If you run a service-based business — plumbing, electrical, roofing, pool care, landscaping — you've likely noticed that Google isn't sending traffic the way it used to. AI Overviews have quietly taken over the top of the search results page, answering users' questions before they ever scroll to your listing. For local service companies, this isn't just an SEO problem. It's a visibility problem that directly impacts the phone ringing.
The good news? AI Overviews don't favor the biggest brands — they favor the most clearly described, consistently presented, and locally trusted ones. We asked 7 thought leaders in the trades and local service space exactly how they're staying visible, and their answers cut straight to what works.
Hyper-Local Pages and Proof Dominate AI Overviews
As owner of Serpukhov Appliance Repair Company serving NW Chicago suburbs like Arlington Heights and Lake Zurich, we dominate AI overviews for "appliance repair near me" through hyper-local service pages tailored to exact queries.
Our Des Plaines page highlights same-day fridge and washer dryer repairs, matching user pain points and driving consistent top placements in local AI results.
We add value with diagnostic content, like early HVAC signs (weak airflow, high bills) or dishwasher failures (grinding noises, leaks), so AI pulls our expertise first.
Portfolio before/afters, such as washer motor replacements, provide visual proof that keeps our site fresh and authoritative for ongoing visibility.
Andrew Sharp, Owner, Serpukhov Appliance Repair Company
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Review Velocity and GBP Consistency Win AI Placements
I've spent 15 years building revenue-producing digital systems for contractors, where staying visible in AI overviews now requires proving "entity authority" through social proof. AI models prioritize businesses with high "review velocity," so we use a dedicated SMS survey system to ensure clients maintain a constant stream of fresh, 5-star Google reviews.
This high-frequency feedback signals to AI that your business is the most trusted and active leader in your local market. One restoration client secured significantly more "near me" AI summary placements after we implemented this system to increase their monthly review intake.
To lock in this visibility, you must ensure your Google Business Profile data perfectly mirrors the specific service area pages on your website. This creates a consistent "trust map" that allows AI crawlers to confidently recommend your business for complex, location-based searches.
Jeff Pratt, Owner, JPG Designs
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Earn Forum Mentions to Build AI Authority
Focus on digital PR (niche forums) as a better choice to traditional SEO; AI scrapers will pick up on real-world mentions of your brand in forums like Reddit or local community boards. The more you can get people to talk about your services organically, the more "Authority" they will have to base their model on. Technical issues with your website are of little importance compared to the fact that you're the brand everybody is talking about on the web.
Zack Moorin, Founder, Zack Buys Houses
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Use Schema and Niche Backlinks to Categorize Expertise
Implementing an overview for a leading AI focuses on using structural/technical data (and) entity-based SEO to create unique schema markup that defines the services you specialize in and/or your professional certifications. The machine-readable data is used by all AI models to categorize your area(s) of expertise. Additionally, building backlinks from authoritative industry-specific directories will further solidify your competitive edge in the marketplace.
Robert Fausette, Owner & CEO, Revival Homebuyer
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Publish Detailed Projects Consistently to Strengthen Visibility
Posting real work consistently is the best way to appear in AI summaries. To be frank AI uses information gleaned from patterns, rather than crafted marketing speak. Detailed descriptions on projects that include exact materials, timeline, costs and scope creates clear data points that the machines can understand and display for others to find. Chances are if you have a page full of buzzwords your service page will be skipped over. But the minute you post word-for-word details of a project that machines can grab, your everyday work becomes searchable information. This concept applies for any service related industry.
Posting that information consistently will also create long-term value. Every project creates another point of data that strengthens your knowledge in a particular service in your area. However, information that isn't consistent or connected will dilute your strength in a subject. Apparently AI likes it when companies describe what they do the same way repetitively. When it comes to AI, structure is more important than creativity. Stay concise, repeatable, and true to the work you're doing.
Tyler Hull, Professional Roofing Contractor, Owner and General Manager, Modern Exterior
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Use Exact Service Terms Across All Listings
Having clear and detailed job descriptions everywhere made the largest impact for us. We use exact service descriptions like "garage spring replacement", "off-track door repair", "same-day opener install" written in plain English. This text is displayed on our website, our listings and in our Google reviews. AI pulls information from these sources and starts to make the connection to actual queries people are looking for. If your descriptions are vague, they'll pass over it. If it's clear, they will pick it up.
This allowed us to grow our inbound calls by approximately 25% over 6 months without adjusting our ad budget. I've also noticed when people call and use the exact wording we use describes what they're looking for. To me this means we're sending a consistent message. Consistency in being found is being present and easy to understand no matter where your business shows up online. Simple word choice and repetition matters more than trying to be fancy. It's basic, but effective.
Craig Focht, Cofounder & CEO, All Pro Door Repair
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Answer Real Questions and Align Local Listings
AI overviews pull from content that directly answers specific questions so if your website reads like a brochure, you're probably not showing up.
So the first thing that we did was to re-write our service pages to answer the questions people actually ask. Not "we provide premium artificial turf installations" but "how long does artificial turf last in texas heat" and then answering that question thoroughly on the page itself. AI systems extract succinct, direct responses from web pages that correspond to what someone typed in the search bar, vague marketing language doesn't cut it.
Besides that, we made sure every location listing had consistent information and updated service descriptions and responded to every single review. AI overviews for local service searches, they pull a lot of data from Google Business, and having inconsistencies across various locations doesn't help you as much as most people think.
Bennett Barrier, Chief Executive Officer, DFW Turf Solutions
