More people are asking an AI assistant for a recommendation instead of typing a search. BrightLocal's 2026 survey of 1,002 US adults found that 45% now use tools like ChatGPT for local business recommendations, up from 6% the year before. That's a fast enough shift that it's worth understanding what these tools actually draw on.
Your own website matters more than you'd think
A 2026 analysis of over 14,000 local AI citations found that business websites accounted for about 60% of Gemini's sources overall, and for home service businesses specifically, Gemini pointed to the contractor's own website in roughly 81% of its citations. Directories accounted for barely 10%. That's the opposite of the old assumption that only third-party listings matter. A clear, accurate, well-structured website is directly part of how these tools answer questions about your trade.
Different assistants pull from different places
The same body of research found that only about 11% of the domains cited were shared across ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity. Each tool has its own mix of sources. Gemini leans on your own site and Google's ecosystem, and others draw more on forums, review platforms and third-party write-ups. There's no single trick that covers all of them. Consistency across every place your business appears is what protects you across all of them at once.
Star ratings may matter less than you'd assume
One finding worth knowing before you obsess over star ratings: a study cited a correlation of about 0.013 between rating and how often a business got recommended by AI tools, which is close to no relationship at all. AI-recommended businesses in that data averaged 4.75 stars against 4.84 for businesses that just ranked normally in Google. That doesn't mean reviews don't matter. It suggests that having enough real, recent, specific reviews plus a clear website matters more than chasing a perfect score.
What consistency actually means
Research on how AI systems evaluate local businesses points to one repeated failure mode: mismatched information across platforms. Different hours on your website and your Google Business Profile, an old phone number still live on one directory, an address that doesn't match. These small inconsistencies are exactly what makes a system less confident in recommending you. Before anything else, check that your hours, phone number, address and services say the same thing on your website, your Google Business Profile and any directory you're listed on.
What to actually do
- Keep one accurate source of truth. Your website's contact page, hours and service list should be the master copy, and everything else should match it.
- Write service pages a machine can quote. A clear paragraph that states what a service costs, how long it takes and what it includes is more useful to an AI assistant than a vague sales pitch.
- Add accurate schema. See LocalBusiness schema for contractors for what to include.
- Answer real questions on your own site. A library of Answers to what customers actually ask, in plain language, is exactly the kind of content these tools cite.
- Don't fake anything. Fabricated reviews or overstated claims are a bad bet twice over: the FTC now directly prohibits fake and compensated reviews, and an AI assistant that catches an inconsistency simply recommends someone else.
Questions
Do I need to do anything special for ChatGPT versus Gemini?
Not really. Since research shows little overlap in what each tool cites, the safest strategy is the same one that helps regular search: an accurate, well-structured site plus consistent information everywhere else you're listed.
Should I stop worrying about my star rating?
No, but don't over-index on it either. Keep collecting honest reviews. The data suggests consistency and real content matter as much or more than a rating a fraction of a point higher.
Is this the same thing as SEO?
It overlaps a lot: good structure, clear writing and accurate information help both. The main difference is that AI assistants seem to lean more heavily on your own website directly, rather than only on how you rank.