The Future of Local SEO in the Age of AI with David Hunter

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Episode Summary

In this episode of the Duct Tape Marketing Podcast, John Jantsch interviews David Hunter, CEO of
Local Falcon and
Epic Web Studios, to explore the rapidly evolving landscape of local SEO.
With over 15 years in digital marketing, David brings a grounded and tactical perspective on how businesses can thrive amidst the rise of
AI-generated search overviews, shifting consumer behavior, and proximity-based visibility.

They dive into topics like AI Overviews, how tools like ChatGPT and Google’s generative AI are reshaping local search, and what multi-location
brands and small businesses alike need to prioritize to stay competitive. If you’re wondering how to future-proof your local SEO strategy, this one’s for you.

Key Takeaways

00:34 – AI Overviews Are Reshaping Search: Google is becoming the answer, not just the index. This change is reducing click-throughs but offers new opportunities for visibility.
03:00 – The Shift to Conversational Search Behavior: Consumers—of all ages—are adapting to natural language searches. “Best plumber near me who can come today” is the new normal.
05:27 – Proximity Still Matters—but Less Than You Think: Local Falcon’s study of 60,000+ queries shows authority and relevance are overtaking proximity in AI-based local search results.
08:26 – Understanding AI’s “Best” Results: Tools like ChatGPT may pull from obscure or outdated sources. Local Falcon helps identify which directories and citations are influencing those results.
13:09 – What Should Local Businesses Be Doing Differently? If you’re doing SEO ethically, not much changes—but content structure and clarity become essential.
14:37 – Ask AI What It Knows About You: Literally query ChatGPT about your business to see how it understands your brand and services.
15:35 – Structure Your Content for AI Comprehension: Use clear formatting, bite-sized paragraphs, FAQs, and schema markup to enhance visibility in AI-generated answers.
17:54 – Multi-location SEO Strategy: Brands with many locations have more visibility chances, but need consistency and brand clarity across each location.