The landscape of local discovery is undergoing a seismic transformation as artificial intelligence redefines how consumers find, evaluate, and interact with brick-and-mortar businesses. For multi-location brands, small businesses, and enterprise marketers alike, traditional optimization tactics are no longer sufficient. Google’s advancing AI ecosystem—anchored by Gemini and AI Overviews—now actively compares options, synthesizes reviews, makes decisions, and even books appointments on behalf of the user, frequently bypassing a brand’s official website entirely.
To address these critical shifts, Search Engine Journal has announced an exclusive live webinar titled "Google On What’s Next In AI Search + 5 Local Marketing Strategy Fixes." Scheduled for Thursday, September 24, at 11:00 AM ET, the session brings together industry leaders from Google, Adecco, Uberall, and Search Engine Journal to outline actionable strategies for maintaining visibility in an AI-driven search economy.
The Evolution of Local Discovery and the AI Shift
For decades, the standard playbook for local search engine optimization (SEO) relied heavily on keyword targeting, directory citations, and securing a coveted spot within Google’s traditional Local Map Pack. While these foundational elements retain baseline importance, the metrics for success have fundamentally shifted.
Recent industry data underscores a startling disconnect between consumer behavior and brand readiness. Statistics reveal that while Google’s AI search features currently engage billions of users every month, an overwhelming 68% of brands remain entirely absent from AI-generated recommendations. This visibility gap presents a major commercial risk for businesses that rely on localized foot traffic and regional digital acquisition.
Under the hood, AI-driven search engines do not merely crawl pages for keywords; they synthesize vast ecosystems of local signals. These include real-time business profile data, review sentiment, contextual Q&A, and cross-web consistency. When these signals conflict, are outdated, or suffer from fragmentation across a multi-location enterprise, automated systems simply bypass the inconsistent listing in favor of a competitor with cleaner, more authoritative data.
As Google prepares to roll out its next generation of AI search updates, the threshold for data accuracy and signal optimization is rising. Brands that fail to adapt risk becoming invisible to consumers who increasingly rely on conversational, intent-driven AI queries to guide their purchasing decisions.
Webinar Overview and Key Learning Objectives
The upcoming joint session between Google, Uberall, and Search Engine Journal is designed to bridge the gap between emerging search technology and practical local marketing execution. Attendees will gain direct insight into how Google’s internal teams view the trajectory of search and what local enterprises must do to stay competitive.
The agenda centers on five targeted strategic fixes designed to align local marketing operations with the realities of AI-powered discovery. Rather than offering generic SEO advice, the webinar focuses on granular adjustments to local signals that directly influence whether an AI model recommends, prioritizes, and converts a prospective customer for a specific geographic location.
Industry Experts and Panel Lineup
The event features a distinguished panel of digital marketing and search platform experts:
- Caroline Dissaux, Business Development Lead for Search & Gemini at Google, will provide an inside look at the technological roadmap for Google Search and its ongoing AI innovations.
- Bonnie White, Strategic Partnerships Manager at Adecco supporting Google on Google Business Profile partnerships, will share perspectives on ecosystem management and profile optimization at scale.
- Krystal Taing, VP of Solutions at Uberall, will present the core operational fixes required to ensure multi-location brands remain discoverable and actionable within AI search environments.
- Katie Morton, Executive Editor at Search Engine Journal, will moderate the live session, guiding the discussion and fielding audience questions.
Broader Implications for the Digital Marketing Industry
The shift toward zero-click AI interactions and autonomous decision-making represents one of the most profound disruptions to digital marketing since the advent of mobile search. For multi-location brands, the implications extend far beyond marketing departments, touching customer service, data management, and operational logistics.
When an AI assistant books an appointment or recommends a nearby storefront based on synthesized sentiment and operational hours, the accuracy of back-end data becomes paramount. A single mismatched holiday hour or an unaddressed negative review can cascade through an AI model’s training and retrieval data, resulting in systemic exclusion from localized recommendations.
Furthermore, the emphasis on structured, machine-readable signals means that local SEO is evolving into a discipline closely aligned with data governance and technical API integrations. Marketers must move away from isolated optimization campaigns and adopt unified data ecosystems that feed search engines pristine, verified information across every operational node.
Event Registration and Accessibility
Registration for the live webinar is currently open through the Search Engine Journal platform. Industry professionals, enterprise marketing directors, agency leaders, and local business owners are encouraged to secure their digital seats ahead of the September 24 broadcast.
For participants unable to attend the live stream due to scheduling conflicts, organizers have confirmed that a full recording and accompanying resource materials will be distributed to all registrants following the event. To reserve a spot or learn more about the session, interested parties can visit the official registration page hosted by Search Engine Journal.
