SEJ Live to Host Free Online Event on AI Search for Local Businesses

Image credit: Search Engine Journal

Search Engine Journal will host a free online event on August 26, 2026, to help local businesses adapt their SEO strategies for AI-powered search engines and improve visibility and lead generation.

The SEJ Live event, scheduled from 12-3 p.m. ET, will address how artificial intelligence search platforms like ChatGPT and Gemini are changing local business discovery, often by providing a single recommendation rather than multiple listings.

Sessions will focus on key local visibility signals, converting AI search discoveries into leads and sales, and building AI-trustworthy local pages and websites, according to Search Engine Journal.

Attendees will learn about the importance of reviews, reputation management, Google Business Profile signals, and maintaining accurate business information.

The event also will cover strategies for local landing pages and schema markup, important for optimizing for AI-driven search, a spokesperson for Search Engine Journal said.

The program is designed for a broad audience, including local and multi-location marketers, SEO managers, agency professionals, franchise teams, small business owners, and web developers.

Speakers at the event will include Loren Baker, Kevin Chen, Jonathan Berthold, Sean McCrohan, Steve Wiideman, Heather Campbell, Darren Shaw, and Russ Jeffery.

Organizations such as Moz, CallRail, and Duda also are involved in the event.

All registrants will receive access to event recordings, and each session will include a live question-and-answer segment, Search Engine Journal reported.

Source: Search Engine Journal