AI Search Builds Local Business Recommendations Mostly From Websites, Not Directories or Social Media
In diib's scans of 225 local service businesses, about 3 in 4 sources cited by Google's AI Overviews, ChatGPT and Gemini were other websites, mostly other businesses. Directories and review sites made up about 1 in 9, and social media mattered mainly in Google's AI.
For a local service business, AI search engines mostly build their answers from websites, including competitors' service pages, with directories like Yelp and Angi as a second source. Social media mattered mainly in Google's AI Overviews, where YouTube and Reddit showed up often. Your own site and your main listings are the sources you control.
When AI search engines recommend local businesses, most of the sources they cite are other websites, mostly other businesses’ sites. In diib’s data on 225 local service businesses, those made up 74% to 79% of the sources cited by Google’s AI Overviews, ChatGPT and Gemini. Directories and review sites made up about 11% on all three.
What the data shows
diib’s AI visibility scans ask Google, ChatGPT and Gemini the kinds of questions a customer might ask, such as “who’s the best pest control company in [city]?”, then record every website the answers cite. (AI Overviews are the AI summaries at the top of some Google results.) This covers each business’s latest scan between October 15 and November 3, 2026: 225 local service businesses in 52 industry categories, from home services and beauty to legal and auto repair. That’s about 5,300 answers and 23,600 citations.
| Share of citations | Google AI Overviews | ChatGPT | Gemini |
|---|---|---|---|
| Other websites (mostly other businesses) | 74% | 79% | 78% |
| Directories and review sites | 11% | 12% | 11% |
| Social media, video and forums | 12% | 3% | 3% |
| The business’s own website | 3% | 6% | 7% |
| Answers that listed sources | 1,750 | 1,772 | 1,759 |
- The platforms cited for the most businesses were Facebook (179 of 225), Yelp (109), YouTube (108), Reddit (92) and Instagram (87), followed by MapQuest (57), Angi (42), Thumbtack (36), the Better Business Bureau (27) and HomeGuide (23).
- YouTube and Reddit showed up almost only in Google’s AI Overviews. Yelp was cited by all three at similar rates.
- A directory or review site appeared in 31% of answers for these businesses, versus 20% for the other 857 websites diib scanned, such as online stores.
- About two-thirds of all citations went to websites that came up for only one or two of the 1,082 businesses in the data.
- 80% of the businesses (181 of 225) had their own site cited at least once, but own sites made up only 3% to 7% of all sources.
What this does and doesn’t tell you
This is aggregated diib data from businesses that ran a scan, not a random sample, and AI answers change from day to day. Directories were matched against a list of known platforms, so small niche directories may be counted as other websites. A spot check found most other websites were businesses, plus some news, government and retail pages. Some Facebook citations may be the business’s own page. The data shows what AI engines draw on, not why one business gets picked over another.
For a single-industry view, see which sites AI assistants cite for cleaning companies and how often AI cites photo and video businesses’ own websites. For practical steps, read how to get your business mentioned in AI answers, or browse more AI search insights.