You've probably noticed it. You Google something and, before the normal results, there's a tidy AI-written answer sitting at the top. Customers are doing the same thing when they look for a sparky, a physio or a cafe in Cairns — and a lot of them are reading that answer instead of scrolling. That's the bit worrying local business owners right now: if the AI just tells people the answer, does anyone still click through to my website? Fair question. Here's the honest version, minus the doom.
What actually changed
Search didn't disappear. It grew an extra layer. Google's AI Overviews, ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity all now try to answer the question directly, then point to a handful of sources they trust. So there are two games to win now, not one: rank in the normal results and be one of the sources the AI quotes. The good news for a Cairns business: the AI is pulling from the same places you should already be strong in. Your Google Business Profile. Your reviews. Clear, plain-English pages on your own site. Local directories. It isn't magic — it's the same local signals, read by a machine.
What still works (most of it)
Don't bin your strategy. The fundamentals that got you found last year are the same ones the AI leans on: a complete, active Google Business Profile with the right categories, real photos and recent posts; reviews — volume, recency and your replies; pages that answer real questions in normal words ("How much does a bathroom reno cost in Cairns?" beats "Premium Solutions for Your Renovation Journey" every time); and being mentioned around the web — directories, local SEO signals, local press, partner sites.
Five things to do this month
1. Fill every gap in your Google Business Profile — categories, services, service area, hours, photos. 2. Ask for three reviews this week — and reply to every one, mentioning what the job was. 3. Write one plain-English page answering a question customers actually ask you, in their words. 4. Add FAQ content to your key pages — AI lifts clear Q&A straight into answers. 5. Get listed and consistent in local directories — same name, address and phone everywhere.
The bottom line
AI search rewards the businesses that are genuinely useful, genuinely local and genuinely easy to understand. It punishes vague, salesy fluff. If you've been doing the honest, helpful version of marketing, this shift works for you — the machine is just better at spotting it now.