Blog / October 16, 2026 / 6 min read
People Don’t Just Google Anymore: Why Local Service Businesses Need AEO
Customers now ask ChatGPT and Google’s AI who to hire, and they trust the answer. Here’s why answer engine optimization matters for local service businesses, backed by the data.
People now ask AI who to hire, not just Google
Search used to be simple: type a question into Google, scroll the links, call someone. That’s changing fast. A 2026 Scorpion survey of 2,000 U.S. homeowners who recently hired a trades pro found that 22% of them now use AI tools like ChatGPT to research or find recommendations. The trades aren’t alone. BrightLocal found that the share of consumers using AI to find local recommendations jumped from 6% in 2025 to 45% in 2026.1,3
Canada is right there too. A Leger survey conducted in 2025 found that 57% of Canadians had already used an AI tool, up from 47% just five months prior. So the next time a pipe bursts in Scarborough, there’s a good chance the first place your customer turns is an AI assistant, not your website.4
Customers trust AI recommendations as much as reviews
Trust is what decides who gets hired. In BrightLocal’s 2026 survey, 40% of consumers said they trust AI platforms to recommend businesses, and 42% said they trust those picks about as much as online reviews. The number is much higher for people who already use AI tools: 63% trust the recommendations (only 10% say they don’t).2,3
Standing in a flooded basement is not a great situation. No one wants to read through ten blue links to find out who to call. You want someone to tell you, right now. So when ChatGPT says, “Here are three trusted water damage companies near you,” you pick from that list. If your business isn’t on that list, you never get the call, however good your prices or work are.
We ask ChatGPT, Gemini and Google the questions your customers ask and show you who gets named.
AEO gets your business named inside the AI answer
AEO stands for answer engine optimization. Answer engines are tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews and Google AI Mode. Instead of handing you a list of links, they write you an answer. SEO helps your website rank in search results. AEO helps your business get named and recommended inside the answer itself.
Think of an answer engine as a very fast researcher. It reads your website, your Google Business Profile, directories and reviews all at once, then decides which businesses best fit the question. That’s where AEO comes in. It makes those sources consistent and complete, so the AI can pick you with confidence.
A top Google ranking now earns fewer clicks
At one time, ranking first on Google was the end goal for local businesses. Now a new player sits on top of the first spot: Google’s AI Overviews. They reach more than 2.5 billion users a month, and a recent Whitespark study found them on 68% of local business searches, including searches for plumbers and dentists.5,6
That changes how people click. Pew Research found that when an AI summary showed up, people clicked a regular result in just 8% of visits, compared with 15% when there was no summary. Your top ranking still matters. It just works harder for fewer calls. The flip side is good news, though: Seer Interactive found that being cited inside an AI Overview earns 120% more clicks per impression than being left out.7,8
We build the pages, listings and reviews AI looks for before it recommends a local business.
AI picks businesses from sources you control
AI builds its shortlist mostly from places you can fix today, which surprises most business owners. Yext studied 6.8 million AI citations and found that 86% came from sources businesses already manage, like their website and online listings. BrightLocal’s 2026 study of local AI answers found the same thing: Google Business Profile made up more than a quarter of all citations, and 54% of citations for plumbers.9,10
Directories pull weight too. Yelp showed up as a source in 80% of ChatGPT’s local answers. So AEO starts with the basics: a complete Google Business Profile, matching details on every listing, and service pages that answer real customer questions in plain words.10
Most of your competitors aren’t AI ready yet
Most local service businesses aren’t ready for AI search yet. That’s your opening. We tested ChatGPT with ten real customer questions across five Ontario cities. 57% of the time, the business it found couldn’t actually answer the question. ChatGPT recommended them anyway, because nobody better showed up.
For a common emergency like drying out after a burst pipe, only 3 of the 49 businesses ChatGPT listed had a page suited to the job. That gap won’t last long. Before you know it, your competitors will have grabbed the easy wins. The businesses that build clear, consistent signals now get the head start.
Tell us which jobs you want more of. We’ll show you where AI sends those customers today.
Five steps to start getting recommended this month
You don’t need a big budget to start. Here’s what to do this month. First, fill out every field in your Google Business Profile (like services, service areas and hours). Second, make your name, address and phone number match on Yelp, HomeStars and every other directory. Third, write a single page for each service that answers what your customers actually want to know, like cost, how long it takes and what happens on the first visit.
Fourth, ask happy customers for reviews that mention the job and the neighbourhood. Fifth, ask ChatGPT and Gemini who they’d recommend for your top services in your area, and write down who gets named. That list tells you exactly where you stand (and what to fix first).
Frequently asked questions
What is AEO?
AEO stands for answer engine optimization. It’s the work of making your business easy for AI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini and Google AI Overviews to find, understand and recommend when someone asks who to hire.
Is AEO the same as SEO?
Not quite. SEO helps your website rank in search results. AEO helps your business get named inside AI answers. They share a lot of groundwork (a strong Google Business Profile and clear service pages help both), so the best plans do both.
How does AI decide which local business to recommend?
Most AI tools pull information from your Google Business Profile, your website, your listings in directories like Yelp, and your reviews. They tend to favour businesses whose information is complete, consistent and best matches the question asked.
How can I check if AI recommends my business?
Ask ChatGPT, Gemini and Google the questions your customers ask, like “Who’s the best emergency plumber in North York?” Note who gets named and which sources are linked. Repeat it each month to see how things are changing.
How long does AEO take to work?
Fixing your listings and profile can help within weeks, once AI tools refresh what they know. New service pages and steady reviews build up over a few months. Nobody can promise a placement, but businesses with the clearest signals are more likely to be featured.
Sources
- Scorpion’s New Industry Report Reveals a Disconnect Between Homeowners and Local Service Businesses. Scorpion via PR Newswire, February 19, 2026.
- LCRS 2026: Study Shows Reviews Matter More Than Ever. BrightLocal, February 11, 2026.
- Half of Consumers Are Asking AI for Business Recommendations. BrightLocal, March 10, 2026.
- Views on Artificial Intelligence. Leger, August 28, 2025.
- Alphabet Investor Presentation: June 2026. Google, June 3, 2026.
- New Research: AI Overviews for Local Business Searches. Whitespark, May 12, 2025.
- Google Users Are Less Likely to Click on Links When an AI Summary Appears in the Results. Pew Research Center, July 22, 2025.
- AIO Impact on Google CTR: 2026 Update. Seer Interactive, April 24, 2026.
- Yext Research: 86% of AI Citations Come from Brand-Managed Sources. Yext, October 9, 2025.
- Where to Get Local Citations for AI Search. BrightLocal, August 26, 2026.
Be the business
AI recommends
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