Published on November 5th, 2025

The “3-Pack” trained us to chase blue links and ad slots. When it comes to showing up in search, we did everything we could to be number one in the area. But customers can now ask assistants to decide for them: “Who’s the best near me – can you book it?” AI doesn’t show ten options; instead, it makes one or two confident recommendations. That shift moves discovery from scrolling to selecting, from clicks to commitments, from searching to asking. If your proof isn’t machine-readable and verifiable, you’re invisible at the exact moment intent peaks.

The “3-Pack” has traditionally appeared as the first result of any search. You are greeted by the top three businesses, their ratings, and their locations. Now, while you can pay to rank above with a sponsored ad, appearing above both are organic businesses featured in the AI Overview. You cannot pay to be in the AI Overview.

This is the “why now.” AI systems favor trust signals over tactics: consistent identities, credible third-party proof, and fresh customer outcomes. Businesses built on proximity, keywords, and bids must retool around evidence: reviews with substance, standardized NAP, clean schema, and authoritative citations – all so assistants can recommend you without hesitation. Those who adapt win more “first picks.” Those who don’t will get filtered out before the page even loads.