ChatGPT Is Answering Questions About Your Industry. Your Business Isn't Part of the Conversation.
By Tom GoodenUpdated 6 min read
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Something shifted in how people find businesses online, and most small business owners haven't noticed yet.
Your potential customers are still searching. They're typing questions into Google, asking ChatGPT, talking to Siri. More and more, though, they get answers without ever visiting a website. Google shows an AI-generated summary at the top of the results. ChatGPT gives a direct recommendation. Perplexity pulls from a dozen sources and boils them into one clean answer.
If your business isn't one of the sources those AI tools pull from, you don't exist in that conversation. That's already happening.
The numbers are hard to ignore
As of early 2026, roughly 70% of all Google searches end without the user clicking on any website. That's up from about 50% just two years ago. For mobile searches with local intent (the "near me" and "best contractor in [city]" queries that drive your business), zero-click rates hit 78%.
Google's AI Overviews now appear on a large share of search results. When someone asks "how much does a new roof cost in Michigan," Google shows a generated answer above the ten blue links, pulling from multiple sources, and most searchers never scroll past it.
On the other side, 37% of Americans now use AI tools like ChatGPT as a search alternative, according to recent surveys. When someone asks ChatGPT "who's the best web designer in Grand Rapids," it gives names of real businesses, cited from real sources.
The question is whether your business is one of them.
What this means for a contractor or local service business
Say you're a roofer in metro Detroit. Someone's shingles blew off in last week's storm. Five years ago, they'd Google "roof repair Detroit," scan the first page, click three websites, and call whoever looked legit.
Today, they might ask Google the same thing, but they see an AI Overview that summarizes pricing, lists what to look for in a contractor, and names two or three companies. They call one of those. Or they skip Google, ask ChatGPT "who should I call for emergency roof repair in Detroit" and get a direct recommendation.
If your website has the kind of content AI tools cite (specific, authoritative, well-structured information), you're in that answer. If your site is a five-page brochure with a stock photo of a roof and a phone number, you're left out.
The businesses showing up in these answers aren't always the biggest or the biggest ad spenders. They have content that AI systems read as specific and trustworthy enough to repeat.
GEO: the term you'll hear a lot this year
The industry is calling this "Generative Engine Optimization" or GEO. It's a terrible name, honestly. The concept is simple, though: structuring your online presence so AI-powered search tools cite you, recommend you, or include you in their generated answers.
GEO sits on top of SEO and doesn't replace it. The fundamentals still matter: your site needs to be fast, mobile-friendly, and properly structured. You still need Google Business Profile reviews. You still need to rank.
What's new is that AI systems decide which sources to cite based on different signals than Google's traditional algorithm. They look for:
Specificity over generality. An AI citing sources for "how much does HVAC repair cost in Michigan" is more likely to pull from a page titled "HVAC Repair Costs in Michigan: 2026 Pricing Breakdown" than a generic "Our Services" page.
Data and numbers. AI models love citing specific statistics, pricing ranges, and quantified claims. "We've completed 200+ roofing projects in Kent County" is more citable than "We're experienced roofers."
Structured information. FAQ sections, tables, comparison charts, and step-by-step processes are easy for an AI to parse and pull from.
Freshness. AI citation data shows a "3-month cliff" where content older than 90 days gets cited dramatically less. Businesses that publish regularly stay visible to AI. Everyone else fades.
Authority signals. AI tools cross-reference multiple sources before citing anyone, so mentions on other sites, reviews, directory listings, and local press coverage all count.
What most agencies are getting wrong
Here's the part that frustrates me. Some agencies are already selling "GEO services" as a separate product, charging extra for it on top of SEO. A few are pitching it as a whole new discipline that requires specialized expertise. It's the same move as the padded SEO audit: new packaging on work that good SEO already covers.
It's simpler than that. If you're already doing good SEO, like genuinely good SEO with original content, proper technical foundations, and real local authority, you're already doing 80% of what GEO requires.
The 20% that's new is mostly about content format and structure:
Writing content that directly answers questions. Give the direct answer first and the depth after, instead of dancing around a topic for 2,000 words before getting to the point.
Including structured data. Schema markup tells AI tools exactly what your business does, where you operate, what you charge, and what your credentials are. Most small business websites don't have any.
Publishing regularly. That 3-month citation cliff is real. A blog post from 2024 is close to invisible to AI search tools. Fresh content gets cited and old content mostly doesn't.
Being specific about your geography. AI tools need location signals to make local recommendations. Your content should name specific cities and neighborhoods, and spell out your service areas.
Building citations across the web. AI tools cross-reference. If you're listed on Google Business Profile, Yelp, BBB, your local Chamber of Commerce, and industry directories, AI tools have multiple signals confirming you're a real, active business in your area.
None of this is magic, and none of it requires a separate "GEO retainer." It's the same thing good digital marketing has always tried to do: make your business easy to find, understand, and trust.
The businesses that will win (and lose)
The businesses that lose in the AI search shift haven't updated their website in three years. They have no blog, no reviews strategy, and a five-page site built on a template. These sites were already struggling with traditional SEO, and AI search widens the gap.
The businesses that win are doing what they should have been doing all along. They publish useful, specific content about their services, earn reviews, and keep their online presence current, so they're the obvious answer when someone nearby has a question about their trade.
If you're a plumber in Kalamazoo and you've published a detailed post about "What to Do When Your Pipes Freeze in a Michigan Winter," with specific temperatures, step-by-step instructions, and when to call a professional, that content gets cited. ChatGPT pulls from it, Google's AI Overview references it, and you end up in the answer.
If your competitor's website just says "We offer plumbing services in Kalamazoo. Call us today!" they're invisible.
What to do this week
You don't need to overhaul everything. Start with these:
Check if you're being cited. Go to ChatGPT or Perplexity and ask questions your customers would ask about your services in your area. See who gets mentioned. If it's not you, that's your baseline.
Add one piece of specific, useful content. Write a blog post answering a common question your customers ask. Skip the generic advice and make it about your trade, your area, and your experience. Include real numbers if you can.
Check your schema markup. Go to Google's Rich Results Test and enter your URL. If you don't see LocalBusiness schema with your service area, services, and contact info, you're missing a basic signal that both Google and AI tools use.
Update your Google Business Profile. Make sure your services, service area, hours, and photos are current. Post something this week, whether it's a completed project or a seasonal tip. Anything that shows activity works.
Ask for a review. After your next completed job, ask the customer to leave a Google review. One more review this week. That's it.
These are small changes, and they're the foundation that makes your business visible to both traditional search and AI-powered search. The businesses that build it now will have a real advantage over the ones that wait until AI search is the only game in town.
It's heading that direction faster than most people realize.
We help contractors and service businesses build the kind of online presence that gets cited as well as clicked. If you want to know where you stand, get in touch and we'll show you.
Frequently asked questions
- What is generative engine optimization for a small business?
- Generative engine optimization (GEO) means structuring your online presence so AI-powered search tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews cite you, recommend you, or include you in their generated answers. For a small business, GEO sits on top of SEO and doesn't replace it. Your site still needs to be fast, mobile-friendly, and properly structured, and you still need Google Business Profile reviews.
- Do I need to pay for separate GEO services on top of SEO?
- No. If you're already doing good SEO with original content, proper technical foundations, and real local authority, you're already doing about 80% of what GEO requires. The remaining 20% is mostly content format and structure: answering questions directly, adding schema markup, publishing regularly, naming your service areas, and building citations across the web. None of it requires a separate GEO retainer.
- What makes ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews cite a local business?
- AI tools tend to cite content that is specific, includes real numbers, is clearly structured, is recent, and is backed by authority signals. A page titled "HVAC Repair Costs in Michigan: 2026 Pricing Breakdown" is more likely to be cited than a generic "Our Services" page. FAQ sections, tables, and mentions on other sites, reviews, directories, and local press all help.
- What percentage of Google searches end without a click?
- As of early 2026, roughly 70% of all Google searches end without the user clicking on any website, up from about 50% two years earlier. For mobile searches with local intent, like "near me" queries, zero-click rates hit 78%. Google's AI Overviews show a generated answer above the regular results, and most searchers never scroll past it.
- How can I check if my business shows up in AI search results?
- Go to ChatGPT or Perplexity, ask the questions your customers would ask about your services in your area, and see who gets mentioned. If it isn't you, that's your baseline. From there, check your schema markup with Google's Rich Results Test, update your Google Business Profile, publish one specific piece of useful content, and ask for a review.