Are AI Results Replacing Map Packs in Local Search?
AI results are replacing map packs in local search partly, and unevenly. For direct "near me" searches, the map pack has so far dominated. Whitespark's May 2025 study of 540 local queries found it on 93% of direct local searches, against AI Overviews on only 15%. For questions that mix information with a place, such as "how much does a plumber cost in Houston", the picture flips: AI Overviews appeared on 92% to 97% of them, and the map pack rarely. Since late 2025, Google has also shown AI-generated local packs in place of the standard pack on some searches, often naming one or two businesses instead of three. Places Scout data put these on about 8% of tracked keywords in early 2026. Businesses need to be visible in both.
Where does each appear?
| Search type | Example | AI Overview | Map pack |
|---|---|---|---|
| Direct local intent | "plumber near me", "dentist in Leeds" | About 15% | About 93% |
| Informational | "why is my boiler making a banging noise" | About 92% | About 6% |
| Hybrid (information plus place) | "how much does a boiler service cost in Leeds" | About 97% | Varies |
| Overall local queries in the study | Mix of the above | About 68% | About 39% |
These figures come from Whitespark's May 2025 study of queries in Houston, Phoenix and Denver across six industries. Local Falcon, analysing a different set of local business queries, found AI Overviews on about 40% of them in May 2025. The share depends heavily on which queries are counted. That is why reports disagree about whether AI "replaced" the map pack.
Why does the AI local pack appear above the standard local pack?
Because it is part of an AI Overview, and AI Overviews sit at the top of the results page. When Google generates an Overview for a local question, it can include businesses, with names, ratings and links to their Business Profiles. In some searches this AI-generated local pack replaces the standard three-business pack. In others the standard pack appears lower down.
Reports from late 2025 and early 2026 described the pattern:
- Fewer businesses. AI local packs often showed one or two businesses instead of the usual three.
- Different selection. The businesses named could differ from the top three in the standard pack, since the AI draws on reviews, websites and other sources as well as Maps ranking.
- Uneven rollout. Side-by-side tests showed some accounts getting the AI version and others the standard pack for the same search.
- Visibility drops. Search Engine Roundtable reported some businesses seeing declines of 50% or more in Business Profile visibility where AI packs replaced standard ones.
Google has not published how it chooses between the two formats. The practical point is that ranking third in the map pack may no longer guarantee a place on the first screen.
Why AI recommendations and map rankings differ is covered in why AI local recommendations differ from map rankings.
Why do long-tail searches show AI Overviews instead of the Map Pack?
Because longer searches usually carry a question, not just a need for a nearby business. "Emergency plumber" asks for a supplier; "why does my boiler lose pressure and should I call a plumber" asks for an explanation first. Google shows AI Overviews mostly where a summary helps. Whitespark's split, 15% of direct local searches against over 90% of informational and hybrid ones, reflects exactly that.
Other data points the same way. Semrush found about 60% of keywords triggering AI Overviews had 100 or fewer monthly searches, meaning long, specific queries. Google says the average AI Mode search is three times the length of a traditional search. As people type or speak longer questions, more local searches fall into the informational and hybrid categories, where AI answers lead.
How to find local searches that still show the classic map pack is covered in how to find local keywords that do not trigger AI Overviews.
What gets a business named in AI local results?
AI Overviews and AI local packs draw on:
- Your Business Profile: categories, services, hours, attributes, photos and reviews. BrightLocal's analysis of 1.9 million local AI citations found Business Profiles were the most cited source, at 28.5%.
- Review content, not only star ratings. Reviews that mention specific services and places help the AI match you to specific questions, so ask every customer for an honest review in their own words and never suggest what to write.
- Your website: service and area pages that answer the questions in the search, with prices, processes and credentials.
- Third-party sources: directories, local press and "best of" lists. In Whitespark's Houston plumbing example, 60% of citations went to third-party sites and 40% to local businesses.
Map pack ranking factors still matter, especially relevance, distance and prominence. But AI results add content and reputation from beyond Maps.
What about AI Mode and chat assistants?
Google's AI Mode handles local questions conversationally, often listing businesses with a map, ratings and short summaries drawn from reviews. People can ask follow-ups such as "which of these is open on Sunday?" without returning to the standard results. Outside Google, ChatGPT and other assistants answer local questions from their own search sources, and ChatGPT draws on Yelp's licensed data. None of these shows a classic three-business map pack. For a growing share of local discovery, then, the question is not whether you rank in the pack but whether an AI summary names you. That depends on reviews, profile completeness and pages that answer the question asked.
How should local businesses respond?
- Keep the Business Profile complete and current, since it feeds both formats.
- Ask every customer for an honest review, and respond to reviews.
- Build pages that answer hybrid questions: costs, timings, "do I need a..." questions, each tied to your area.
- Get listed and mentioned on the local directories and guides that AI answers in your area cite.
- Track both formats. For your key searches, record whether the result shows a standard pack, an AI pack or an AI Overview, and whether you appear.
- Measure calls and direction requests from your profile, not only rankings, since the format shift changes what "position" means.
What might an illustrative case look like?
Consider an illustrative dental practice that ranked second in the map pack for "dentist [town]" and saw profile views fall by a third in two months. Checking from several devices showed Google sometimes displayed an AI local pack with two practices. One was a competitor with many detailed reviews mentioning "nervous patients", and the other a chain. Hybrid searches such as "how much is a dental implant in [town]" showed AI Overviews citing a national price guide. The practice added a price guide and a page for nervous patients, and began asking every patient for an honest review after treatment. It also completed its services list on its profile. Within three months it appeared in the AI pack for about half of the checks, and its hybrid-question page was cited in Overviews.
What do people ask about AI and map packs?
Is the map pack going away?
Not for direct local searches, where it still appeared on most results in 2025 data, though AI local packs now replace it on some. It is losing ground on question-style searches.
Can I choose which format my business appears in?
No. Google decides the format. You can only make your profile, reviews and pages strong enough for both.
Does ranking first in Maps still matter?
Yes, but it no longer guarantees top visibility. AI formats may name businesses in a different order.
Are AI local packs the same in every country?
Rollout varies by country and account. Check the searches that matter in your area regularly.
Published by The Kovmere Team · updated Sep 29, 2026 · More resources