Yes, AI tools recommend trade businesses. Ask ChatGPT for a roofer in Stockport and you get a short list of named firms. The question for you is simple. Are you on it?
Most tradespeople have no idea. There is no ranking to look up and nothing shows in your analytics. The phone just rings less, and the job goes to whoever was named.
Questions homeowners ask about trades
Homeowners ask AI tools the same things they would ask a neighbour over the fence. They name the job and the town, and they often ask about price.
- Can you recommend a good builder for a single storey extension in Solihull?
- Who is a reliable emergency plumber in Wakefield?
- How much does an electrician in Colchester charge to rewire a three bed house?
- Which roofers in Swansea do flat roof repairs?
- Who fits composite front doors in Northampton, and what do they cost?
- What are the best rated window companies near Falkirk?
Every job and every town is its own question. A plumber can be named for boiler repairs and missed for bathroom fitting.
What AI tools look at
AI tools that search the web look for pages they trust about local firms. For trades that means trade directories such as Checkatrade, review sites, Google Business Profiles and your own website.
Directories carry real weight. We studied London dentists in October 2026 and collected 1,309 AI answers. Of those answers, 64% cited a dental directory. Trades have their own directories, and AI tools treat them in much the same way. A page listing several local firms with reviews is exactly what they like to cite.
So the firms that get named usually have their house in order. Their phone number is the same everywhere. They have recent reviews that mention the job. Their website says clearly what they do and which towns they cover.
A checklist for trade firms
Work through this list once, then keep it up month by month.
- Search for your firm on every directory you have ever joined. Correct old numbers and addresses.
- Make sure your Google Business Profile lists the right services and service areas.
- Ask each happy customer for a Google review when you finish the job. Reply to every review.
- Give each main job its own page on your website. Name the towns you cover on it.
- Add photos of recent work and a rough guide to prices where you can.
- Add schema so your business details are easy for machines to read.
Six steps is plenty. Small, steady changes add up over a few months.
What you see each week in axgeo.ai
You choose the questions, and axgeo.ai asks them every week on ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google AI Mode. You see which firms were named, and where you sat in each answer.
Wrong details get caught. Answer accuracy checks every answer against a fact sheet you approve. If ChatGPT still quotes the mobile number you gave up two years ago, you see it with the page it came from.
Local citations runs a live check of your name, address and phone number across your listings. Rank tracking checks your Google keywords nightly, down to town level, with the map pack shown. Your Google reviews come in with replies already drafted. A ranked list of fixes tells you what to do first, and a monthly report shows how things moved.
Picking a plan
Most trade firms work from one base, so a Local plan is the place to start.
- Local at £99 a month plus VAT gives you 20 questions a week on four AI tools and 10 Google keywords.
- Local Plus at £199 gives you 40 questions, the AI apps monthly and tracking of the sources AI cites.
- Local Pro at £299 covers two bases, all eight AI tools weekly and daily review tracking.
Bigger firms with three or more depots or showrooms should look at Growth at £500 and up. Every plan is monthly with no contract, and all prices are on the pricing page.
Want the wider picture first? Read AI search for local service businesses.