BlogAI visibility basics
How AI Assistants Choose Which Local Businesses to Recommend
Kyle Vogt, Founder, Groow GroupPublished · 6 min read
Where AI looks in your market
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What ChatGPT, Google AI and Perplexity look at when they recommend a contractor, based on the sources they cite, and what you can do about each one.
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Key takeaways
- No AI company publishes a formula, but the sources they cite show a pattern.
- Clear, consistent business details, recent specific reviews and being on the sites AI cites all help.
- Pages that directly answer common questions give assistants something to quote.
- If your site blocks AI crawlers, it can't be cited at all.
No AI company publishes a formula for who gets recommended. What we can see is what they cite: the sources linked beside an answer, and the details the answer repeats. Across local home-service questions, a few patterns are consistent enough to act on.
1. Clear, consistent facts about your business
If your phone number, address, hours or services differ from one site to another, an assistant has less reason to trust any of them. Consistent details across your Google Business Profile and major directories remove that doubt.
2. Evidence from other people
Answers often repeat what reviewers say: same-day service, fair pricing, clean installs. Recent, specific reviews give an assistant something concrete to say about you. Ask every customer, and never filter who gets asked.
3. Being where the answers come from
If Perplexity keeps citing a local roundup of the best roofers, and you're not on it, that's a gap. The sources cited in your market show you exactly which listings and pages matter most.
4. A website that answers the question
Pages that directly answer common questions, like what a new furnace costs locally, whether you offer financing, or how fast you can come out, give assistants something to quote and cite. Structured data helps them understand exactly what you offer and where.
5. Being readable at all
Some websites accidentally block AI crawlers such as OAI-SearchBot or PerplexityBot. If they can't read your site, they can't cite it. It's a quick check, and a common miss.
None of this guarantees a recommendation, and anyone who promises one is guessing. What you can do is measure, fix the gaps that the answers point to, and measure again.
About the author
Kyle Vogt, Founder, Groow Group
Kyle founded Groow Group to help businesses show up when customers ask ChatGPT, Google and the other AI assistants who to call. He writes about what actually moves AI and Google visibility, from the checks Groow runs every week.