Something changed in how your customers search, and most local business owners have not noticed yet.
When someone types "best HVAC company in Melbourne FL" or "how much does a bathroom remodel cost in Brevard County" into Google, they are not seeing a list of ten blue links anymore. They are seeing a paragraph generated by Google AI at the very top of the page. That paragraph cites one or two sources. Everyone else is invisible.
92% of informational local searches now trigger a Google AI Overview. For cost and process questions like "how much does X cost near me," that number is 97%.
What Is a Google AI Overview?
A Google AI Overview is the generated summary block that appears above organic search results. Google builds it by pulling content from websites it considers credible, structured, and directly relevant to what was asked.