- Google, searched by licensed name
- No listing found anywhere in the metro
- Evidence gap
- No matching Google listing found
- How common
- 604 of 1648 licensed businesses
AI assistants are recommending contractors right now
When someone asks ChatGPT for an AC repair, be the answer it gives.
In our index of 1648 licensed contractors in one county, 79% have conflicting public-record information or no Google listing found in our checks. Merchant Context improves your website and the facts customers and assistants can verify.
Source checks in this index: August 17, 2026 to October 31, 2026. Each fact has its own date. What the counts cover.
Currently serving HVAC, electrical, roofing or plumbing in Pinellas County, FL · full list · Not on the list? Contact us — we'll expedite you.
$2,000/month website service free preview first month to month
Findable.Verifiable.Chosen.
The problem
You do good work. You get good reviews. But when someone asks ChatGPT who to call, another company gets named.
45% of US consumers used ChatGPT or another AI assistant for a local business recommendation in the past year, up from 6% the year before. BrightLocal, Local Consumer Review Survey 2026.
How customers choose now
What assistants checked in our research.
In our recorded ChatGPT, Claude and Google AI Mode answers, assistants discussed facts such as service areas, reviews, hours and licences. Our research catalogues 1,251 observed reasons businesses were mentioned or left out. We use that evidence to decide what to check on your website and public record.
Customer questionSpecifics get categorizedSearchWebsite crawlRecord checksFactors weighedDecision
Recorded observations: July 30, 2026 to August 23, 2026 · findings vary by assistant, question and trade · Read the research method
Why MerchantContext
Three records. Different evidence to weigh.
Examples of evidence patterns in our business index. These illustrate what is available to verify; they do not predict an assistant’s recommendation.
- Their site
- "24/7 emergency service"
- Their Google listing
- Closed Saturday and Sunday
- Their printed licence number
- Returns no record in the state register
- Phone
- Same number on Google, BBB, and their own site
- History
- Incorporated 1961 · licence expiry 08/31/2028
- Reviews
- 4.5 stars across 407 reviews
Illustrative patterns; not a ranking. The review and history example comes from Cox Heating & Air Conditioning’s source record. Source checks: September 8, 2026 to September 8, 2026.
What gets better
You already did the work. We make sure the proof is there when ChatGPT checks.
Your record agrees
Licence, hours, phone, history — the same facts on your site, your listings, and the registers assistants check. We find every disagreement and fix it, with sources, so nothing makes an assistant hesitate.
The details that break ties
"Can they come out today?" "What's the service-call fee?" Between two good businesses, these decide it. We put them on your site and in the plugin — from your calendar or your answers, one click, not a form to babysit.
Your website answers real questions
"Do you serve 33713?" "Can you fix a tankless?" "Is the estimate free?" Every question a customer asks becomes a page that answers it, in your words — so the answer is on your site when ChatGPT looks.
The website service
Rebuild your website without losing what it already earned.
Most rebuilds throw away the links, pages and rankings that were quietly bringing you calls. We map every URL and keep what works first. Then we use our catalogue of 1,251 observed reasons to identify relevant gaps, and add the answers your site never gave.
A better website should not throw away the visibility the old one earned.
See how we would update your website
Free preview first. You pay only if you accept it. Any service business, on the list or not.
One offer. One number.
The website service is $2,000 a month.
Every licensed business in a covered trade is already in our index — that's what makes the answers good. The website service adds what public records can't know, and keeps it current as your business changes.
See how we would update your website
Free preview before any payment — you only pay if you accept it.
No build fee or fixed contract term. Any price change requires at least 30 days’ written notice. Service terms. Start with the free preview →
- Your website rebuilt around what assistants check, keeping every page that already earns you calls
- Continuous AI-search monitoring and competitor analysis
- Continual optimization, blog and on-page content
- Reporting and analytics
- Google Business Profile audit and recommendations
- Your public record made consistent, with sources
- Custom integrations and software for advanced agentic optimization
Just want your record in ChatGPT and Claude? The plugin is free →
Questions worth asking
Frequently Asked Questions
- No link building. No shared leads. No buying mentions.
- Your problem usually isn't too little content. It's lack of clarity.
- Nobody can honestly promise what ChatGPT, Claude, or Google will recommend. What we do is checkable: we remove the reasons assistants skip you, and we show our work — every fix, every source, every month.
It overlaps with local SEO. Clear service pages, accurate business facts and a website search engines can read help with both. Our AI search optimization service focuses on your website and public record, with a Google Business Profile audit and recommendations included. We don't do link building or paid ads, and we don't guarantee rankings or AI recommendations.
No. Nobody can, and you should walk away from anyone who says otherwise. What we can show you is the set of facts assistants check, what yours say today, and each one fixed — with sources. We also monitor a growing pool of real search queries month over month, so you can see if and how your recommendations are changing over time.
Every fact we found about your business across the state licence register, Google, BBB, corporate filings, and your own website. What agrees, what conflicts, and what's missing. Each fact has its source and the date we checked it.
Check the live coverage page — pick your service, state, and city and it tells you instantly, straight from the index. Not covered yet? The waitlist sets the order we expand in.
It's the thing we're most careful about. We map every existing URL, keep the pages that bring you calls, and redirect the rest. Rankings and traffic can still move after any rebuild, so we check the new site for migration problems.
Findable. Verifiable. Chosen.