How AI search is changing 'near me' queries

Someone types “rafting near me” into Google. A year ago, they’d get a map pack with three businesses and a list of blue links. Today, they might get an AI Overview that summarizes the best options, compares trip types, mentions seasonal conditions, and links to two or three outfitters. They might not scroll past it. They might not even click.

AI search is reshaping how people find local outdoor activities, and “near me” queries are where the shift hits hardest. If your business depends on people searching for things to do in your area, the rules just changed.

What AI does to a “near me” search

Traditional “near me” results were simple. Google looked at your location, matched it against local businesses, and served up a map pack plus organic listings. Proximity, reviews, and basic relevance decided who showed up.

AI Overviews do something different. Instead of listing options, they synthesize an answer. A search for “whitewater rafting near me” in Colorado might return a paragraph comparing Arkansas River outfitters, mention that spring runoff makes May and June the most exciting months, note that half-day trips start around $75, and link to two or three operators.

The user gets a curated summary before they see a single traditional result. Ahrefs found that click-through rates drop an average of 34.5% when an AI Overview appears. For local searches, that means fewer people clicking through to your website and more people making decisions based on what Google’s AI tells them.

ChatGPT and other AI assistants add another layer. When someone asks ChatGPT “what’s the best kayaking near Portland,” it pulls from reviews, content, and structured data to give a direct recommendation. No map pack. No ten blue links. Just an answer with a name attached to it.

Why outdoor businesses feel this more than most

“Near me” searches are the bread and butter of outdoor recreation. Nobody searches for “rafting near me” from their couch six months out. They’re in the area, they have a free day, they’re ready to book. These are your highest-intent local searches.

AI Overviews currently appear in about 68% of local business-type queries. That number keeps climbing. For an outfitter who relied on showing up in the map pack, this is a fundamental change in how customers find them.

The other factor: outdoor activities are exactly the kind of thing AI overviews like to summarize. There are clear comparison points: trip length, difficulty, price, season. There’s review data to pull from. There’s content about conditions and timing. Google’s AI has plenty to work with when someone searches for outdoor activities, which means it’s more likely to generate an overview rather than just showing links.

What gets you into the AI answer

AI Overviews and AI assistants pull from different signals than the old map pack algorithm. Understanding what they’re looking for changes how you approach local visibility.

Your Google Business Profile matters more than ever. AI Overviews pull business details, hours, photos, and review summaries directly from your profile. An incomplete or outdated Google Business Profile is a guaranteed way to get passed over. Keep your categories specific: “whitewater rafting” not just " outdoor recreation." Update seasonal hours. Add photos from this year, not 2019.

Review content matters, not just star ratings. AI doesn’t just count your stars. It reads your reviews for specifics. An overview about “family rafting near Denver” is more likely to feature the outfitter whose reviews mention “great for kids” and “our 8-year-old loved it” than the one with a higher rating but generic “great experience” reviews. Encourage guests to mention specifics: the trip they took, who they brought, what stood out.

Content that answers the questions AI is summarizing wins. When an AI Overview describes “the best time for rafting near Buena Vista,” it pulls that information from somewhere. If your site has a detailed page about seasonal conditions on your stretch of river, that’s a source the AI can cite. If your site only has a booking page with trip names and prices, it has nothing to work with.

This is where your broader AI search strategy connects to local. The businesses showing up in AI answers are the ones with content that AI can confidently reference, content that’s specific, accurate, and locally detailed.

Structured data on your website matters too. Schema markup for local businesses, activities, pricing, and reviews helps AI systems parse your site. You don’t need to be a developer to add it, and most website platforms have plugins for it. But without it, AI has to guess what your page is about instead of knowing for sure.

What changes about your Google Maps strategy

Your Google Maps ranking still matters. The map pack still appears for many “near me” searches, sometimes alongside an AI Overview. But how Maps results get selected is shifting.

Google’s AI models now analyze not just proximity and reviews but also your content, your photos, and how well your business profile matches the specific query. A search for “beginner rafting near me” favors the outfitter whose profile and content clearly mention beginner-friendly trips over the one with better overall reviews but no mention of beginners.

The practical change: your Maps presence and your content strategy are no longer separate efforts. What you publish on your website influences how you show up on Maps, and your Maps profile influences whether AI Overviews feature you.

The shift you can’t ignore

A growing number of your potential customers will never see your website before they book. They’ll see an AI summary, read a few reviews in the overview, maybe glance at your Maps listing, and call or book directly. The businesses that show up in those summaries will get the calls. The ones that don’t will wonder where their traffic went.

None of this means traditional SEO is dead. Your website still drives authority, and detailed content is what AI systems reference when they build those summaries. But the funnel has changed. AI is the new front door for “near me” searches, and the question is whether you’re visible when it opens.