AEO by industry ยท Local & home services
Get recommended as a local service business.
Local businesses live on being found nearby, and AI search engines are now part of how that happens. But they pick who to recommend differently than Google Maps or Yelp. Here is the plain-English playbook, plus a guide for each type of business.
Contractors, cleaners, restaurants, movers, groomers: every local business depends on being found nearby. AI search engines like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity are fast becoming part of how people find you (a practice called answer engine optimization), but they build their answers from other websites most businesses have never thought about. Our research shows AI search engines pull most of what they quote from sites other than your own: review platforms, directories, and local articles. Your Google Business Profile gets you into Gemini. It does almost nothing for ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, or Grok.
01
Common ground
Four things that are true for every local business.
No matter what you do, these four things decide whether AI recommends you. Get them right first. The advice for your specific trade, further down the page, only pays off once these are in place.
It is all about location
Every search comes with a place attached, spoken or assumed. AI looks for your city, your neighborhood, and your service area separately, so a list of zip codes is not enough.
Reviews carry the weight
Reviews count for a lot, but where they live matters. Google reviews sway Gemini, Yelp sways ChatGPT, and the go-to directory in your field sways the rest.
You do more than one thing
One business shows up for lots of different searches at once. A single 'Our Services' bullet list loses to a real page for each thing you do.
Price is the first question
'How much does it cost' is one of the first things people ask. Businesses that show price ranges get named. 'Call for a quote' gets skipped.
Key takeaway
Location, reviews, the range of what you offer, and price matter for every local business. The sites and credentials change from one trade to the next. These four never do.
02
Where AI looks
How each engine recommends local services.
AI search engines do not keep their own list of local businesses. They search the web, then build a recommendation from what they find, and each one reads a different set of sites. That is why being strong on Google alone does not cover you.
| Engine | Where it looks | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
| Gemini | Google Search + Business Profile | Closest to normal local search. Rank on Google Maps and you show up here. |
| ChatGPT | Mostly Bing, plus much more | Pulls from Yelp, directories, 'best of' lists, and local news. |
| Perplexity | Its own search, likes fresh pages | Leans on 'best of' articles and well-kept directory profiles. |
| Grok | Reddit and X | Quotes local Reddit threads in cities with an active subreddit. |
| Claude | Brave Search | The toughest one. Ignores salesy copy and trusts proof from other sites. |
In our local business experiments, the businesses ChatGPT named kept showing up on more than one site, had recent reviews, and had enough detail on their website for AI to explain why they were a good pick. Businesses with only a Business Profile and a thin homepage were rarely recommended.
03
Playbook
The moves that work everywhere.
These moves work for every local business. They go past the basics you already have (a website, a Business Profile, a few reviews) into what actually earns an AI recommendation.
Get reviews on 3 or more sites
Google (for Gemini), Yelp (for ChatGPT), and one directory for your field. Aim for 15 or more on each. Lean on just one and you vanish the moment it lets you down.
Make a real page for each area you serve
One page per top area, with real local detail (permit rules, typical costs, what is different there), not a shared 'we serve these cities' list.
Put your prices out there
Show price ranges and what changes the cost for your main services. 'How much does it cost' is one of the most common questions people ask AI.
Show before-and-after with the story
Photos plus a short write-up of the job, the problem, and the result gives AI real examples to point to when it recommends you.
Have a licenses page
List your license numbers, insurance, and certifications, and who issued them. Real, checkable proof is what makes AI comfortable recommending you.
Be genuinely helpful on Reddit
City subreddits run 'who do you recommend' threads that Grok and Perplexity quote. Be helpful for real, do not drop your name in every comment.
Key takeaway
A Google Business Profile is the bare minimum, not a plan. It wins you Gemini. The other four engines want reviews on more than one site, real detail on your pages, and mentions elsewhere that a Business Profile cannot give them.
04
Your business
Find the guide for your service.
The playbook above works everywhere. The directories, certifications, and questions customers ask do not. Each guide below covers the sites that matter, the credential AI looks for, and the kind of page that gets you named in that field.
Local businesses (overview)
The cross-trade starting point: reviews on more than one site, real service-area pages, and detail AI can quote.
Restaurants
TripAdvisor, Yelp, and OpenTable, with menu detail and cuisine-specific pages getting named in AI answers.
Contractors
HomeAdvisor, Angi, and state license records, with project cost guides as the highest-impact content.
Cleaning services
Yelp, Thumbtack, and BBB, with per-room pricing pages and eco-certifications as trust signals.
Moving companies
USDOT and MC numbers cross-referenced against FMCSA, with route-specific cost pages.
Auto repair
RepairPal and Carfax Service Centers, with ASE certification and vehicle-specific cost pages.
Pet services
Rover and Wag, with grooming-association credentials and breed-specific content.
HVAC companies
ACCA and manufacturer dealer locators, NATE and EPA 608 certs, and SEER2 and rebate content.
Plumbers
PHCC and water-heater installer directories, the master license, and tankless and trenchless content.
Roofers
GAF and Owens Corning certifications, with storm-damage insurance-claim content.
Solar installers
EnergySage tiers and SolarReviews, the NABCEP credential, and payback and financing content.
Electricians
NECA and IEC directories, the master license, and EV-charger and panel-upgrade content.
Landscapers
Houzz and NALP directories, the Landscape Industry Certified credential, and design content.
Questions
Frequently asked questions.
Part of the AEO by Industry guide. See also AEO for local businesses and the full AEO guide.