If you watched the news coming out of Google I/O this week, you probably saw a lot of hype about how AI is completely changing Google Maps. They showed off “Ask Maps” and new AI agents that can basically hunt down local businesses and make decisions for users.
But if you actually try to use these features here in Australia right now, you will notice something frustrating. They aren’t working yet. Unless you tunnel your phone or computer through a US VPN, Google Maps still looks pretty much the same as it did last month.
So, did nothing happen for Australian businesses? Should we just ignore it?
Absolutely not. In fact, this delay is the biggest competitive advantage you have right now.
The Shift from Keywords to Conversation
When these features roll out locally, the way people find your business is going to shift overnight. People are going to stop typing lazy keywords like “café Erina” or “accountant Newcastle”.
Instead, they will ask Gemini complex, highly specific questions. Things like: “Find me a quiet café nearby that has fast Wi-Fi, outdoor seating, and is good for a quick business meeting.”
Google’s AI agents will then crawl the web to find the perfect match. But they aren’t just looking at your website. They are heavily relying on your Google Business Profile, your customer reviews, and your visual data to decide if you are worth recommending.
Worse yet, early tests in the US show that the traditional local “3-pack” of map results is getting compressed. Sometimes the AI only recommends one or two businesses. The competition for that top spot is about to get fierce.
How to Build a Moat Around Your Local Rankings Right Now
We have a window of opportunity before this flips live in Australia. If you want to make sure the AI recommends you instead of your competitors, here is exactly what we need to start doing today:
- Max Out Your Attributes: Go into your Google Business Profile and tick every single relevant box. Do you have wheelchair access? Is there free parking? Is there plenty of room between the tables for a ‘not too noisy’ conversation? AI needs these exact data points to answer conversational user questions.
- Keep Your Photos, videos and Virtual Tours Fresh: Google is focusing heavily on immersive, visual search. Businesses with complete visual data, including high-quality interior photos and virtual tours, are being heavily favoured by the algorithm because they give the AI more “proof” of what your space actually looks like.
- Encourage Detailed Reviews: Generic “Great service!” reviews don’t help AI understand your business. Start asking your happy clients to mention specific details. If a review says “The gluten-free pizza options were amazing,” Google’s AI notes that down as a hard fact about your business.
- Be careful about asking for reviews in-shop… don’t do that! It’s been picked up that reviews left by your patrons while still in the store, shop or cafe, could be flagged and may not show up. Instead give them a QR code for them to scan and leave the review after they’ve left the premises. Why? Google can literally grab the GPS data from the phone they’re using to leave the review and if it was written in-shop, it could be perceived as less trustworthy.
The AI map revolution is inevitable, but it hasn’t landed on our shores just yet. Let’s use this time wisely to optimise your profile and build a lead that your competitors won’t be able to catch.
Marc Charette
Commercial Photographer, Virtual Tours, Local SEO
Work Pics 360
Serving the Central Coast, Newcastle, Hunter Valley, Sydney
0424 357 118
marc@workpics.com
