In a Turkish blog post dated February 18, 2026, Google announced that AI Mode and AI Overviews were being rolled out gradually in Turkey. This means users in Turkey will meet AI summaries and a chat-like search experience more often in search results. For local businesses, meaning hotels, clinics, restaurants, lawyers, plumbers or retail stores serving their own city, this change brings the question “how will they find us?” back onto the agenda.
This article does not offer firm ranking rules, because Google has not explained in detail which signals are weighted how in AI Mode. Instead, we give a 10-point list of preparations a local business can make that are also compatible with classic local SEO and low in risk. For the general working logic of AI Mode see our what is AI Mode post.
What Did Google Announce in Turkey?
According to Google’s Turkish announcement page, the Google Search experience in Turkey is being updated with AI Mode and AI Overviews supported by the Gemini 3 model family. The rollout is stated to be gradual, available in the Google app on Android and iOS and on the search results page. The points that stand out in the announcement are:
- AI Mode offers advanced reasoning, multimodal input with text, voice and camera, deepening through follow-up questions and useful web links. The announcement describes a method it calls “query fan-out”, in which the question is split into subtopics and many searches are made at once. The examples given include trip planning, understanding complex topics and finding products.
- AI Overviews shows key information and links for more at the top of the results page; it appears when Google’s systems judge that AI would be helpful.
- According to the announcement, AI Overviews links lead to source sites and AI Mode provides useful web links. Ads will continue to appear in separate areas above and below the AI Overviews area.
The announcement gives no feature detail specific to local businesses or shopping. So be cautious about claims such as “AI Mode ranks local results like this”. What we can do is strengthen classic local visibility signals and measure how your business is mentioned in AI answers.
What Does This Mean for a Local Business?
A user can now, instead of typing “dental clinic in Istanbul”, ask a long, intent-rich question like “recommend a dental clinic open on weekends with parking for my child”. AI Mode can split such a question into subtopics and look at many sources. This implies two things.
First, it may be more important than ever that your business information (opening hours, services, amenities, location) is clear, consistent and accessible, because the system can assemble the answer from this information. Second, the user can decide without clicking the result list at all; we explained the effect of AI Overviews in our zero-click post.
We do not know how large this will be in your sector. That the launch in Turkey is relatively recent means behavioral data is limited. The healthiest approach is to monitor your own data: queries in Search Console whose impressions are stable but whose clicks fall, call and direction actions from the Google Business Profile, and the answers of phone customers to “where did you find us?”.
Items 1-2: Keep Your Profile Complete and Current
1. Complete your Business Profile. Business name, categories, address, phone, opening hours, services, amenities (such as parking, accessibility, payment methods), photos and description should be complete. We do not know how AI answers use this data; but it is clear that a complete profile already carries value in local searches. For optimization you can see our Business Profile checklist.
2. Enter special hours and changes. Update the information for holidays, New Year, renovation or season changes. A wrong opening hour misleads both customers and the system. For holidays see our special hours guide. Make sure the profile is verified and belongs to you; for problems like appearing closed see our guide on showing as closed on Maps.
Items 3-4: Clear Answers and Local Pages on Your Site
3. Answer the questions customers ask on the page. Questions such as “Are you open on weekends?”, “Is there parking?”, “Is it suitable for children?”, “How do I book an appointment?” should be on your site with short, clear answers. A question heading with a 2-3 sentence answer right below helps both the reader and the systems. When marking up the FAQ section, stay consistent with the content visible on the page.
4. Build service and area pages. Prepare a separate, original page for each main service you provide, and pages with genuinely useful regional information for the areas you serve. Producing copy-paste content for every city or district is risky and worthless. On this topic you can look at our local SEO service page.
Items 5-6: Reviews and Consistent Business Information
5. Build a flow of real reviews. Reviews are one of the strongest signs a user looks at when deciding, and the content of reviews (service, waiting, attention) may influence the language of answers. Giving a discount in return for reviews or buying reviews is risky; collect reviews regularly from real customers and reply to them. For a reply guide see our review reply post.
6. Keep information consistent everywhere. The business name, address and phone information should be the same on your website, profile, social media, sector directories and other map services. Inconsistent information raises the chance of wrong or old information appearing in AI answers. For the other map service see our Apple Maps post.
Items 7-8: Question-Set Testing and Tracking Wrong Information
7. Test with your own question set. Prepare 15-20 questions your customer could really ask: brand questions (“How is clinic X?”), category questions (“Can you recommend a [service] in [city]?”), comparison questions and need questions (“open on weekends…”). Ask them in Google’s AI Mode and AI Overviews and in other AI assistants; record with the date whether your business is mentioned, how, and which sources are shown. For the method see our post on measuring AI visibility and our Gemini visibility guide.
8. Correct wrong or old information. If the test shows your business’s old address, a discontinued service or a wrong opening hour, find the source: an old directory, an old page on your site, an inconsistent profile? Correcting the source is the most lasting path. You can leave feedback on answers; there is no guarantee the correction will be immediate.
Items 9-10: Conversion Path and Measurement
9. Make it easy for customers to reach you. A user coming from an AI answer or a map decides quickly: phone, WhatsApp, directions and appointment links should be visible on every page and work with one tap on mobile. Replying quickly to incoming requests makes a difference in competition. To measure see our first response time post.
10. Set up a monthly measurement routine. Three data sources are enough: change in impressions and clicks in Search Console (especially for informational queries), search, direction and website actions from the Business Profile, and the monthly results of the question-set test. Interpret the numbers as a trend, not as hard fact; the source of visits from AI products may not always be visible.
Small Notes by Sector
Priorities differ for every local business. The notes below give an idea of how to adapt the list to your sector.
Hotels and accommodation: Amenities (breakfast, parking, pets), seasonal information, nearby activities and the direct booking path matter. For the winter season see our hotel winter plan.
Clinics and healthcare: Accuracy and trustworthiness come first. In healthcare content it is important to show an expert author, date and sources; patient privacy must be respected in review replies. See our review reply guide. For healthcare advertising and content, professional chamber rules are the basis.
Retail stores: Product categories, stock status (if applicable), in-store services and campaign announcements should be current in the profile and on the site; in “near me” searches, directions and opening hours become decisive.
Restaurants and cafes: Menu, opening hours, reservation and location information should be current; the flow of reviews and photos should be kept alive.
Service businesses (plumber, lawyer, accountant): The service area, area of expertise and way to reach you should be clear; clear answers to frequently asked questions should be on the page.
Common Mistakes
Panicking and rewriting the whole site. The effect of AI Mode is not yet clear; sudden big changes may be unjustified. First strengthen the basic information and the profile.
Trusting offers that promise firm rankings. Promises like “we will put you first in AI Mode” are not realistic; no such guarantee can be given.
Leaving old and inconsistent information. This raises the risk of wrong information in AI answers.
Focusing only on AI. Classic local search and Maps are still the basic channels that bring customers; AI preparation is added on top of them.
Deciding without measuring. Saying “we were affected” or “we were not” without the question-set test and Search Console data is a guess.
What Does Soft Ajans Do in Local Visibility?
At Soft Ajans we run Google Business Profile optimization, business information consistency, service and area pages, a real review strategy and AI visibility audits for local businesses. We measure with a question set how your business is mentioned in AI answers, rank the priority fixes and provide implementation support. We do not guarantee a place in AI Mode or any other AI product; because nobody can guarantee that.
For details take a look at our GEO consulting page and our local SEO service page, and you can request a free preliminary analysis.
Frequently Asked Questions
When did Google AI Mode open in Turkey?
According to Google’s Turkish blog post, it started to be rolled out gradually on February 18, 2026. It may not appear for every user at the same time; the rollout is stated to widen over time.
How does AI Mode rank local results?
Google has not announced a detailed ranking rule on this. So be cautious about claims of firm ranking factors; focus on solid foundations such as a complete profile, consistent information, reviews and clear page content.
Do ads appear in AI Mode?
According to Google’s announcement, ads will continue to appear in separate areas above and below the AI Overviews area. Evaluate your advertising strategy for these areas with your own account data.
What should I do as a small business?
First complete the Business Profile, keep information consistent everywhere, give clear answers to frequently asked questions on your site and build a flow of real reviews. Then test with a list of 15-20 questions once a month.
What should I do if wrong information appears in AI answers?
Find and fix the source of the error (old directory, old page, inconsistent profile) and publish current information clearly on your site. You can leave feedback on answers; there is no guarantee the correction will be immediate.
Will this preparation harm classic SEO?
No. A complete profile, clear page content, real reviews and consistent information are also necessary foundations for classic local SEO; the same work serves both areas.
