Published on October 30, 2026
If you run a plumbing, HVAC, roofing or remodeling company, the way customers find you is changing fast. In 2026, 45% of consumers used an AI tool like ChatGPT or Google’s AI Mode to find a local business, up from just 6% a year earlier (BrightLocal).
The good news is that the rules are not being rewritten from scratch. The businesses AI recommends are mostly the ones with strong reviews, a complete Google Business Profile and a clear website. Here is what the research shows, and what to do about it.
1. Your customers are already asking AI
BrightLocal’s 2026 survey of 1,002 U.S. consumers found that asking AI for a business recommendation has gone mainstream (BrightLocal):
- 31% asked ChatGPT for a business recommendation in the past year.
- 23% used Google’s AI Mode for the same thing.
- 42% trust AI recommendations as much as online reviews.
But people don’t take the AI’s word for it. 88% of AI users double-check what it tells them, most often by reading the business’s reviews. So AI is a new front door, but your reviews are still what closes the deal.
2. AI answers the questions. The map still gets the call.
AI Overviews now appear on most local searches, but not evenly. A Whitespark study reported in July 2026 found AI Overviews on 68% of local business searches, while the classic map pack showed up on 39% (Search Engine Journal). The type of search makes all the difference:
| Type of search | Example | AI Overview shown |
|---|---|---|
| Question | “how long does a water heater last” | 92% of the time |
| Question + location | “average cost of a new roof in Jackson MI” | 97% of the time |
| Ready to hire | “plumber Jackson MI” | Less often; the map pack still leads |
This matters because AI answers cut clicks. In a 2026 randomized study, AI Overviews reduced clicks to websites by 38% on the searches where they appeared (Search Engine Journal). Expect fewer visits to your cost guides and how-to posts. The searches from people ready to book still run through your Google Maps listing.
3. Ranking on Maps doesn’t mean AI recommends you
A top spot on Google Maps does not carry over to AI answers. BrightLocal ran about 200,000 local searches for 1,300 businesses over 60 days in 2026 (BrightLocal). Google Maps named the tracked business in 66% of searches. The AI tools named it far less: AI Overviews 38%, ChatGPT 33% and AI Mode 32%.
The AI tools also disagree with each other. ChatGPT’s picks overlapped only about 20% with Google’s AI picks. Even the same question asked twice, or from a different part of town, often returned a different list. That means AI visibility has to be built and checked on its own, not assumed from your map ranking.
4. What AI looks at when it picks a contractor
Two things stand out in the data: your own website and your reviews.
Where AI gets its information. In the same BrightLocal study, business websites were the single biggest source, at 42% of all citations. Google Business Profiles came next at about 28.5%, followed by Yelp and Facebook. ChatGPT leans on Business Profiles much less than Google’s AI does, so your website and outside listings carry more weight there.
What a recommended business looks like. Cheers, a local search software company, tracked 9,435 Google AI Mode answers to home services questions in 100 U.S. and Canadian metros in September 2026 (Cheers). Nine in ten answers were a short list of about four businesses, and those businesses looked like this:
| What was measured | Result |
|---|---|
| Median star rating | 4.9 |
| Rated 4.8 or higher | 83% |
| Rated under 4.0 | 1% |
| Median number of Google reviews | 226 |
| Fewer than 20 reviews | 8% |
The takeaway: businesses under 4.0 stars almost never made the list, and most picks sat at 4.8 or higher. A smaller review count was much less of a barrier. Cheers sells local search tools, so treat these as patterns, not rules.
5. What to do now
Google’s own May 2026 guide says the usual SEO best practices still apply to AI search, and that special files like llms.txt aren’t needed (Google Search Central). For a local service business, that comes down to five habits:
- Treat your Google Business Profile as your most valuable listing. Fill in every service, your service area, hours and photos, and add a booking link. 31% of the AI Mode answers in the Cheers study linked to a booking page.
- Make reviews a system, not a hope. Ask every happy customer, every time, and reply to every review. Protecting a 4.8+ rating matters more than chasing a big review count.
- Give your website a page for every service and every town you serve. Include real price ranges, project photos and answers to the questions customers ask on the phone. Your website is the source AI cites most.
- Keep your other listings consistent. Yelp, Facebook and the directories in your trade should show the same name, address, phone number and services as your website.
- Check your AI visibility monthly. Ask ChatGPT and Google AI Mode “best [your service] in [your town]” and note who gets named. Track calls and booked jobs, not just website visits, since fewer clicks can still mean the same number of customers.
The bottom line
AI isn’t replacing the basics of local marketing. It rewards them. The contractors that AI recommends tend to have near-perfect ratings, a complete Google Business Profile and a website that clearly explains what they do and where. Get those right and you show up in both the map and the AI answer.
Sources
- Half of consumers are asking AI for business recommendations, BrightLocal, March 2026
- Study: AI local search data, BrightLocal, September 2026
- AI Overviews Now Answer Most Local Searches, Search Engine Journal, July 2026
- Study Confirms Google AI Overviews Cut Organic Clicks 38%, Search Engine Journal, April 2026
- AI Search for Local Businesses: What Google AI Mode Shows, Cheers, September 2026
- Optimizing your website for generative AI features on Google Search, Google Search Central, May 2026