54%
of AI citations for plumbing questions went to Google. Angi got 2.2% and HomeAdvisor 0.9%.
BrightLocal, 1.9M citations across 1,355 locations, Aug 2026
57%
of AI citations for dental questions went to Google, against 1% for Zocdoc. For lawyers Google took 42%.
BrightLocal, Aug 2026
43%
of consumers checked Google after getting an AI recommendation. Only 2% use AI as their only channel.
BrightLocal, July 2026, n=1,227
Your profile is now doing two jobs
Local SEO used to be about the map pack. The profile still matters there, and it now matters twice more. Assistants cite Google more than any other source for local services, and customers who get an AI answer often open Google next to check it.
That makes the profile a source and a verifier at once. If the assistant says you do same day service and the profile says closed today, the customer believes the profile.
The six things an assistant checks
- 01
Service area
Can it tell you serve the customer's ZIP code? Profile service areas and a site that names the suburbs, not just the metro.
- 02
Price
Can it find a price, a starting price, or how you quote? Profile services with price ranges, matched on your pages.
- 03
Availability
Can it see when you are available without calling? Accurate hours, holiday hours, and same day or emergency service stated where true.
- 04
Booking
Can it request or book a visit without a phone tree? A booking or quote link on the profile that works on a phone.
- 05
Consistency
Do your hours and phone number agree everywhere? Profile, site and the directories assistants cite, all saying the same thing.
- 06
Access
Does your site stay up and work without a login wall? The profile links to it, and the assistant follows the link.
Why the profile beats the marketplaces
Homeowners and patients see ads for marketplaces everywhere, so owners assume assistants prefer them. The citation data says otherwise. For plumbing the assistants cited Google 54% of the time and Angi 2.2%. For dental it was Google 57% and Zocdoc 1%.
In our own probe across twelve local verticals, 97% of the businesses an assistant picked were chosen from their own websites, not a marketplace listing. The business that controls its profile and site controls most of what the assistant reads.
“The customer checks the assistant's answer on Google. The profile has to confirm it.”
What our local SEO work covers
We fix categories, services, service areas, hours and links on the profile. We match every fact to your site and to the directories the assistants cited for your questions. We keep them current each month, because an assistant that finds two different phone numbers has a reason to name someone else.
Then we run your customers' questions and check whether the assistant now names you. That is the test for every change we make.
Typical local SEO agency vs Picked by Agents
| Typical local SEO agency | Picked by Agents | |
|---|---|---|
| Goal | Rank in the map pack | Be named by the assistant and confirmed by the profile |
| Profile work | Posts, photos and review requests | The facts assistants check, service area, price, hours, booking link |
| Citations | Hundreds of directory submissions | The directories the assistants actually cited, made to agree |
| Proof | Map rank grid | Your customers' questions run in the assistants, monthly |
| Guarantee | Rank improvements, if any | Named within 90 days or we work free |
Questions we get asked
- What is Google Business Profile optimization for AI?
- It is local SEO aimed at AI assistants as well as the map pack. Your Google Business Profile is the listing that shows your hours, services, area and reviews. Assistants read it, cite it, and customers check it after an AI answer. Optimizing it for AI means making it complete and making it agree with your site.
- Do ChatGPT and Gemini both use my Google profile?
- Google's AI Mode, AI Overviews and Gemini draw heavily on Google's own local data. ChatGPT leans more on your site and third party directories. That is why we fix the profile and the directories together and check each assistant separately.
- Is this different from normal local SEO?
- The profile basics are the same. The difference is the test. A local SEO agency checks your map rank. We check whether an assistant names you for a real customer question, then read its reasons to find what is still missing.
- Do reviews matter to assistants?
- They matter, but they rarely decide it alone. On our home page we show a case where a company with about 100 reviews was picked over one with about 3,000, because it published a starting price and named its financing.
- What if I have several locations?
- Each location has its own profile and its own competitors. Our Portfolio program starts with a 90 day pilot on up to three locations, measured separately, before we scope the rest.
Check your profile the way an assistant does.
The free report runs your customers' questions and shows which of the six checks the assistant got stuck on.
Or write to Greg at greg@gregmiller.ai.