Duda Study Finds AI-Optimized Websites Drive 320% More Traffic to Local Businesses
Website builder analyzed 69M AI crawler visits across over 850,000 websites in February 2026 to determine key trends and characteristics that increase local AEO
BOULDER, CO, UNITED STATES, April 16, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Small businesses don’t compete with the web, they compete with the little shop around the corner. However, according to a new study, that competition largely plays out online. Duda, a leading white label website building platform for agencies and SaaS companies, found that AI-crawled sites generate 320% more human traffic, 270% more form submissions, and 250% more click-to-call events than non-crawled sites.
Additionally Duda analyzed what, exactly, made LLMs crawl some websites and not others, and identified five major tweaks that SMBs can make without the aid of complicated tools and expensive consultants. More than 99% of U.S. businesses are small to medium sized and rely heavily on local SEO to drive people to their shops. With projections that AI search will overtake traditional search by 2028, local businesses need to increase their Answer Engine Optimization (AEO).
Local AEO Will Replace Local SEO by 2028
Local SEO is one of the highest intent searches possible, and the bread and butter of many agency SEO services. Research shows that 76% of local searches result in same-day store visits, 80% of U.S. consumers search for local businesses weekly, and 32% do so daily. Together, 46% of all Google searches have local intent.
Local AEO builds upon all of this by allowing consumers to conduct far more specific questions than ever before, such as, “What’s the best mechanic near me that specializes in hybrid vehicles?” Even consumers who still ‘Google it’ are receiving answers generated by LLMs with integrated Google’s AI Overviews.
Five Must-Haves for Local AEO
Duda’s study of more than 850,000 websites with 69M AI crawler visits found that sites with blogs, local schema, GBP synchronization, and dynamic pages are crawled 400% more than the median site built on Duda.
Each blog post is associated with a 7% increase in crawler visits, and signals fresh, relevant content. Implementing local schema, namely clearly laying out a businesses’ key information such as address and opening hours, helps search engines and AI crawlers understand and find it better. Synchronizing a Google Business Profile ensures that crawlers see consistent and accurate local business information across the web. Dynamically generating content from data, like pages for services or locations, encourages deeper crawling by providing more specific information more clearly and in a more structured way.
Additionally, the number of pages in a website also improves performance, with each additional page associated with a 4% increase in crawler visits.
“For years, local visibility meant ranking on a search results page. Now it means being included in the answer itself. That’s a major shift, and a big opportunity for small businesses that invest in the right foundation online,” said Oded Ouaknine, CRO of Duda. “Local businesses that provide clear, structured, and trustworthy information online will be the ones AI platforms recommend to customers.”
“This is a moment where agencies and SaaS platforms have a responsibility to lead. If we build the right tools and best practices now, we can help millions of businesses stay relevant as the web evolves,” said Itai Sadan, CEO and Co-Founder of Duda.
About Duda:
Duda is a leading white label web building platform for digital agencies, SaaS platforms, and web professionals offering web design services to SMBs. From its industry-leading AI Assistant to advanced API-driven automation workflows, Duda offers web professionals a comprehensive suite of tools to build pixel-perfect, feature-rich websites efficiently and at scale-all on a flexible platform that can be fully customized to match their go-to-market strategy and ideal customer experience. As the top platform for Core Web Vitals, a critical metric for SEO performance, Duda makes it easy for web professionals to deliver a superior digital presence and outstanding performance to their customers under their own brand. More than 22,000 organizations have trusted Duda to build 1 million active websites. For more information, visit www.duda.co.
Shawn Davis
Duda
shawn.davis@duda.co
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