AI visibility for local businesses: a practical checklist

When someone asks an assistant "Who is the best dentist near the station in Leeds?", the answer is built from whatever the assistant can find and trust about local businesses. You cannot control it, but you can make accurate information easy to find.

1. Fix the basics people overlook

• Use one spelling of your business name everywhere.
• Keep address, phone number and opening hours identical on your website, Google Business Profile and directories.
• State your city or service area in plain text on the home page, not only in an image or a map.

2. Say what you do, in the words customers use

List your services as short headings with one or two clear sentences each. If customers say "physio for back pain", do not only write "musculoskeletal rehabilitation".

3. Answer the questions you get every week

Turn your most common customer questions into a short FAQ: prices as a range if you can, how booking works, how long a visit takes, what to bring. Only publish answers you have verified.

4. Make reviews and listings easy

Ask satisfied customers for a review with a direct link and QR code. Reply politely to reviews yourself. Do not buy or invent reviews: it is against platform rules and damages trust.

5. Publish one accurate profile page

A single page that states who you are, what you offer, where you work and how to reach you gives both people and machines something reliable to quote. Keep it factual and up to date.

6. Measure, don't guess

Write ten to twenty questions a local customer might ask, include your city, and check what several assistants answer. Save the answers, repeat every few weeks and note:

• whether you are named,
• which competitors are named instead,
• whether the facts about you are correct.

Small samples are noisy. If two out of five answers name you, that is a hint, not a verdict.

What to expect

Improvements are gradual and not guaranteed. The reliable wins are correct facts, clear answers and a steady reputation; measurement tells you whether they are showing up.