E25: AI in Google Maps, Review Guidelines & Tripadvisor Still Matters

new podcast episode is live!

March 24, 2026

Google just added AI to Google Maps, and local businesses need to pay attention.

Google’s new Ask Maps feature brings Gemini into Google Maps, letting people ask detailed questions about places and get personalized recommendations.

So what does this mean for local businesses?

Google Maps is becoming another AI interface you need to pay attention to. If you have access to Ask Maps, test your most important searches, ask it about your business, and see what it knows:

  • Does it understand your services?

  • Does it mention the things you want to be known for?

  • Does your business even show up?

If not, that’s your signal to improve the information Google can pull from:

  • your Google Business Profile

  • your website

  • your citations

If you’re in a region where Ask Maps is live, go test it out. I’d be interested to know whether the results in Ask Maps differ from the regular results in Google Maps.

Claire and I discuss this in today’s podcast episode, plus:

  • What the New Review Guidelines Mean for Your Local Reputation (Krystal Taing)

  • Why Tripadvisor still matters for local SEO in 2026 (Laura I. Abreu)

  • Star Ratings Are for Humans: AI Reads the Text (Claudia Tomina)

  • Obviously Awesome: April Dunford’s Updated and Expanded Book

  • How AI is impacting local search and what tools to use to get ahead (Miriam Ellis)

Watch the episode here 👇️

🎧 Or if you prefer listening, find it on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

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Darren