Google Maps has just rolled out one of its biggest changes in years in Australia. The new feature, Ask Maps, uses Gemini to let people search Maps by asking detailed, conversational questions rather than relying on simple searches like “plumber near me” or “best cafe Newcastle”. Google began rolling it out in Australia in English on 7 August 2026.
At first glance, this feels like a major shift in how businesses could generate leads. Being first in Google may become slightly less important in some situations, while responsiveness, clear information and the ability to quickly answer customer questions could become more valuable. That said, the long-term impact is still uncertain, particularly if businesses start receiving large volumes of automated calls or if the technology pushes some industries further towards simple price comparison.
Being number one might matter slightly less
Traditionally, local SEO has been heavily focused on getting a business as high as possible in Google Search and Google Maps. That is still going to matter, but Ask Maps introduces another layer. Instead of simply showing someone a list of businesses and letting them choose, Google can increasingly help narrow that list down based on what the person actually wants.
Someone might search, “Find me a plumber near Newcastle who can come today and tell me roughly what it will cost,” or “Find me a web designer that works with WooCommerce and can handle a more complicated project.” In that environment, simply being the first business listed might not be enough. Google also needs to understand what the business does, where it operates and whether it is genuinely a good fit for the question being asked.
Responsiveness could become a much bigger advantage
Another interesting development is Google’s use of automated calls. Google can already make automated calls to businesses on behalf of customers for certain enquiries, such as checking prices, availability, appointments and other business information. If that becomes more widely adopted in Australia, businesses will need to be responsive and provide clear, useful answers.
If an AI system calls asking whether a business provides a particular service, what it costs or whether it is available, the businesses that respond quickly and clearly are naturally going to be in a better position than those that do not pick up or cannot answer basic questions. In many ways, this is not really an SEO lesson at all. It is simply good business practice.
But there could be a downside
There is also a possible downside to this shift. Businesses may become frustrated if they start receiving a large number of calls from AI agents that are simply gathering prices for people who are still very early in the buying process. It could also encourage some industries to become more focused on price comparison.
That matters because a good salesperson does more than provide a price. They ask questions, understand the customer’s problem, explain the differences between available options and demonstrate why their service is worth choosing. If an AI assistant simply calls five businesses, asks for a price and presents the answers back to the customer, part of that sales process disappears. For more commoditised services, that could potentially encourage a race to the bottom.
This probably does not change the fundamentals of SEO
Despite all the discussion around AI search, businesses should not suddenly throw out their existing SEO strategy. Ranking highly still matters, not everyone is going to use Ask Maps, and plenty of customers will continue searching the way they always have. More importantly, serious customers often still want to speak to a person.
Ask Maps is likely to be particularly useful at the top of the sales funnel. Someone who is researching options, comparing prices or trying to understand what is available can get answers much faster, and this may even filter out some tyre kickers before they reach the business. But when a customer has a genuine problem to solve and is preparing to spend serious money, trust and personal interaction are still likely to play a major role.
Most businesses still are not using Google Business Profile properly
One of the biggest opportunities has very little to do with AI. Many businesses spend a considerable amount of time managing Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn while barely touching their Google Business Profile, which does not make much sense when Google Search and Maps are often where customers are actively looking for a service.
It is common to see profiles that have not been updated in months or years, so the advice here is fairly simple: actively manage them. Keep services accurate, add new photos, publish updates, ask customers for reviews, respond to reviews, and make sure opening hours, phone numbers and service areas are correct. These activities were important before Ask Maps existed and they are arguably becoming even more important now.
Your website is still incredibly important
AI search does not mean businesses need good websites any less. A website remains one of the most important sources of information about a business, and if Google is trying to understand whether that business is relevant to a particular search, it needs useful information to work with.
One of the biggest SEO problems is still thin content. A business might have a single services page containing a few hundred words that essentially says, “We provide high-quality solutions tailored to your needs.” That tells the customer almost nothing and it does not give Google much context either. The same applies to businesses publishing endless generic articles purely for SEO or chasing low-quality backlinks instead of investing in content that genuinely explains their expertise.
A much stronger approach is to create useful service pages that explain exactly what the business does, who the service is for, what problems it solves and where that service is available.
Service pages and location pages matter
This is particularly important for service-based businesses because people often prefer working with local providers. There is a reason searches containing terms like “near me” became so common. People are not necessarily looking for every plumber in Australia, they are trying to find someone who can solve their problem nearby.
If a business services Newcastle, Lake Macquarie, Maitland and the Hunter Valley, that should be made clear. If it provides five distinct services, each one should be explained properly. A website should not make Google guess what the business does or where it operates, and Ask Maps may make those details even more valuable because users can now ask increasingly specific questions rather than relying on one broad keyword.
What should businesses actually change?
The answer is probably less dramatic than some of the headlines suggest. There is no need to suddenly chase a completely new “AI SEO strategy”. The focus should still be on actively managing Google Business Profile, building out useful website content and making sure the website accurately reflects what the business does today.
If somebody finds a business through Google and lands on a website that looks ten years old, is difficult to navigate or barely explains the service, ranking well only gets that business so far. SEO helps get someone through the door, but the website still has to convince them.
AI probably will not replace the human part of business
This technology will almost certainly change some customer behaviour, particularly for simple enquiries and early research. But it is unlikely that people will suddenly outsource every purchasing decision to an AI assistant.
For higher-value services and more complex decisions, customers still want to explain their problem, understand their options and get a feel for the people they may be working with. The cheapest option is rarely automatically the best option, and trust still matters.
So while Google Maps is changing, the fundamentals remain fairly familiar: be easy to find, be clear about what the business does, keep information accurate, respond quickly and give genuine customers a reason to trust the business.
AI may change how the introduction happens, but it does not necessarily change what happens next.
