How Consumers Search for Local Businesses in 2025

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By NewSunSEO July 9, 2026

In the last three months, 84% of consumers searched for a local business online, according to a new BrightLocal survey of 1,227 US-based consumers. Mobile dominated as the starting device (73%), Google remained the top starting channel (52% on Search plus 9% on Maps), and 23% of consumers used AI tools at some point during their most recent local search. Most journeys crossed multiple channels before a decision was made.

Most local searches start on mobile

The survey asked consumers about their most recent local business search, and 73% of respondents began on a mobile phone. Another 19% used a computer, and 8% used a tablet.

Device use shifts with age. Among consumers over 60, 57% started on mobile and 33% on a computer. For the 30 to 44 age group, mobile climbed to 86%, with just 12% using a computer and 3% a tablet. Across every age bracket, though, mobile was the most common starting point.

For local businesses, the implication is direct. A site that loads slowly on a phone, a social profile without clickable contact information, or images that are hard to read on a small screen can send a potential customer to a competitor before the business is seriously considered.

Is Google still the top starting point?

Yes. Among consumers who reported their most recent local business search, 52% started on Google Search and an additional 9% started on Google Maps. Across the full journey, 71% used Google Search at some point. The combined Google starting figure was slightly higher than the prior year, when 45% started on Google Search and 15% on Google Maps.

That left 39% of recent searches beginning on a channel other than Google, spread across social media, AI tools, review sites, voice search, and mapping alternatives. None of those channels captured a large share on their own, but together they account for a meaningful portion of where local searches begin.

One channel rarely tells the whole story

75% of consumers used more than one channel during their most recent local business search. Multi-channel behavior was more common than single-channel behavior.

Respondents reported the channels they used during the search.

Google Search: 71%
Social media: 30%
AI tools: 23%
Review sites: 19%

Even consumers who began on a different platform often returned to Google. About two in five respondents who started on social media, AI, voice search, review sites, or Apple Maps also used Google before making their final decision.

How are AI tools fitting into local searches?

23% of consumers used AI tools at some point during their most recent local business search. Zoomed out, 31% said they use AI tools for local business recommendations at least monthly. Only 19% said they would not consider using AI to find a local business at all.

The research also referenced a separate Local Consumer Review Survey figure: 45% of consumers used AI tools for local business recommendations in the past year, up from 6% the year before. With AI features now embedded directly inside Google Search, the boundary between using an AI tool and using a traditional search channel is becoming harder to draw.

Usage, however, is not the same as trust. Among consumers who already use AI for local searches, only 18% said they felt ready to contact the business an AI tool recommended. The rest went on to verify details through Google or other channels.

Among consumers whose most recent local search started with an AI tool:

2% used the AI tool as their only channel
43% went on to check Google
39% also looked at social media

By comparison, 33% of consumers whose search began on Google Search stopped there, satisfied with what they found.

What this means for local businesses

If only one channel can be prioritized, the data points to Google Search and Google Maps. But expecting customers to stop there is unrealistic given how multi-channel the journey has become.

Steps that align with how consumers actually search:

Claim and optimize a Google Business Profile so the business surfaces in local results.
Make sure the website loads quickly on mobile and that contact information is easy to find and tap.
Track local rankings on mobile as well as desktop, since position can differ between the two.
Keep social media profiles, review site listings, and other third-party listings accurate and consistent.
Monitor what AI tools say about the business, since more consumers are consulting them.

Consumers are turning to AI to narrow down their options. Consumers often cross-check a business’s details against information from other sources before deciding.

Methodology

The findings are based on a survey of 1,227 US-based consumers who had searched online for a local business in the three months prior. The research was published by BrightLocal and is available at brightlocal.com/research/consumer-search-behavior-channels.

FAQ

What percentage of consumers search for local businesses online?

According to BrightLocal, 84% of consumers searched for a local business online in the three months before the survey. Of those recent searches, 73% began on a mobile phone.

Where do most consumers start their local business search?

Google was the top starting channel, with 52% of recent local searches beginning on Google Search and 9% on Google Maps. Across the full journey, 71% used Google Search at some point.

How are consumers using AI for local business searches?

23% of consumers used AI tools at some point during their most recent local search, and 31% use AI for local business recommendations at least monthly. Only 18% of AI users felt ready to contact a business without verifying the details elsewhere.