How to show up in AI search

More and more customers are skipping the list of links and just asking. They type "who is the best plumber in my area" into ChatGPT, or they read the AI summary that now sits at the top of a Google search before any results. In both cases something is deciding which businesses to name - and the good news is that it is mostly the same work that already wins local SEO. There is no separate AI directory to join.

AI tools do not have private knowledge of your business. They assemble answers from what they can find about you across the web: your Google Business Profile, your reviews, the directories you are listed in, the "best of" articles that mention you, and your own website. Make those strong and consistent, and you become the answer. Here is where to focus.

1. Keep your Google Business Profile complete and accurate

Your Google Business Profile (you may still call it Google My Business) is the single clearest description of your business that these tools can read - your name, category, location, hours, services, and reviews in one place. A complete, current profile is the foundation, so work through the optimization checklist and keep your information identical everywhere it appears.

2. Earn steady, recent reviews

When an AI tool calls someone "highly rated" or "well reviewed," it is reading the same reviews your customers read. A healthy, growing pile of recent Google reviews is one of the strongest signals that you are a real, trusted, active business worth recommending. Ask every happy customer, and make it effortless - see how to get more Google reviews the right way. Review-heavy trades like dental practices and auto repair shops feel this most.

3. Get named on "best of" lists and local directories

AI tools love a tidy list. When they answer "best [trade] in [town]," they often lean on the "best of" roundups and local directories that already rank that question. Getting included in those - and keeping your business details consistent across directories - puts you in front of the AI as a credible local option. See why "best of" lists drive AI visibility and how consistent local citations still matter.

4. Make your website say plainly who, what, and where

AI tools read your website in plain language. If a page clearly states the services you offer and the towns you serve, the tools can match you to a customer's question. Vague, clever copy that never quite says what you do or where leaves them guessing. Cover the basics in on-page local SEO for your website so your site spells it out.

How to check whether you show up

You cannot improve what you cannot see, so test it the way a customer would. In both ChatGPT and a normal Google search, ask "best [your trade] in [your town]" and "who should I call for [your service] near me." Note whether you are named, and which competitors come up instead. Do it every month or so, because the answers change as your presence - and theirs - changes. Retriever Score's AI Visibility Score does this watching for you, checking whether the major AI tools name your business when someone asks for what you do.

The short version

Showing up in AI search is not a new project bolted onto your to-do list. It is the payoff for doing local SEO well: a complete profile, real reviews, consistent listings, and a website that says what you do. Build that foundation and the AI tools - like the customers who use them - start pointing to you.