It's the short answer Google now writes at the top of a lot of searches, above the regular links, and for a lot of questions it's the only thing people read. If someone types "why is my AC blowing warm air," there's a good chance they get a few paragraphs of answer and a couple of links before they ever see a single company's website.
That changes how customers find you, and most owners haven't noticed it yet.
What does an AI Overview look like?
You've probably already seen one. It's the box at the top of Google with a written answer. Small links next to it show where the answer came from. Google started showing them to everyone in the U.S. in 2024, and they show up the most on questions, like the "why is this happening" and "how much does this cost" kind of searches.
Why does it matter to a local business?
Before a homeowner looks for a contractor, they look for an answer. They want to know if the noise their furnace is making is serious, or if a flickering light is something they can fix themselves. Those questions used to send people to websites, and some of those websites belonged to local businesses who wrote the answer and got the call.
Now Google answers it first. It links a few sources. The businesses whose pages it pulls from get seen at the exact moment the customer is deciding whether to call someone, and everybody else gets skipped.
Which websites does Google pull from?
Pages that answer the question right away. A page that starts with the answer, uses the same words customers use and has a short list of common questions at the bottom has a much better shot than a page full of sales talk.
What does it mean for your website?
Your website has more to do now than show your work and your phone number. It also has to answer the questions your customers ask before they call, in plain words, so that when Google or ChatGPT goes looking for an answer, it finds yours.
One thing to try this week
Search the questions your customers ask you.
- Think of three questions customers ask you on almost every job.
- Type each one into Google exactly the way a customer would say it.
- Look at the AI answer at the top and check whether any local business is linked in it, and whether it's you.
What's the question you answer on every single job, and who does Google say has the answer?
Common questions
- What is a Google AI Overview?
- A short written answer Google shows at the top of some searches, with links to the pages it used. It shows up most on questions.
- Do AI Overviews hurt local businesses?
- They can if your site doesn't answer customer questions, because people get the answer without clicking. Businesses whose pages Google uses as sources get seen instead.
- Can a small business show up in an AI Overview?
- Yes. Google pulls from pages that answer the question clearly, and a local business page can be one of them.