Google has just rolled out a feature called Ask Maps, a Gemini-powered chatbot built directly into Google Maps. The feature lets users ask questions in natural language instead of just typing place names or categories like before. Ask Maps started rolling out in the United States and India for Android and iOS, with a desktop version coming soon. More recently, the feature has also begun expanding to over 150 countries, including Australia.

If you’re one of the Local Guides who received early access, you’re currently testing one of the most significant shifts in how people search for local businesses since Google Maps first launched.

What Ask Maps Can Actually Do

Instead of typing “nearest cafe,” users can now ask questions the way they’d talk to a real assistant. Example questions include things like “my phone is dying, where can I charge it without waiting in a long coffee shop line?” or “is there a lit public tennis court I can play at tonight?” TechCrunch

The feature can also handle more complex trip planning. Users can ask about routes to multiple destinations at once, and Maps will provide directions, estimated times, and tips from people who’ve actually been there, like how to find a hidden trail or get free entry. TechCrunch

What makes it even more personal, Ask Maps can remember personal information, refer back to things mentioned earlier, and even use access to Gmail and Calendar to give more relevant answers, such as “find me something to do before my meeting tomorrow.” All of these answers are built from more than 300 million places, including real reviews from the Google community. EFTM MacRumors

Why This Matters for Local Businesses, Not Just Users

This is the part that matters most if you own a business. Until now, people searched for businesses using specific keywords, “cafe in Bandung,” for example. With Ask Maps, search behavior shifts toward something more contextual and personal, like “a cafe good for casual work with outlets, not too crowded.”

If your business doesn’t have complete, well-structured information, whether on your Google Business Profile or your website, Gemini (the model behind Ask Maps) will struggle to “understand” your business well enough to recommend it in that kind of conversational scenario. Businesses with clear data, informative reviews, and consistent online presence will show up more often as AI-generated answers, while businesses with minimal online information will become increasingly harder to find.

How This Connects to the GEO Strategy We Build for Clients

This is exactly what we’ve been calling GEO, Generative Engine Optimization. While traditional SEO focuses on ranking your business higher in standard Google search results, GEO focuses on making your business “understood and recommended” by AI systems like Gemini, ChatGPT, and now Ask Maps within Google Maps itself.

Here are concrete steps we apply for clients, and they’re becoming even more relevant with Ask Maps in the picture:

• Making sure business information (operating hours, facilities, service types) is written completely and consistently across both your website and Google Business Profile
• Structuring website content clearly so it’s easy for AI to “read,” not just humans
• Encouraging informative customer reviews, since AI tools like Ask Maps rely on real reviews to answer specific questions
• Optimizing content that answers natural language questions, not just short keywords

This Is Just the Beginning

Google is reportedly already testing new navigation layouts to make Ask Maps easier to access with one hand, a sign that this feature will remain a key focus for Google going forward. Right now, the feature doesn’t show ads yet, though Google hasn’t ruled out the possibility in the future.

This makes right now a critical moment. Businesses that start improving their online presence today, before Ask Maps becomes a mainstream search habit, will be far better positioned than competitors who only realize its importance once everyone’s already used to asking AI instead of typing keywords.

If you want to make sure your business is ready to be found through AI-powered search like this, not just in standard Google search results, our team is ready to help build the right GEO strategy for your business.

[Book Free Consultation]