How Plumbers, Landscapers and Restoration Companies Get Recommended by ChatGPT
AI assistants like ChatGPT recommend local businesses they can find described clearly and consistently in several places: your own website, directories and "best of" lists, and review sites. When we asked ChatGPT and Gemini for a plumber, a landscaper and a restoration company in one city, they named 21 different businesses and agreed on exactly one. The businesses that got named had strong ratings and a page or listing that matched the exact job being asked about.
Getting recommended comes from the same groundwork as local SEO, with more weight on what other sites say about you. Here's what we tested, what we found, and what to fix first.
Why this matters now
In BrightLocal's 2026 consumer survey, the share of people using ChatGPT and similar tools to find local business recommendations jumped from 6% to 45% in a single year. That makes AI the third most common source of local recommendations, behind Google and Facebook. Google's own AI Overviews appeared on 39% of US desktop searches in June 2026, according to Comscore. The same data shows ChatGPT's share of AI prompts falling from 70% to 50% this year while Gemini's rose from 17% to 30%, which is why we tested both.
Keep it in proportion: most people still find a plumber through Google's map results. But the share asking an AI first is growing fast, and the businesses that get named are getting calls their competitors never hear about.
Our test
On October 11, 2026, we asked three questions a homeowner in Riverside, California might type:
- "Who's a good plumber in Riverside, CA? I have a leak under my kitchen sink."
- "Best water damage restoration company in Riverside, CA?"
- "Can you recommend a landscaper in Riverside, CA for a drought-tolerant front yard?"
We ran each one through ChatGPT and Gemini, both with web search on. We recorded every business named and every source cited. We also checked Google's regular results for the restoration question, and ran that question through ChatGPT a second time to see whether the answer held.
This is a small test: one city, three questions, one day. AI answers change between runs and between people. Treat what follows as patterns worth acting on, not rules.
What we found
| Question | Businesses ChatGPT named | Businesses Gemini named | Named by both |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plumber for a kitchen sink leak | 2 | 4 | 1 |
| Water damage restoration | 4 | 5 | 0 |
| Landscaper for a drought-tolerant yard | 3 | 4 | 0 |
| Total | 9 | 13 | 1 |
1. The two tools barely agreed
Across three questions, 21 different businesses got named, and only one plumber showed up in both tools. If you check just one AI tool, you're seeing a slice of the picture.
2. ChatGPT leaned on listings and directories
ChatGPT showed star ratings and review counts, and cited Yelp, the BBB, Google Maps and "best plumbers in Riverside" directory pages. One of those directory pages was dated 2020.
The review counts didn't always match Google. One restoration company showed 57 reviews in ChatGPT and 112 on Google. Another showed 43 against Google's 100. In that run, ChatGPT linked to those companies' Yelp pages. Your listings outside Google are feeding these answers, so they need to be accurate.
3. Gemini leaned on businesses' own pages
Gemini mostly cited the businesses' own websites: a water damage page written for Riverside, a page about xeriscaping and drought-tolerant landscaping, and a page on kitchen plumbing in Riverside. One landscaper was cited for a guide to drought-tolerant plants for the Inland Empire. That's a blog post earning a recommendation.
4. Matching the exact job beat review count
ChatGPT recommended a Riverside landscaper with 12 reviews alongside competitors with 74 and 28. Its listing described drought-tolerant front-yard renovations, which was exactly the question. Gemini named a plumber whose site has a page specifically about kitchen plumbing, for a kitchen sink question. Specific pages and descriptions win specific questions.
5. Strong map rankings carried over, partly
For the restoration question, Google's map pack showed three companies. Two of them also appeared in ChatGPT's answer. None appeared in Gemini's.
6. Both tools coached the customer
Both tools told the homeowner what to check before hiring: IICRC certification for restoration, contractor licensing, written estimates and insurance. Gemini told the landscaping customer to confirm a C-27 license. A business that states these things plainly on its site is easier to recommend and easier to choose.
Asked twice, ChatGPT named the same three restoration companies both times and added a fourth on the second run. So the answers aren't random, but they do shift.
Where AI tools get their information
- Your website: service pages, location pages and articles.
- Business listings: Google, Bing, Apple Maps, Yelp and the data providers that feed them.
- Directories and "best of" lists: in Whitespark's 2026 survey of local SEO experts, appearing on curated "best of" lists ranked as the top factor for AI search visibility. Three of the top five AI factors were about mentions and listings on other sites.
- Review sites: ratings and review text across platforms, not just Google.
- Local news and community mentions.
What to do, in order
- Build a page for every service you want to be recommended for, with your city in it. A dedicated page for each service ranked second for AI visibility in Whitespark's survey. Relevance to your city ranked sixth.
- Answer the questions customers ask before they hire. Costs, timelines, insurance, what to do while waiting for help. Gemini cited exactly this kind of article.
- Get listed where your trade gets listed. City "best of" lists, trade directories, associations and the BBB. Fill in every field and use the same business description everywhere.
- Build reviews beyond Google. Facebook, the BBB, Apple Maps and your trade's review sites all count. Our review guide has scripts, plus the one site you shouldn't ask for reviews on.
- State your credentials plainly. License numbers, certifications, insurance, years in business and the areas you serve.
- Earn local mentions. Sponsorships, local news, chamber listings and community groups.
- Test every month with the same questions, so you can see what changes.
Most of this also strengthens your Google rankings. See How to Rank Higher on Google Maps for that side.
What doesn't work
No file, plugin or schema markup gets you recommended on its own. Nobody controls what ChatGPT says, so be wary of anyone selling a guaranteed placement. The businesses that get named are the ones with the clearest, most consistent information in the most places.
How to test it yourself
- Open ChatGPT in a temporary chat, so your past conversations don't shape the answer.
- Ask the way a customer would, with your city and a specific job: "Who should I call for a slab leak in Riverside?"
- Try three or four versions: "best," "recommend," "who should I call."
- Write down who gets named, and click the sources it cites.
- Ask the same questions in Gemini and in Google's AI Mode.
- Repeat monthly with the same questions.
If competitors keep getting named, look at the sources cited for them. That's usually your to-do list.
How this fits our service
Our plans write the articles and Business Profile posts that answer your customers' questions, built from research on what they actually search. Every plan also builds 10 to 30 citations in your first three months. That covers steps 2 and 3 directly and supports the rest. Compare our plans.
Wondering whether we're the right match for your business? See if we're a fit.
Frequently asked questions
Does ChatGPT use Google reviews?
Not only Google. In our test, ChatGPT cited Yelp, the BBB and Google Maps, and some review counts it showed didn't match Google's. Keep your ratings healthy across several sites.
Is AI replacing Google for finding local contractors?
Not yet. Most local searches still happen on Google. But use of AI tools for local recommendations grew from 6% to 45% of consumers in a year, so it's worth showing up in both.
How long does it take to show up in AI answers?
There's no reliable timeline. AI tools read the same pages, listings and reviews that drive regular local rankings, so expect a similar build of several months.
Do I need a separate "AI SEO" service?
No. It's the same groundwork as local SEO, with more attention on listings, mentions on other sites, and pages that answer specific questions.
Why does ChatGPT give different answers each time?
Answers vary with wording, timing and the person asking. In our test, the same restoration question returned the same top three companies twice, plus one new name the second time.