Recently I audited a randomly picked local business from Rumia. I won't say whose, but I'll say this - the result surprised me. And not in a way I'd want if I were on the other side ;)

It turned out this business blocks its portfolio in robots.txt (literally telling crawlers "don't look at my work"), has no schema markup beyond basic LocalBusiness, their H1 is "Home", no meta description, and they're using Google Analytics Universal - which Google shut down in 2023.

That got me thinking - how does this look more broadly? How many local businesses from Rumia, Reda or Wejherowo even know what visibility in AI search engines means?

What is local visibility in 2026?

It used to be enough to have a website and a Google listing. You'd type "plumber Rumia" and get a list of 10 results. Simple.

Now? More and more people are asking ChatGPT, Gemini or Perplexity: "Can you recommend a web agency in the Tri-City area?" And here's the problem - these systems don't search Google. They have their own sources, their own criteria, and their own way of evaluating who's worth recommending.

According to 2026 data - 45% of people already use AI to search for local services (BrightLocal). A year earlier it was 6%. This isn't a trend - it's a revolution.

What does AI consider when looking for a local business?

I've done quite a few audits recently (including my own website) and I noticed several things that have enormous impact:

1. Structured data (schema.org) - these are "metadata" that tell AI who you are, where you operate, what reviews you have, what you offer. Without it, AI has to guess. With it - it knows exactly.

2. Google reviews in schema - you have 50 reviews with a 5.0 rating? Great. But if that data isn't in your site's code as aggregateRating, AI doesn't see it. Literally - you have gold in a safe that nobody can see.

3. The llms.txt file - this is a new standard (like robots.txt but for AI). You tell AI crawlers what you do, where you operate, and what's on your site. Few people do this yet - and it's a massive advantage.

4. robots.txt open for AI crawlers - GPTBot, Claude, PerplexityBot and a whole bunch of others (there's a lot of them!) - these bots need access to your site. If you block them (or don't know they exist), you simply don't exist in AI responses.

5. Data consistency (NAP) - your business name, address, and phone must be identical everywhere - on the website, in Google Maps, in schema, on Facebook. One inconsistency and AI loses trust.

How does this look for businesses in Rumia and the area?

Honestly? Bad. Most local businesses have no structured data beyond what WordPress adds automatically (which is almost nothing). No llms.txt, no explicit rules for AI crawlers, no schema with reviews.

This is exactly the situation where the "early adopter" wins. If your business in Rumia has proper structured data and the competition doesn't - AI will recommend you. Simple.

What can you do today?

You don't need to rebuild your entire site. Start with a few things:

1. Check if your Google Business Profile is fully filled out - photos, hours, description, categories. That's the foundation.

2. Make sure your website has a visible address, phone number (with a tel: link) and opening hours - not just in the footer, but also in structured data.

3. Ask customers for Google reviews - not once a quarter, but regularly. AI systems favor businesses with active, fresh reviews.

4. If you have a WordPress site - install a schema plugin (e.g. Rank Math). If you have something more advanced - talk to someone who knows the topic ;)

And if you want to see how we do it - check our offer for businesses in Rumia and the Tri-City area. I live here, I work here, and I know the local realities.

Numbers worth knowing

Finally, some data that personally convinced me this is worth taking seriously:

- 76% of people who search for "something near me" on their phone visit a business within 24h (Google data)

- ChatGPT has a 15.9% conversion rate for local queries - Google organic is only 1.76% ( Seer Interactive )

- Brand mentions across platforms have a 3x stronger correlation with AI visibility than traditional links ( Ahrefs 2025 )

This isn't science fiction - it's happening right now. And the businesses that adapt first will win :)