“Plumber near me” and “best plumber in Austin” look like almost the same search. They are not. In our 2026 Local AI Search Report, the type of search changed what showed up, and by a lot.
“Near me” means show me options close by
- A local pack appeared on 97.4% of “near me” searches.
- AI Overviews were rare, around 4%.
These searches are about proximity and readiness. The customer wants a nearby option that is open and callable right now. The map pack answers that directly: a short list with ratings, hours, and a call button.
“Best in city” means help me decide
- AI Overviews appeared far more often, up to 75% on qualified “best in city” searches.
- The answer looks more like a curated shortlist with reasoning attached.
These searches are about judgment. The customer is comparing, and increasingly the AI does the comparing for them before any website is clicked.
Same business, two surfaces
Your business can appear in the “near me” pack and also be summarized inside a “best in city” AI answer. Those are two different moments, ready to act versus still deciding, but they pull from the same underlying information: your profile, your reviews, and how consistent your facts are across the web.
What to do, and why it is the same work
The encouraging part is that you do not optimize two different ways. Both surfaces reward the same things:
- A complete, accurate Google Business Profile.
- Steady, real reviews.
- The same core facts everywhere, so you are trusted whether the surface is a map pack or an AI summary.
Get that foundation right and you are eligible across the whole range of how people search, without chasing each format separately.
Common questions
Why does my business show up differently for different searches? Because the searches ask different things. In our 2026 Local AI Search Report, “near me” searches returned a local pack 97.4% of the time and an AI Overview only around 4%, while “best in city” searches returned an AI Overview up to 75% of the time.
Do I need a different strategy for each? No. Both the map pack and AI answers reward an accurate, complete, well-reviewed, and consistent profile. The underlying work is the same.
Which one matters more? Both, at different moments. “Near me” catches ready-to-act customers; “best in city” catches people who are still deciding. You want to be present and accurate for both.
The bottom line
“Near me” is about proximity. “Best in city” is about judgment, and AI now handles a lot of that judging. The same business can appear in both, drawn from the same correct, consistent information. Get that right once, everywhere, and you are covered across how people actually search. That is the whole idea behind how LocalBasics works.