How local contractors can show up in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

AI is now part of how people find contractors

In BrightLocal's 2026 consumer research, 45% of US consumers said they had used AI tools such as ChatGPT for local business recommendations, up from 6% the year before. ChatGPT was the most used, followed by Google's AI Mode. Older homeowners use it less, but the direction is clear.

What AI tools actually look at

BrightLocal's study of 200,085 localized AI searches across ChatGPT, Google AI Mode and AI Overviews found that business websites made up 42% of all citations. Third-party profiles such as Google, Yelp and Facebook mattered too. The same study found Google Maps mentioned a tracked business far more often than AI tools did, so ranking well in Maps doesn't guarantee you'll be named in AI answers.

Google is direct about its own AI features. Its guidance on AI features says there are no additional requirements to appear in AI Overviews or AI Mode, and that the same foundational SEO best practices apply.

What to do, in order

1. Fix your Google Business Profile. Accurate categories, services, service area and hours. It's the most widely read source about your business. Our local SEO guide covers it.
2. Keep details consistent everywhere. The same name, phone and service area on your website, Google, Facebook, Yelp, HomeStars and industry directories. Conflicting details make you harder to recommend.
3. Earn steady, recent reviews. AI tools summarise what customers say about you. See how to get more Google reviews.
4. Write pages that answer questions directly. Lead each service page with a plain two- or three-sentence answer: what you do, where, for whom. Add the questions customers really ask, with honest answers.
5. Use structured data. LocalBusiness and FAQ schema help machines read your details reliably. It isn't a shortcut, just clarity.
6. Be specific about where you work. "Furnace replacement in Hamilton, Burlington and Stoney Creek" is easier to match to a question than "serving the region".

A quick way to check yourself

Open ChatGPT or Google's AI Mode and ask what a homeowner would: "Who's a good furnace company in Oshawa?" or "Best roofer near Brampton?" Note who is named and which sources are cited. If competitors appear and you don't, look at what those sources say about them that they don't say about you, whether that's more recent reviews, clearer service pages or a more complete profile. Repeat every few months; the answers move.

What not to chase

Be wary of anyone promising to "rank you in ChatGPT". AI answers change from one question to the next, and nobody controls them. What you can control is being the most clearly described, well reviewed and consistent option in your area, and that also helps your normal Google results.

If you'd like to see how your business currently comes across, it's part of what we look at in a Missed Leads Check, alongside calls, quotes and reviews.

Checklist

• Google Business Profile complete and accurate
• Same name, phone and service area on every listing
• Reviews requested after every job and answered
• Each service page opens with a direct, plain answer
• Real customer questions answered on your site
• LocalBusiness and FAQ schema in place
• Towns and regions named specifically
• Ask ChatGPT about your trade and town every quarter and note who is named

Frequently asked questions

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