ChatGPT Is Using Google Business Profiles — Why This Matters for Your Business
Local search is quietly evolving, and most business owners haven’t realized it yet.
When users ask ChatGPT for local business recommendations, the answers it provides are increasingly aligned with what’s listed on a company’s Google Business Profile (GBP) — including business hours, services, categories, and descriptions. This isn’t a coincidence.
It has now been confirmed that ChatGPT is leaning heavily on Google’s local business data when responding to local queries. That confirmation marks a major shift in how visibility works — and it reinforces why your Google Business Profile is more important than ever.
Google Business Profile Is Becoming AI’s Trusted Source of Local Data
For years, Google Business Profile has been the foundation of effective local SEO. What’s changed is where that data is being used.
AI-powered answer engines don’t “browse” the web the way humans do. Instead, they rely on structured, trusted data sources. Google’s local business database is emerging as one of the most reliable sources for AI-generated local answers.
That means your Google Business Profile doesn’t just impact Google Maps anymore. It directly influences how your business appears in:
- ChatGPT responses
- AI-powered local recommendations
- Answer engines that surface businesses without traditional search results
Why Google Business Profile Optimization Now Impacts AI Visibility
This development reinforces something we’ve emphasized for years at Core Media Concepts:
Your Google Business Profile is the most valuable local SEO asset you own.
But now, the stakes are higher.
Incomplete or inaccurate profiles don’t just hurt rankings in Google Maps — they can cause AI systems to:
- Skip your business entirely
- Recommend competitors instead
- Surface outdated or incorrect information
Missing services, weak descriptions, incorrect categories, and outdated hours are no longer just “SEO issues.” They’re AI visibility problems.
Businesses that fail to maintain their profiles risk becoming invisible not only in local search, but across AI-driven discovery platforms as well.
If you want to see how proper setup and optimization works, contact us about our Google Business Profile Optimization Services.
AI Favors Businesses That Look Complete and Trustworthy
AI systems prioritize clarity, consistency, and completeness.
The businesses most likely to appear in AI-generated local recommendations typically have:
- Fully completed Google Business Profiles
- Accurate hours, services, and categories
- Strong, descriptive business summaries
- Ongoing updates, posts, photos, and activity
In other words, AI rewards businesses that look reliable at a data level.
This aligns closely with how Google evaluates local relevance today — and why local SEO and AI-SEO are now deeply connected.
Google Business Profiles Are Gaining Importance in an AI-Driven World
There’s a growing misconception that AI will make traditional local SEO less relevant.
What we’re seeing is the opposite.
AI is actively validating Google Business Profiles as the source of truth for local business information. Instead of replacing GBP, AI is amplifying its importance across more platforms than ever before.
If your profile is optimized, accurate, and actively maintained, you position your business to win in:
- Google Maps results
- Traditional local search
- AI-powered answer engines like ChatGPT
This is exactly why our local strategy combines GBP optimization, AI-SEO, and traditional SEO fundamentals into one cohesive system.
The Bottom Line
AI search isn’t eliminating Google Business Profiles — it’s making them more powerful.
Businesses that treat their GBP as a static listing will fall behind. Businesses that treat it as a living, optimized asset will gain visibility everywhere customers search — including AI platforms.
If you want your business to be chosen by both Google and AI answer engines, your Google Business Profile must be accurate, complete, and actively maintained.
And that’s exactly what we help businesses do.
👉 Learn more about Core Media Concepts or contact us to see how we can optimize your local presence for both search engines and AI-driven discovery.
