Google Isn't the Only Search Engine Anymore: What St. George Businesses Need to Know
ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini are where tourists find restaurants, tours, and gear shops now. Here's what changed and what to do about it.
You’ve spent years making sure your business shows up on Google. Maybe you paid for it. Maybe you learned it yourself. Either way, you worked at it.
Here’s something nobody told you: that work still matters, but it’s not enough anymore.
As of 2026, a growing chunk of tourists — especially younger ones planning longer trips — are not opening Google first. They’re opening ChatGPT. Or Perplexity. Or Gemini. They’re typing things like “best places to eat near Zion National Park” or “what outdoor gear shop should I stop at in Hurricane” and getting a direct answer.
If your business isn’t in that answer, you’re invisible to those people. They’ll never even know you exist.
This isn’t theoretical. It’s happening right now, and most businesses in Springdale, Hurricane, Kanab, and Cedar City have no idea.
What These New Search Engines Actually Are
Let’s keep this simple.
ChatGPT — You’ve probably heard of it. It’s the AI from OpenAI. It now has a search mode where it can browse the web and answer questions directly. When someone asks “where should I eat after hiking Angels Landing,” ChatGPT pulls information from the web and gives a recommendation. The businesses it recommends are not the businesses paying for Google ads. They’re the businesses with the strongest overall web presence.
Perplexity — Think of it as a smarter, cleaner search engine that gives you one good answer instead of ten blue links. It’s growing fast, especially among people who hate how Google has gotten cluttered with ads. When tourists research a trip to Bryce Canyon or Zion, Perplexity gives them a synthesized answer with sources. If your business isn’t a source, you don’t exist.
Google AI Overviews — Even Google itself has changed. At the top of many search results now, before the regular listings, there’s an AI-generated summary. You know what’s wild? Even if you rank #1 on Google, your business might not be in the AI Overview above it.
Gemini — Google’s own AI assistant. Integrated into Android phones, Google search, and more. Millions of people are using it to plan trips without ever clicking on a website.
Why This Matters Specifically for Tourism Businesses
If you run a hardware store in St. George, most of your customers are locals. Locals have habits. They go where they’ve always gone.
But if you run a restaurant in Springdale, a vacation rental in Virgin, a gear shop in Kanab, or a tour company in Cedar City — your customer doesn’t have habits with you. They’re coming from out of state. They’ve never been here before. They are actively researching, and they are using AI to do it.
The tourist planning a Zion trip from Denver isn’t asking their friends. They’re not calling the visitor’s bureau. They’re sitting on their couch two weeks before the trip, typing questions into ChatGPT, and building their entire itinerary from what it tells them.
If you show up, you’re on the list. If you don’t, you’re not.
A Real Scenario
Say someone in Portland is planning a four-day trip through Zion and Bryce Canyon. They open ChatGPT and ask:
“What are the best restaurants near Zion National Park? We like local food, nothing too touristy, medium price range.”
ChatGPT responds with three or four specific recommendations. It explains a bit about each one — what kind of food, what the vibe is, maybe a notable dish. It gets this information from the web: from review sites, from the restaurant’s website, from blog posts about dining near Zion.
The restaurant that shows up? The one with a complete web presence. A real website. Consistent business info across the internet. Actual reviews with specific, descriptive language. Content that answers the kind of questions AI tries to answer.
The restaurant that doesn’t show up? The one that’s been coasting on foot traffic and word of mouth for ten years, with a Facebook page that hasn’t been updated since 2023.
Both of these restaurants might serve equally good food. Only one gets the reservation.
What Changed (And Why It Happened Fast)
Three years ago, this wasn’t a thing. Google was dominant. SEO meant Google.
Then ChatGPT launched in late 2022 and got popular fast. Really fast. It crossed 100 million users in two months — faster than any tech product in history. By 2024, it had a search feature. By 2026, millions of people use it for trip planning, product research, and local recommendations.
Perplexity followed. Google panicked and fast-tracked its own AI features. Now every major search surface has an AI layer.
The businesses that understood this early are already seeing the results. The ones that don’t won’t notice until the slow seasons start getting slower.
What You Can Actually Do About It
The good news: you don’t need a different strategy for each AI engine. You need the same things across all of them.
1. Complete and accurate business information everywhere. Your business name, address, phone number, and hours need to be consistent across your website, Google Business Profile, Yelp, TripAdvisor, and every other place you’re listed. AI engines pull from all of these. Inconsistency creates confusion. Confusion means you get skipped.
2. A real website with real content. A Facebook page isn’t a website. A website with five pages and no content isn’t enough either. You need pages that answer the questions people actually ask. AI engines read websites.
3. Reviews that actually describe your business. “Great place! 5 stars” is useless. “Best green chile burger in Springdale, perfect stop after hiking the Narrows” — that’s the kind of review AI uses to understand and describe your business.
4. Consistent, specific content. Blog posts, updated menus, tour descriptions, FAQs. The more specific information you have online about what you actually offer, the more likely AI is to include you in answers.
This isn’t magic, and it’s not instant. But it’s buildable, and it compounds over time. Every piece of content you add is another signal.
For a deeper look at exactly what to do first, the small business guide to AI and modern search in southern Utah walks through the full playbook.
And if you want to know where your specific business stands right now — what AI search engines see when someone asks about your category — see how you fare on the AI Visibility front with our free AI search optimization guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I still need to worry about Google if I’m optimizing for AI?
Yes. Google still drives significant traffic, especially for intent-specific searches. But optimizing for AI engines and optimizing for Google are now more overlapping than separate. A strong overall web presence serves both. Don’t abandon Google — just don’t assume it’s the whole game anymore.
How do I know if my business shows up in ChatGPT or Perplexity?
Test it. Open ChatGPT or Perplexity and search for “[your type of business] near [your town]” or “[your town] best [category].” See what comes up. If you’re there, great. If you’re not, that’s useful information. Write down what competitors show up and why.
Is this just a trend that will fade?
Probably not. AI is now built into how people search. Google itself has gone all-in on it. The technology is improving faster than it’s declining. The businesses that adapt to this will be better positioned regardless of how the specific tools evolve.
How long does it take to start showing up in AI search?
It depends on your starting point. Businesses with a solid existing web presence can sometimes show up in a few months. Businesses starting from scratch may take six to twelve months of consistent work. The earlier you start, the better.
Take the free AI Visibility Scorecard — find out exactly where your business stands in AI search and what to fix first. Check your score →