Every owner I talk to tells me the same thing. They're worried they don't show up on Google, and not one of them has ever asked me whether they show up in ChatGPT. That makes sense, because nobody's told them they should care, but more of their customers are skipping the search bar and just asking.
Are people really asking ChatGPT for contractors?
More every month. Someone whose water heater just died types "who's a good plumber in" their town into ChatGPT, or asks Google and gets an AI answer at the top before any links. Instead of a page of results, they get a short answer with two or three names in it, and a lot of people just call one of those names.
If you're not one of them, that customer never sees you at all, even if you'd show up fine on the first page of a normal search.
How does ChatGPT decide which businesses to name?
It doesn't have a secret list. When someone asks for a business, these tools look at what's already on the internet and pull an answer together from it. That means your website, your Google profile, your reviews and anywhere else your business is listed or talked about.
So the businesses that get named are usually the ones that are easiest to understand from the outside. Their website says clearly what they do and where, their reviews talk about real jobs in real towns, and their name, address and phone number match everywhere. A business that's only on Facebook, or has a website that says "quality service you can trust" and nothing else, gives the AI nothing to work with.
Is this different from showing up on Google?
Less than people think. Most of what helps you show up on Google helps here too, because a lot of these AI answers are built from the same pages Google already ranks. The difference is that an AI answer only names a few businesses, so being fourth isn't good enough anymore.
One thing to try this week
Ask ChatGPT about your own trade.
- Open ChatGPT and ask "who's a good" plus your trade "in" a town you serve.
- Write down which businesses it names and whether you're one of them.
- Click through to the ones it named and look at their websites and reviews next to yours.
When a customer asks an AI who to call in your town, does it say your name?
Common questions
- Does ChatGPT recommend local businesses?
- Yes, when someone asks it to. It builds the answer from what's online about local businesses, like their websites, Google profiles and reviews, and usually names only a few.
- How does a business show up in ChatGPT answers?
- By being easy to understand from the outside. A clear website that says what you do and where, real reviews and the same business details everywhere all help.
- Is AI search replacing Google?
- Not replacing it, but more people get their answer from an AI summary before they click anything, including Google's own AI Overviews at the top of the page.