This is Part 1 of our six-part series exploring the trends reshaping search engines and what they mean for local businesses. Over the next few posts, we’ll break down each trend in detail, but first, let’s look at the big picture.
The way people search online is changing faster than ever. AI-powered tools like ChatGPT and Google Gemini are introducing a new challenge for local businesses: Generative Engine Optimization (GEO).
Unlike traditional SEO (which focused on keywords), GEO is about teaching search engines to understand who you are, what you offer, and how trustworthy you are—all while staying active and current online.
For local businesses, this means more work than ever before to show up in search results. Let’s break down the five biggest GEO trends and what they mean for you and your business in 2025. Spoiler alert: doing all this alone is overwhelming!
1. The Evolution of Entities
Search engines no longer just match keywords—they understand entities, which are things like people, places, businesses, or products.
Think of entities as the search engine’s way of identifying the “who” and “what” behind the information. For example, instead of looking for websites that mention “coffee,” AI links the word to businesses like “Joe’s Café in Chicago” and decides which one to highlight based on trust and relevance.
For local businesses, this means:
- Claiming your Google Business Profile and keeping it updated with accurate details.
- Using tools like schema markup to label your website content in a way that search engines understand.
- Getting local mentions and reviews to prove you’re a trustworthy business in your community.
Reality Check: Learning how to add schema markup and track mentions in trusted sources is a technical, time-consuming process.
2. Real-Time Search with LLMs and RAG
AI tools like ChatGPT use Large Language Models (LLMs) to provide human-like answers. The problem? These models rely on pre-trained knowledge, meaning they can get outdated fast. That’s where Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) comes in, pulling in fresh, real-time information to keep AI responses accurate and current.
For local businesses, this means:
- Constantly updating your website, social media, and online listings to stay relevant.
- Creating content that aligns with trusted sources (like Wikipedia or local directories).
- Keeping up with real-time trends to reflect what your customers are searching for.
Reality Check: It’s not enough to create a website and forget about it—LLMs and RAG reward businesses that actively keep their information fresh. How many hours a week can you realistically dedicate to writing blogs, running promotions, and posting updates?
3. The New Age of Entity Optimization
Search engines use entities to build a network of connected knowledge. For your business to show up in searches, you need to prove you’re an authority in your space. This is called entity optimization.
For local businesses, this includes:
- Adding schema markup to your website so search engines know exactly who you are and what you do.
- Listing your business in local directories and ensuring details are consistent everywhere.
- Getting mentions in trusted sources like community blogs, newspapers, or industry-specific platforms.
Keep in Mind: Identifying the right directories and platforms in your niche can take time and research. Building relationships with local journalists and bloggers is an ongoing effort, and maintaining visibility requires consistent attention and updates—it’s not something that can be done once and forgotten.
4. Multimodal Search
People don’t just type searches anymore—they use images, voice, video, and even audio to find information. Tools like Google Lens process billions of visual searches monthly, and voice assistants like Alexa make it easier to find businesses by simply asking a question.
For local businesses, this involves:
- Adding alt text and metadata to your images to help AI understand what they show.
- Example: Label a product photo as “Latte art at Downtown Coffee Shop, Seattle.”
- Structuring FAQs and content for voice search so AI can answer questions like “Best plumbers near me.”
- Using schema for video and audio content to ensure your tutorials or podcasts are discoverable.
Keep in Mind: Creating blogs is just one piece of the puzzle. Optimizing images, writing transcripts for videos, and structuring FAQs for voice assistants add additional layers of complexity. These tasks can be time-consuming, especially when balancing them with running your business.
5. Predictive Search and Personalization
AI doesn’t just wait for people to ask questions anymore—it predicts what they’ll want next. For example, a customer searching for “local garden centers” might later see suggestions for seasonal plants, care tips, and nearby nurseries.
For local businesses, this means:
- Mapping out the customer journey with content that guides them at every step, from early research to making a purchase.
- Using dynamic updates on your website to show real-time availability, new products, or seasonal promotions.
- Building trust with search engines by keeping your business information consistent and engaging with customer reviews.
Reality Check: Predictive search requires staying several steps ahead of your audience. You’ll need to constantly update your content, run promotions, and monitor trends—all while running your business.
Here’s the Truth
The future of search is here, and it’s personalized, entity-driven, and multimodal. For local businesses, this means there’s an incredible opportunity to stand out—if you have the time, expertise, and consistency to do it all.
Let’s be honest: most small business owners are already working 50+ hours a week just running their operations. Add on creating content, managing Google Business Profiles, updating websites, and building relationships with trusted sources, and it’s no wonder so many fall behind.
Where We Come In
This is Part 1 of our six-part series on the GEO trends shaping the future of search. In upcoming posts, we’ll dive deeper into each trend and show you exactly what it takes to stay competitive.
But you don’t have to do it alone. At Beehive Local, we specialize in making these strategies manageable for local businesses. We handle the complexity of GEO so you can focus on what you do best: running your business.
Ready to make search work for you? Let’s get started.