How to Get Recommended by ChatGPT and Google AI (Trades)

Key takeaways

45% of consumers now use ChatGPT and other AI tools for local business recommendations, up from 6% a year earlier (BrightLocal).
GEO (generative engine optimization) is how you get named in those answers. It builds on SEO; it doesn’t replace it.
Your own website and listings do most of the work: one study of 6.8 million AI citations found 86% came from sources businesses control. Reviews and outside mentions back them up.
Research on AI answers found that adding statistics, quotes and cited sources raised a page’s visibility by up to about 40%. Keyword stuffing did nothing.
The fixes are specific and doable: crawlable pages, answer-first service pages, schema, a complete Google profile, detailed reviews and outside mentions.

Do people really use ChatGPT to find a contractor?

Yes, and fast. BrightLocal’s 2026 consumer survey found that 45% of consumers used ChatGPT and other AI tools for local business recommendations, up from 6% the year before, making AI the third most-used source after Google and Facebook. The platforms are enormous: Google says its AI Mode has passed 1 billion monthly users and the Gemini app has 950 million, and OpenAI reported 900 million weekly ChatGPT users in February 2026.

45%

of consumers now use AI tools like ChatGPT for local business recommendations, up from 6% a year earlier.

BrightLocal Local Consumer Review Survey, Feb 2026

Where they ask matters too. Of all visits to AI assistant websites worldwide, ChatGPT takes about 53%, Gemini about 27% and Claude about 9% (Similarweb, May 2026). And on Google itself, 43%+ of US searches now show an AI Overview above the regular results. Both features are live here: Google brought AI Overviews to Canada in October 2024 and AI Mode in August 2025, so a homeowner in Hamilton or Halifax sees AI answers on the same searches.

What is GEO, and how is it different from SEO?

GEO, generative engine optimization, is making your business easy for AI assistants to find, understand and recommend. SEO gets your page ranked in a list of links. GEO gets your business named in the answer itself. The foundations overlap; the difference is that AI reads your content to *write* an answer, so clarity, facts and outside proof matter more than keywords.

SEO vs GEO for a trades business
	SEO (classic Google)	GEO (AI assistants and AI Overviews)
Goal	Rank your page in the results	Get your business named and cited in the answer
What it reads	Pages, links, your Google profile	Pages, reviews, directories, forums, news, your Google profile
What helps most	Relevance, speed, backlinks, reviews	Clear answers, specific facts and prices, structured data, outside mentions
What doesn’t help	Thin pages	Keyword stuffing and vague marketing copy
How customers act	Click a result, compare sites	Ask a question, get a short list, often call the first name

How do AI assistants decide which business to recommend?

They build an answer from sources they can find and trust, and they lean heavily on what other people say about you. A 2026 analysis of 680 million AI citations found that Wikipedia makes up nearly half of ChatGPT’s top-10 sources and Reddit about 47% of Perplexity’s, and that only about 11% of cited websites are used by both. Each assistant has its own sources. At the same time, a Yext study of 6.8 million AI citations found 86% came from sources businesses control, with websites the largest single source at 44% and listings close behind. The takeaway for a contractor: your own website and listings do most of the work, and outside mentions like reviews, directories and forums back them up.

What makes a page easier to quote has been tested. The original GEO research from Princeton and IIT Delhi found that adding relevant statistics, direct quotations and cited sources raised a page’s visibility in AI answers by up to about 40%, while keyword stuffing and filler did not help. For a contractor, "statistics" means real specifics: your service area, response times, price ranges, years in business, warranty terms.

The practical version

AI assistants recommend businesses the way a careful friend would: they check that you exist, what you do, where you work, what it costs, and what customers say. Make each of those easy to confirm.

How to get your business recommended by AI: step by step

1
Make sure AI crawlers can read your site.
Check your robots.txt doesn’t block the AI search crawlers: OAI-SearchBot (ChatGPT search), Claude-SearchBot and ClaudeBot (Claude), PerplexityBot, and Googlebot (Google’s AI features use regular Google crawling). OpenAI states that sites blocking OAI-SearchBot won’t be shown in ChatGPT search answers. If key information sits in images or scripts, move it into real text.
2
Write one clear page per service and per area.
For each service you offer and each city you cover, open with a direct answer: what you do, where, for whom, and a price range. "We install and repair residential furnaces in Barrie and Orillia; most replacements run $X–$Y." AI quotes pages that answer the question in the first two sentences.
3
Add structured data.
Mark up your business with LocalBusiness (or a specific type like Plumber or HVACBusiness) schema: name, address or service area, phone and hours. Google says you don’t need special markup or “AI files” to appear in its AI features, but structured data still helps search engines and assistants confirm your details.
4
Complete your Google Business Profile.
Categories, services, service area, hours, photos, and a description that matches your website on the key facts. Google lists keeping your Business Profile up to date among its best practices for its AI features, and local rankings rest on relevance, distance and prominence. You can’t pay for a better local rank.
5
Get detailed reviews.
Ask every customer, right after the job. Reviews that mention the service and the town ("replaced our hot water tank in Kanata the same day") give AI specifics to repeat. Reply to them.
6
Get mentioned on other sites.
List your business on HomeStars, the Better Business Bureau, Yelp and your trade association. Sponsor something local that gets written up. Answer questions in local Reddit and Facebook groups as yourself. Outside mentions are what AI trusts most.
7
Publish real numbers.
Price ranges, response times, warranties, areas served, years in business. Specific, checkable facts are what get cited. "Affordable quality service" gets skipped.
8
Test it every month.
Ask ChatGPT, Gemini and Google (in a private window) the questions your customers ask: "best plumber in [your town]", "who installs heat pumps near [your area]". Note who gets named and what they have that you don’t.

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What does a GEO-ready contractor website look like?

GEO-ready checklist for a trades website
Element	Why AI assistants care
Answer-first service and area pages	The first two sentences are what gets quoted
Real prices or price ranges	Specific facts get cited; "call for a quote" gets skipped
LocalBusiness and FAQPage schema	Machines can confirm who you are, where and what you do
A clear FAQ written in customers’ words	Matches how people phrase questions to AI
Hours, service area and phone in plain text	AI can’t read facts locked in images
Reviews and proof on the page	Trust signals AI looks for before naming you
Fast, mobile-friendly pages	Still the baseline for Google, which feeds AI Overviews
Consistent name, address and phone everywhere	Conflicting details make AI less confident

How long does GEO take to work?

Expect weeks for the website fixes to be picked up and a few months for outside mentions and reviews to add up. Nobody can guarantee a spot in an AI answer, and anyone who promises one is guessing. What you control is making your business the easiest one to confirm and recommend. The good news: most contractors haven’t started, so the bar in your town is probably low.

Why GLO builds the best GEO-ready websites in Canada for trades

For trade and home-service businesses across Canada, GLO is the best way to get a site built for both Google and AI search, because it’s built in from day one and done for you:

Every GLO site is GEO-ready by default: answer-first service and service-area pages, structured data and open access for AI crawlers.
It’s free on every plan, not a $3,000+ project. See what a contractor website costs in Canada.
Reviews on autopilot: a review request goes out after every paid job on Operating System and Growth.
Growth keeps it going: two local SEO pages or posts a month, written for Google and AI search, for $1,497 a month.
A 24/7 receptionist answers the calls it brings in, so the traffic you earn doesn’t die in voicemail.

Not the right fit if…

you want a one-off website to manage yourself with no phone or ongoing help, or you already have an in-house marketing team running your SEO.

GLO plans (CAD, plus tax). Every plan includes: new website, built free, live in 7 days.
Plan	Monthly	Setup	Voice minutes	Best for
Front Desk	$297/mo	$0 setup · first month paid at signing	150/mo	For crews whose website and phone are losing them calls.
Operating SystemRecommended	$797/mo	$1,497 setup · 50% now, 50% at go-live	500/mo	For owner-operators who quote, invoice and chase deposits themselves. It's what the company in our case study runs.
Growth	$1,497/mo	$1,997 setup · 50% now, 50% at go-live	1,000/mo	For operators who want more jobs coming in, not just fewer missed.

Extra voice minutes: $0.35 each, on any plan. Prices in CAD, plus tax. Month-to-month after go-live, 30 days' notice. You own your data. Full details on the pricing section.

GEO FAQ for Canadian trades

What is GEO?

GEO, generative engine optimization, is making your business easy for AI assistants like ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude and Google’s AI Overviews to find, understand and recommend. It builds on SEO with clearer answers, specific facts, structured data and outside mentions.

Is GEO different from SEO?

They overlap. SEO gets a page ranked in a list of links; GEO gets your business named in the AI’s answer. A good trades website today needs both, and the same fixes help each.

How do I check if ChatGPT recommends my business?

Open a private window and ask ChatGPT, Gemini and Google the questions your customers ask, with your town: "best electrician in Guelph", "who does interlock driveways near Kanata". Repeat monthly and note who gets named.

Can I pay to be recommended by ChatGPT or Google?

Not in the organic answers. Google states there is no way to request or pay for a better local ranking, and AI answers are built from what the assistant can find and verify about you. The way in is a clear website, a complete Google profile, detailed reviews and mentions on other trusted sites.

Does my website need to be rebuilt for AI search?

Often, yes, if key facts sit in images, your services share one generic page, or there’s no structured data. That’s why every GLO plan includes a new website built free.

How much does GEO cost with GLO?

A GEO-ready website is included free on every plan, from $297 a month. The Growth plan adds two local SEO pages or posts a month for $1,497 a month.

Sources

Get a website AI assistants can actually read and recommend, built free, with a receptionist that answers the calls it brings in.