Yext 2026: AI Has Overtaken Google as Starting Point for Wealthiest Consumers
What happened
Yext's 2026 Consumer Search Behaviours Report — surveying 3,848 adults across the US, UK, France, Germany and Italy — has found that AI tools have overtaken Google as the starting point for local business searches among the top 20% of earners.
Across all income levels, 47% of US adults used an AI tool in the past month specifically to find a local business. But among higher earners, AI is now the first place they look — ahead of Google Search and Google Maps.
The study also measured trust: 75% of AI users globally rated their trust in AI recommendations at 4 or 5 out of 5, with an average trust score of 3.85 out of 5. After receiving a recommendation from AI, 53% of users then verify on Google or Bing, 49% visit the business website directly, and 42% click through to the AI's cited sources.
The UK was included in the survey with 600 respondents, making the findings directly relevant to British businesses.
What this means for tradespeople
The people most likely to use AI to find a tradesperson are also the people most likely to spend money on their homes. Kitchen renovations, loft conversions, rewiring — these are big-ticket jobs, and the homeowners commissioning them are disproportionately higher earners.
If you're a bathroom fitter in Surrey or a builder in Edinburgh, the customers with the largest budgets are increasingly starting their search in ChatGPT or Google's AI Mode rather than typing "builder near me" into Google Maps. And as the SOCi 2026 report showed, AI tools are far more selective about which businesses they recommend — favouring those with strong ratings and recent reviews.
The verification step matters too. Even after AI recommends your business, more than half of users check Google to confirm. That means your Google Business Profile and reviews act as a double gate: they influence whether AI recommends you in the first place, and they confirm the recommendation when the customer checks.
What to do about it
This isn't about choosing between Google and AI. It's about recognising that reviews now power both discovery channels.
- Your reviews are your AI visibility. AI tools pull from Google reviews, your website, and structured business data. A strong review profile is the single best investment for visibility across both Google and AI search.
- Keep your Google Business Profile complete. The Yext study found that business profile information was only about 68% accurate on ChatGPT and Perplexity, compared with 100% on Gemini (which draws from Google Maps). Accurate, complete profile data gives you the best chance across all platforms.
- Don't ignore your website. Nearly half of consumers visit the business website after an AI recommendation. Make sure your site has your services, service area, and a link to your reviews.
Source: Yext 2026 Consumer Search Behaviours Report