AI: A Research Channel Not A Conversion Channel — What Local Media Sellers and Ad Agency Professionals Must Know

Read Time: 9-10 minutes

In the digital marketplace of 2025, a quiet revolution is underway—one that could redraw the rules of discovery, attribution, and advertising effectiveness. According to a new report from BrightEdge, AI search visits are accelerating at double-digit rates, while organic search retains its place as the primary driver of conversions.

To local media sales executives and agency professionals, that might sound like a distant concern. But the way people find information, products, and services is shifting again. Understanding how artificial intelligence reshapes discovery is critical to how local media organizations position themselves and how ad agencies guide clients through the noise.

BrightEdge’s findings are striking: AI referrals are growing rapidly, doubling in some sectors month over month, yet they still account for less than one percent of total website traffic. Organic search, by contrast, continues to generate the vast majority of converting visits. Users are experimenting with AI tools for research and exploration but are still relying on traditional search to act on purchase intent. In short, AI search is a rising star—but not yet a revenue engine. Smart marketers are pairing AI awareness with solid SEO fundamentals rather than choosing one over the other.

The Three Strategic Imperatives
For local media sales teams and agencies, the interplay between AI and SEO creates new opportunities to deliver value. The BrightEdge report points toward three key imperatives:

1. Reinforce SEO as the unshakable backbone of visibility.
2. Shape how AI perceives your clients through authoritative external signals.
3. Embed local media as a trusted guide within the new discovery ecosystem.

Each of these principles carries actionable implications for local market sellers.

Reinforcing SEO as the Backbone — Local Edition
AI models are built on the same crawling and indexing frameworks that power Google and Bing. When ChatGPT, Google’s AI Overviews, or Anthropic’s Claude deliver an answer, they’re drawing on traditional search indexes behind the scenes. That means a client’s website content, structure, and authority still determine how likely their brand is to appear in AI-generated results.

Local media reps can use this to strengthen their pitches. Optimized local content doesn’t just rank on Google—it becomes the foundation for AI recognition. Structured data, local schemas, and well-written landing pages are signals AI engines rely on. Fast-loading, mobile-friendly pages and clear site architecture help both human visitors and machine readers interpret a brand accurately.

For local agencies, this is the moment to expand from selling clicks to selling discoverability. An SEO audit bundled with media placement is suddenly more valuable. The argument is simple: “If your business isn’t structured for traditional search, it won’t exist in AI search either.”

Localizing the SEO Argument
Make the SEO story specific. Show clients which keywords in your DMA are already being surfaced in AI-generated results. Identify high-intent local searches such as “roofing company near me” or “orthopedic clinic in [city]” where national brands are encroaching. Use local research to position SEO as a defensive moat: a small business that fails to optimize may find a national chain taking over its presence not only on Google but inside AI-powered recommendations and chat assistants.

Influencing AI Through External Signals
BrightEdge’s research reveals that AI systems don’t just draw from brand websites—they lean heavily on external sources. About one-third of AI citations come from established news outlets, industry publications, or other authoritative third parties. That means brands can influence how AI perceives them by earning mentions in credible local or trade media.

For local markets, this is an underused advantage. A feature in a local newspaper, magazine, or news website can become part of an AI’s knowledge base. Agencies should encourage clients to participate in community stories, expert columns, and local interviews. For professional services—law, healthcare, finance—placement in respected regional trade journals builds both human credibility and algorithmic authority.

BrightEdge also found that around 10 percent of AI citations stem from social or forum discussions. Encouraging clients to engage authentically on LinkedIn, Reddit, or local Facebook groups can help AI connect their name to relevant topics.

For local media companies, this shifts your positioning: you’re not just an ad seller, you’re a signal amplifier. You help shape how AI interprets the marketplace by ensuring your advertisers appear in trusted, structured, and frequently referenced local content.

Embedding Local Media in the Discovery Maze
The growth of AI search fragments the consumer path to purchase. Users toggle between voice, chat, video, maps, and classic search. For local advertisers, that fragmentation breeds confusion. Local media can bring clarity by positioning themselves as trusted navigators.

Sell the combination of discovery and depth rather than just impressions. Design packages that promise discovery lift and engagement: sponsored content that doubles as search-optimized anchor pages, community guides that answer common local queries, or event coverage designed for both readers and AI reference. Combine display, social, and SEO-friendly content under one umbrella.

Local media brands also carry inherent trust. AI systems increasingly rely on authority signals—institutions, journalists, and verified local entities—to decide which information is credible. That makes your newsroom, website, or community brand a valuable partner. Consider creating expert Q A sections or industry roundtables that your advertisers can underwrite. Well-structured local content like “Homeowner Tips from Rockland Experts” or “Local Health Perspectives” can be optimized to appear in answer boxes and AI overviews.

Measurement is the next frontier. Many marketers don’t realize when AI referrals occur, because analytics lump them into direct or organic traffic. BrightEdge has introduced early-detection tools to help identify these visits. Local agencies can adopt or partner with such technology, offering clients clarity on how AI influences their customer journeys. The seller who can measure AI impact will control the narrative.

Applying the Insights in a Mid-Sized Market
Imagine you’re pitching a local HVAC company. Their web presence is basic, their ads limited to occasional social posts. Meanwhile, national competitors dominate both Google maps and AI-generated responses for “emergency heating repair near me.”
The BrightEdge data makes the case easy. Even if AI traffic is small today, its growth rate signals that visibility will matter soon. Without optimized local SEO, structured data, and credible external mentions, your client’s name won’t appear anywhere in these new results. A regional rival that invested in PR or appeared in a local news article may already be building AI authority without realizing it.

Your proposal could include an SEO audit, creation of FAQ-style pages, a sponsored “Winter Prep” feature on your local media site, and a local PR effort for a charitable event or energy-saving initiative. Add in analytics to monitor whether AI referrals start appearing. The client sees you not as an ad vendor but as a discovery strategist protecting their brand from digital obsolescence.

Understanding AI’s Limits
BrightEdge warns against over-hyping AI’s role. Conversion efficiency from AI referrals remains low. Consumers are experimenting—asking AI for advice, inspiration, or lists—but they still complete purchases through traditional channels. Attribution is murky, and visibility in AI results can fluctuate rapidly as models retrain and sources shift. Domain authority continues to play a decisive role; established sites with clean reputations outrank newcomers.

For local advertisers, the lesson is to balance innovation with fundamentals. Keep investing in strong organic visibility and local reputation, while gradually layering in AI readiness. Don’t chase every new bot or platform; focus on building authority that endures across algorithms.

A Sales Script for Today’s Market
For media account executives, these findings can power a new kind of sales conversation. Lead with the concept of “future-proof discovery.”

Tell the client: “In 2025, visibility isn’t just about where people click—it’s about where AI surfaces your business first.”

Then outline a structured plan:
• Conduct an SEO and local optimization audit covering mobile speed, keyword gaps, and schema markup.
• Develop sponsored or native content optimized for common questions and publish it under the credibility of a local media brand.
• Pursue PR or guest-expert features that generate citations from trusted outlets.
• Use analytic tools to track whether AI or conversational search engines are sending referral traffic.
• Integrate all of this into a single campaign that links advertising, SEO, and content creation.

This conversation reframes the media rep’s role from “space, time seller” to visibility architect. You’re not offering impressions—you’re ensuring the client’s brand is recognized in every discovery environment that matters, human or AI.

Competitive Advantages for Local Media
Local outlets and agencies possess natural strengths in this new landscape. AI models prize proximity, relevance, and trust—qualities baked into local journalism and community relationships. A mention in a respected hometown news site can carry more weight than dozens of generic backlinks.

Local publishers can move faster than national corporations. They can tweak titles, optimize content, and update local guides within hours rather than weeks. Their understanding of regional context—seasonality, landmarks, civic issues—gives them an edge in generating “AI-friendly” content that feels authentic.

Cross-channel integration also becomes a differentiator. A campaign that ties a radio spot or OTT pre-roll to an SEO-optimized article and a local-media landing page delivers multiple signals to both people and algorithms. Local sales teams should present these as interconnected assets rather than separate products.

Turning Insight into Action
The BrightEdge report isn’t theoretical—it offers a roadmap. Here’s how local organizations can operationalize it over a single quarter.

Week 1: Audit and intelligence. Review clients’ search performance, website structure, and local keyword rankings. Use tools that reveal whether their content is being referenced by AI engines.

Week 2: Content planning. Identify three to five evergreen local topics aligned with seasonal demand—“Best Fall Events,” “Preparing Your Home for Winter,” “Local Tax Tips.” Decide where and how this content will live across your owned and partner channels.

Week 3: PR and media tie-ins. Work with local journalists, chambers of commerce, or trade associations to place client mentions or feature stories.

Week 4: Campaign bundling. Package these efforts into cross-platform buys: digital ads driving to optimized articles, email pushes to support SEO pages, and social amplification.

Ongoing: Track AI referral trends monthly, adjust content structure, and report visible gains to clients.
The sellers who follow such a rhythm will turn abstract digital trends into tangible revenue and client retention.

Looking Toward 2026
BrightEdge’s forecast suggests that while AI search represents only a sliver of traffic today, it could grow to several percentage points of total discovery within a year. If that happens, marketers may redirect portions of their search budgets toward “AI visibility” initiatives. That could include sponsorship of structured data hubs, partnerships with trusted content publishers, and paid placements within AI-driven recommendation panels once those formats mature.

For local media, the coming years may bring a new premium on trusted editorial partnerships. As AI systems weight authoritative local sources more heavily, being cited—or hosting advertiser content—on a respected local platform becomes a measurable asset. In effect, local credibility becomes currency in the machine-learning economy.

The Broader Implication
The core message of the BrightEdge report is not that AI will replace SEO or traditional media. It’s that search behavior is diversifying, and the value of credible, optimized content is compounding. For local AEs and agency leaders, this is the perfect narrative pivot: you are not selling ads; you are selling local discoverability in an age of algorithmic curation.

Final Takeaway
The 2025 BrightEdge report makes clear that AI search is accelerating but organic search remains indispensable. For professionals in local markets, this is a moment to rethink value propositions. Embed AI and SEO awareness into every proposal. Sell local authority and structured visibility as inseparable from advertising. Build metrics that show clients how emerging AI referrals are already shaping their inbound traffic.

Most of all, lean into the advantage only you possess: authentic connection to place. AI may generate answers, but it still depends on trustworthy human sources. Local media and agencies that cultivate that trust—through reporting, sponsorship, and consistent optimization—will define the next era of digital marketing.

Marketing, after all, has always been about visibility where it matters most. In 2025, that means showing up not just in the search bar, but in the answers engines give back. The brands that prepare now, guided by local experts who understand both technology and community, will own the future of discovery.

Source: https://www.brightedge.com/