Google’s AI Overviews and chat-style assistants increasingly answer questions directly, sometimes naming businesses or citing websites. No one outside these companies knows exactly how sources are chosen, and it changes often. But the patterns so far point to familiar fundamentals.
What seems to help
- Clear, specific content. Pages that directly answer real questions — what a service costs, how long it takes, what’s involved — are easier to quote.
- Consistent business information. The same name, services, area and contact details across your site, profile and directories.
- Reviews and reputation. Assistants that recommend local businesses tend to draw on review platforms and business profiles.
- Mentions elsewhere. Being referenced by local news, associations, directories and other reputable sites.
- Technical accessibility. Content in plain HTML that crawlers can read, with structured data where it’s accurate.
What doesn’t
Tricks aimed at “gaming” AI tools. They tend to be short-lived, and most also hurt regular search performance.
The practical takeaway
Good local SEO and good AI visibility currently overlap heavily. Build a site that answers customer questions clearly, keep your profile and reviews strong, and earn genuine mentions. More on AI assistants for trades.
Cole Mello is the founder of Altura Marketing Group. He studied marketing at Washington State University and manages Google Ads, Local Services Ads and Meta campaigns for local service businesses. About Altura