consistently: Train staff to ask satisfied customers for feedback at the point of sale or service and follow up with automated email or SMS requests containing direct review links.
• Respond promptly to every review: Thank authors for positive comments and address concerns in negative ones with empathy, solutions and an invitation to continue the conversation offline.
• Standardize response guidelines: Create a corporate playbook with tone, templates and escalation rules so location managers handle negative feedback professionally and maintain brand voice.
• Highlight top reviews: Showcase 5-star testimonials on your website and in local ads to reinforce trust and encourage more customers to leave praise.
• Track review metrics: Measure review volume, average star rating and response rate in a dashboard. Review these numbers monthly to spot trends and coach underperforming locations.

 

A structured reviews program that actively solicits feedback and engages with every reviewer not only strengthens your local SEO but also builds lasting trust with your community..

Tip 6: Run Hyper-Localized Ads with Location-Level Budgets and Creative

While brand awareness is important, highly localized campaigns are the bread and butter for driving conversions. By focusing on users conducting “near me” or “in my location” searches, you can reach people who are further down the sales funnel and are more likely to take action, while providing more meaningfully specific ads and landing pages to allow Google’s AI to match you to the right user intent. To maximize the effectiveness of your localized advertising amid constant algorithm changes, consider the following:

How to do it:

• Set location-specific budgets: Allocate spend based on each market’s size, competition and performance. High-opportunity areas get more budget while smaller markets receive proportionate investment.
• Customize ad copy and creative: Reference local landmarks, neighborhood names or weather (“Free tire check in South Boston today!”). Use images or videos that feature the actual storefront or staff from that location.
• Build dedicated landing pages: Ensure each ad points to a page that mirrors the ad’s promise with local details—hours, address, phone and a clear call to action unique to that location.
• Monitor and optimize daily: Track click-through rates, conversion rates and Cost-Per-Acquisition (CPA) at the location level. Pause or adjust underperforming ads immediately and reallocate budget to top performers.
• Leverage audience signals: Use site visitors, past converters or loyalty members within each geo-area to create audience lists. Layer in demographic or interest targeting for even more precision.
• Adapt to local conditions: Adjust bids and messaging around local events, holidays or competitor promotions. A sudden surge in demand (like a weekend festival) is an opportunity to boost bids and relevant ad copy.

Tip 7: Compare Campaigns and Lead Performance Across Locations to Optimize at Scale

Comparing the performance of campaigns across different locations can provide valuable analytics and insights, especially when attribution is in place to understand true business impact. For example, if a top-performing location is investing heavily in Facebook advertising and is driving higher quality leads and revenue, it may be worth adjusting budgets to see if that strategy can be replicated successfully. 

Marketers often optimize their campaigns based on Cost-Per-Lead (CPL), which is a valuable metric, but relying on it alone doesn’t provide the full picture and can result in a high volume of low-quality leads. Focusing on down-funnel metrics such as Cost-Per-Acquisition (CPA), Return on Ad Spend (ROAS), or even overall profit will drive towards the outcome marketers are truly looking for: the best possible results for your investment. 

How to do it:

• Standardize your metrics: Go beyond Cost-Per-Lead (CPL). Track Cost-Per-Acquisition (CPA), Return on Ad Spend (ROAS) and lifetime value by location. A low CPL that yields unqualified leads can be more costly than a slightly higher CPL that turns into real revenue.

• Build a unified dashboard: Use a tool or BI platform to pull data from Google Ads, Facebook, your CRM and web analytics. Display side-by-side comparisons of spend, leads, conversions and revenue for each location.

• Identify top performers: Flag locations with high ROAS or low CPA, and analyze their tactics—audience segments, ad copy, bid strategies, landing page design. Look for patterns you can replicate in other markets.

• Test and reallocate budget: Shift spend from underperforming campaigns to those proven to work. Run controlled experiments: copy a high-performer’s settings into a new geo-targeted campaign and measure lift.

• Share insights with local teams: Provide location managers with clear reports on their market’s performance. Include actionable recommendations, such as tweaking ad schedules or testing new creative.

 

A centralized performance view and data-driven budget shifts empower you to amplify what works, eliminate wasted spend and maximize ROI across your entire multi-location footprint.

Wrapping It Up

Getting found today takes more than bidding on keywords. It requires a solid foundation of truly local content, precise schema signals, consistent business listings, active review management, location-tailored ads and data-driven budget shifts. These seven steps work together to feed every search interface, whether AI assistant, map app or traditional engine, the context it needs to connect users with your nearest location.

For a deeper understanding of how to adapt your digital marketing strategies in the era of Generative AI, connect with Netsertive to learn more.