A dentist and a skincare brand both want the same thing from AI: to be the name that comes up when someone asks for a recommendation. But the way AI arrives at that recommendation looks completely different for each one.
This trips up a lot of business owners. They hear about AI discovery and assume there's one strategy that works for everyone. There isn't. The signals AI weighs, the queries it responds to, and the trust it needs to build — all of it shifts depending on whether you're serving a neighborhood or shipping nationwide.
Understanding which game you're playing is the first step to winning it.
When someone asks an AI assistant for "a good plumber near me" or "best Thai restaurant downtown," the pool of possible answers is limited by geography. There are only so many plumbers or Thai restaurants in any given area.
That's actually great news if you're a local business. You're not competing against every plumber in the country — just the ones within driving distance. The bar to become the obvious recommendation is lower because fewer businesses are vying for that spot in any specific location.
What AI leans on heavily for local recommendations:
For local businesses, the strategy is depth over breadth. You don't need to be known everywhere. You need to be unmistakably known right here, for exactly what you do.
An ecommerce brand selling organic dog treats doesn't have a geographic advantage to lean on. When someone asks AI "what's the best organic dog treat for a senior dog with allergies," the answer could come from anywhere.
That means the competitive pool is massive. You're up against every brand in your category, including ones with years of content, press coverage, and brand recognition.
So how does a smaller ecommerce brand get into the conversation?
Specificity wins. AI doesn't just recommend "the best dog treats." It recommends the best dog treats for a specific situation. The more precisely your content addresses real use cases, the more queries you become relevant to.
A brand that publishes clear, helpful content about "grain-free treats for dogs with sensitive stomachs" or "high-protein training treats for puppies" gives AI something specific to cite. A brand that just says "premium all-natural dog treats" gives AI nothing to work with.
What AI leans on for ecommerce recommendations:
Despite the differences, local and ecommerce businesses share the same foundational needs when it comes to AI:
Content AI can actually parse and quote. Whether you're a chiropractor or a candle company, if your website is full of vague marketing language, AI has nothing useful to pull from. Clear statements about what you do, who you help, and why — that's what gets cited.
Structured data that removes ambiguity. Schema markup works the same way for both. It tells AI "here's exactly what this business is, what it offers, and how to categorize it." Without it, AI is guessing. With it, AI knows.
Consistency across platforms. If your business name, description, or key details differ from one platform to another, AI has to reconcile conflicting information. It usually just moves on to someone easier to verify.
Freshness. AI pays attention to whether a business seems active. Recent content, updated information, new reviews — these all signal that you're still here and still relevant.
The mistake most businesses make is applying the wrong strategy for their model. A local service provider spending time writing national-level buying guides is wasting effort. An ecommerce brand obsessing over local directories that don't apply to them is spinning wheels.
If you're local, your job is to be the most clearly documented, well-reviewed, easy-to-verify business in your area. Make AI's job easy. When the question is "who's good at X near here," you want every signal pointing at you.
If you're ecommerce, your job is to own specific use cases. Don't try to be the answer to every broad product query. Be the definitive answer to specific ones. "Best organic baby lotion for eczema" is winnable. "Best lotion" isn't.
Both paths lead to the same destination: becoming a business AI naturally brings up in conversation. The route just depends on where your customers are and how they're asking.
Ai Is How People Find Businesses Now. We Make Sure They Find You.
Modern Humans helps local businesses get discovered by AI assistants like ChatGPT, Google AI, and Perplexity.
Franklin, Tennessee
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