Carroll County residents use AI and Google together for local searches

A CraigAds field study in West Georgia found residents are not replacing Google with AI when shopping for local services. Instead, they use AI to narrow choices and Google to verify, find and contact businesses, with search habits varying by urgency and category.

Why it matters: - Carroll County search behavior suggests AI is reshaping how people start local-service decisions, but not eliminating Google’s role in closing them. - The finding matters for local businesses because visibility now depends on showing up in both AI-assisted research and search results that drive calls, map views and leads.

What happened: - CraigAds surveyed West Georgia residents face-to-face in July 2026. - The study included 62 people and captured 5,828 local-search answers across 94 real decisions. - The core takeaway was that residents use AI to think through a need and then use Google to verify, find and contact local services. - Craig Mcilvain, founder of CraigAds, said: "The real question isn't Google versus AI. It's which door people walk through first."

The details: - Beauty was the most AI-searched category at 24.2%. - The study linked that pattern to decisions that require comparison and differentiation, including products, styles and providers. - Plumbing emergencies produced the opposite behavior, with AI searches at only 6.5%. - In urgent situations, residents went straight to Google Maps to find help. - Mcilvain said: "A burst pipe is not a conversation." - Local business owners were adopting AI faster than everyday consumers. - CraigAds found owners using AI for inventory, scheduling, email and marketing. - In Carroll County, 85.5% of residents said they have used AI to learn more about local services. - Another 59.7% said they use AI daily or weekly. - Google still captured 58.1% of leads for "your roof is leaking" and up to 74.9% for "roofing company." - Mcilvain said his own life runs about 90% on AI, while local searches are about 90% Google Maps.

Between the lines: - The study points to a split workflow, not a winner-take-all fight between Google and AI. - AI appears stronger at early-stage thinking and comparison. - Google remains stronger when people need speed, location and direct contact. - The small sample size limits how far the results can be generalized. - Mcilvain said the 62-person study was small and more research is needed. - Mcilvain also said Google’s share of the local-services search market will likely decline over time, though not as sharply as some headlines suggest.

What's next: - CraigAds plans for the findings to inform how local businesses approach both AI discovery and Google-based lead generation. - Further research is needed to test whether these patterns hold at larger scale and across more markets. - Mcilvain expects Google to keep losing share in local search, but gradually rather than abruptly.

The bottom line: - For Carroll County residents, AI is becoming a planning tool and Google is still the conversion tool.