AI search has taken over. Here are local SEO best practices in 2026.

AI is basically answering questions before people even click your site. Google’s AI overviews? They’re stealing the spotlight. If your biz isn’t feeding the AI beast the right stuff, you’re invisible.

Here’s how to stay sharp and show up in those AI answers this year:

• Own your Google Business Profile like it’s your storefront.

  Fill it completely. Fresh photos. Posts every week. Accurate hours, services, Q&A. AI pulls straight from here for local stuff — make it pop.
  
  

• Stack those real reviews.

  More fresh, positive ones = more trust. Reply to every review (even the short, simple ones). Google + AI love businesses that actually care.

• Write content that screams “I know my stuff.”
  Tie back to E-E-A-T (we just talked about this!). Share real Houston stories, tips, and client wins. Answer questions people actually ask — naturally, no keyword spam.
  
  
• Add schema markup (the easy way).
  Tell search engines exactly who you are, where you are, what you do. LocalBusiness schema helps AI grab your info fast.
  
  
• Make it fast + mobile-ready.
  AI hates slow sites. Compress images, clean code, test on phone. (We’ve got a whole post on Houston speed wins — check it!)

Bottom line: Optimize for AI like you optimize for people — be helpful, trustworthy, local. Do this and you’ll pop up in AI summaries, voice search, and maps — even when people aren’t even searching.