Why Local Pages Still Win in AI Search

Customers aren't just searching for brands by name anymore. Instead, they're asking highly specific questions about products, services, locations, and experiences. Whether they're looking for "restaurants near Yankee Stadium" or "catering for a 50-person office lunch," AI models cite and surface brands that have built content around real customer intent.

So, how do marketers create local experiences that satisfy both customers and LLMs? And what separates a high-performing local page from one that's nothing more than a store locator?

In this episode of The Visibility Brief, Yext SVP of Marketing Rebecca Colwell sits down with Steve Wiideman, President of Wiideman Consulting Group to explore why local pages have become one of the most important assets in an AI-first search strategy.

Drawing on nearly 30 years of SEO experience and work with some of the world's largest restaurant brands, Steve shares why local and intent pages are now a competitive advantage – and how marketers can use them to increase visibility across both traditional and AI search.

The episode breaks down:

• Why local pages still matter in an AI-first world
• The difference between location pages and intent pages
• What the highest-performing local pages have in common
• How AI is changing local content strategy
• Lessons from restaurant brands that adapted quickly to changing customer behavior
• What marketers should stop, start, and rethink when building local content

Whether you're managing hundreds of locations or just getting started with local SEO, you'll learn practical ways to build pages that help customers find exactly what they're looking for, wherever they're searching.