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Google Business Profile and AI: Is Your Business Showing Up?

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Local search has become a conversation. Gemini can now connect to Google Business Profile, Maps has added AI, and AI summaries cite reviews and third-party sites. See what changed, what still holds in Brazil, and how to test in 5 minutes whether AI recommends your business.

Mike Dias · · 5 min read

Updated

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Your local business shows up when Google’s AI and the major assistants find complete, current, consistent data about it. In 2026, that includes your Google Business Profile, reviews with detailed text, and your website. Here is what changed, plus a 5-minute test at the end.

Google is putting AI on both sides of the counter. For business owners, Gemini can now connect to Google Business Profile. For people searching, Google Maps now answers natural-language requests by combining hours, categories, and reviews. A profile that is incomplete or out of date is poorly represented at both ends.

What changed: Gemini can now connect to Google Business Profile

On June 10, 2026, at the Google for Brazil event, Google announced an integration between Gemini and Google Business Profile. With one tap, the owner links the two, and Gemini can access reviews, customer questions, search performance metrics, call data, and engagement data.

With that access, the assistant analyzes performance, drafts replies to reviews, updates hours, and points out what is missing from the profile. Google also introduced Business notebooks, which surface alerts and opportunities when the owner opens them. The rollout is gradual, so the feature may not appear for everyone right away.

According to Gofind, the initial release covers single-location businesses, and multi-location chains are on Google’s roadmap. Industry specialists read this as a sign that the profile is no longer just a listing: it has become the knowledge base AI uses to understand your business.

Local search has become a conversation

Ask Maps combines Gemini models with Google’s database of places and handles requests such as a quiet restaurant that is open now and has vegetarian options. According to ClickGrátis coverage from October 7, the feature is reaching Brazil in stages. What matters for owners: results depend on data quality, and a profile that is incomplete, has few reviews, or shows outdated hours tends to be poorly represented.

Searches for a business by name are changing too. A September 2026 study by Steady Demand looked at 100 local businesses in the United States: in 26% of cases, a search for just the business name on a phone showed an AI summary, versus 6% on a computer. In about 59% of cases, review sites and social networks appeared as sources ahead of the business’s own website. It is a small, US-based sample, so treat it as a signal of direction, not as a picture of Brazil.

What AI reads about your business

Think of AI as a customer who reads everything about you in seconds before recommending anyone. The most common sources are:

  • Business Profile: category, services, hours, attributes, and photos.
  • Reviews: not just the rating but the text. According to Club Martech, reviews rich in specific detail carry more weight than generic comments like “very good.”
  • Website: service pages, FAQs, and structured data.
  • Third parties: Apple Maps, Bing Places, industry directories, social networks, and mentions in blogs or local news.

There is a practical consequence. If no review and no page on your site says your auto shop returns the car the same day, AI has no way to recommend it to someone looking for exactly that.

What the numbers say (and don’t say) about Brazil

BrightLocal, in a February 2026 survey of US consumers, found that 45% already use tools like ChatGPT to ask for local business recommendations, 74% look for reviews from the past three months, and 68% require at least four stars.

Beware of hype. Club Martech warns that studies claiming “six-fold” growth tend to come from software vendors and small US samples. In Brazil, according to its analysis, Google Maps and traditional search remain the main channel for street retail and essential services, while AI-assistant search is growing, especially among higher-income users and people with advanced smartphones.

The takeaway is balance: do not abandon the Google basics, but get your data ready for the new AI layer.

5-minute test: does AI recommend your business?

  1. Search your business name on your phone while logged out, and read what appears: AI summary, hours, phone number, and reviews.
  2. Ask an assistant the way a customer would, for example: which [your service] near [your neighborhood] with [your differentiator]? See whether your business is mentioned and what is said about it.
  3. Compare name, address, and phone number on Google, your website, social networks, and Apple Maps or Bing Places. They must be identical.
  4. Read your 10 most recent reviews. Were they answered? Do they mention specific services or only generic praise?
  5. Check the basics: primary category, holiday hours, and recent photos.

Every item that fails is a cheap fix that improves how both AI and customers read your business.

Six high-impact fixes

  1. Standardize name, address, and phone number everywhere your business appears.
  2. Choose the most specific primary category and list each service with a short description.
  3. Ask for reviews with context. Encourage customers to say what they hired you for and what was solved. Never offer a discount or gift in exchange for stars; that violates Google’s rules.
  4. Reply to every review in a personal way. Use AI only for drafts.
  5. Post real photos and updates often, and keep special hours current.
  6. Strengthen your website: one page per service (and per city or location), FAQs, and LocalBusiness structured data. Also claim your listings on Apple Maps and Bing Places.

Frequently asked questions

Is Google Business Profile the same as Google My Business?

Yes. It is the same service, renamed in 2021. You manage it directly from Google Search or Maps.

Does Google’s AI use my profile to recommend businesses?

Ask Maps combines Gemini models with Google’s database of places and considers data such as hours, categories, and reviews. Your profile is an important source, but assistants also consult other platforms, websites, and third-party mentions.

If I have a Business Profile, do I still need a website?

Yes. The profile gives you immediate visibility in local searches, and the website is the source you fully control, with services, FAQs, and structured data AI can read.

How long until I see results after fixing my profile?

Corrections to basic data, such as hours and phone number, tend to appear within a few days. Climbing in highly competitive searches usually takes weeks or months, because it depends on reviews, consistency, and competition.

Can I use AI to reply to reviews?

You can use it for a draft, as long as you review and personalize it. Generic replies signal indifference, especially on negative reviews.

Does creating a Google Business Profile cost anything?

No. Creating and managing the profile is free. There is a cost only if you advertise on Google Ads or hire someone to handle local SEO.

Find out what AI says about your business

IA’NeuraLinker prepares a free diagnostic of your business’s local positioning: what AI and Google show about it today and what to fix first. Request your free diagnostic.


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