With old-school Google, you needed to rank on page one for keywords like ‘plumber near me.’ If you were in the top three results, you’d get clicks. Pretty straightforward.

But AI search works differently. When someone asks ChatGPT ‘I need a plumber who can come today,’ the AI doesn’t just look for those exact words. Behind the scenes, it’s actually asking 20+ related questions at the same time, such as:

• Who offers emergency plumbing?
• What’s their response time?
• Do they serve my area?
• How much does emergency service cost?
• Are they licensed and insured?
• What do their reviews say?
• Do they handle my specific problem?
• Can they come on weekends?

Then AI reads through dozens of plumbing websites looking for answers to ALL of those questions, and recommends the 2-3 businesses that have the clearest, most complete information.

Here’s the problem: Most plumbing websites only answer 2 or 3 of those hidden questions. They might say ‘we’re here when you need us’ or ‘serving the area for 15 years.’ That sounds good to people, but AI can’t work with vague information. It doesn’t know if ‘here when you need us’ means 24/7 or just business hours. It doesn’t know what ‘the area’ means – Bellingham? Whatcom County? Western Washington?

So even if you have great information, if it’s not on your website in a way AI can find and understand, you get skipped. AI recommends the businesses that answer all those hidden questions clearly.

AI search is a winner-takes-all model. It generates 15-20 hidden questions about your service, then recommends the 2-3 businesses with the most complete answers. Everyone else is invisible—even if they rank #1 on Google. So while rankings are still important, it’s a whole new SEO ballgame that’s called GEO (Generative Engine Optimization)

We figure out every question AI is secretly asking about your type of business, then we make sure your website answers all of them:

• Not just ’emergency service’ but ’24/7 emergency service with 45-minute average response time in Bellingham city limits, 60 minutes in Ferndale and Lynden’
• Not just ‘licensed and insured’ but ‘Washington State contractor license #12345, 15 years serving Whatcom County, 847 five-star Google reviews’
• Not just ‘we fix burst pipes’ but complete information about what causes them in Bellingham’s older homes, what the repair process looks like, how long it takes, what it costs, and how insurance claims work

We’re essentially anticipating every angle AI explores and making sure you have answers. Your competitors might cover the obvious stuff, but they’re missing 80% of what AI is actually looking for. That’s why they don’t get recommended and you do.

We take all the expertise and credibility you already have and structure it the way AI needs to see it – answering not just what customers ask, but everything AI searches for behind the scenes.

When someone searches for “emergency plumber” or asks ChatGPT for a recommendation, AI doesn’t just match keywords anymore. Behind the scenes, it runs a three-stage process that most local businesses don’t understand—and that’s why they stay invisible even when they rank well on Google.

First, AI expands the original question into 15-20 related queries. Then it searches multiple platforms simultaneously, looking for businesses that can answer all of those questions. Finally, it filters everything it finds through six quality checkpoints, eliminating vague or incomplete information.

Only the businesses that survive all three stages get recommended. Here’s how the process actually works—and why most of your competitors are failing at stage one.

You Can’t Keyword Research Your Way Into AI Search

The questions AI asks don’t show up in keyword tools. That’s why comprehensive coverage matters—you’re answering questions customers don’t even know they’re asking.

When someone searches for “emergency plumber near me,” AI doesn’t just look for those exact words. Behind the scenes, it generates 10-28 related questions simultaneously: Who’s available now? What’s their response time? Do they serve my neighborhood? Are they licensed? What do reviews say? How much do they charge? Do they handle insurance claims?

When someone searches for “emergency plumber near me,” AI doesn’t just look for those exact words. Behind the scenes, it generates 10-28 related questions simultaneously:

• Who’s available now?
• What’s their response time?
• Do they serve my neighborhood?
• Are they licensed and insured?
• What do reviews say?
• How much do they charge?
• Do they handle insurance claims?
• Can they come on weekends?
• What’s their warranty?

This is called query fan-out, and it’s why traditional keyword optimization isn’t enough anymore. You can’t research these hidden questions in keyword tools—95% of them have zero monthly search volume. AI generates them on the fly based on what it predicts the customer actually needs to know.

Your competitors might optimize their homepage for “emergency plumber Bellingham.” But if their website only answers 3-4 of those hidden questions, they get skipped. AI recommends the businesses that provide clear answers to all of them—response times, service areas, pricing, credentials, availability, the whole picture.

 AI doesn’t just read your website. When someone asks for a recommendation, AI searches across your Google Business Profile, customer reviews, YouTube videos, social media, images, and anywhere else your business information might exist. It’s looking for consistent, complete information across all these sources.

“62% of ChatGPT’s citations come from outside Google search results.” — Profound research via Mike King, iPullRank

Here’s what most businesses don’t realize: 62% of what ChatGPT recommends comes from sources that don’t even rank on Google’s first page. Traditional search rankings matter, but AI is pulling from a much bigger pool. If your information only exists on your website, you’re missing the majority of opportunities.

This is why we build content ecosystems, not just websites. We make sure your expertise exists in multiple formats across multiple platforms—so no matter where AI looks, it finds you with clear, consistent answers. Your response time on your website needs to match your Google Business Profile. Your services list needs to align across all platforms. Inconsistency signals AI to skip you.

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Just because AI finds your content doesn’t mean it uses it. After searching multiple platforms, AI runs everything through six quality filters to decide what’s actually worth citing.

Your content needs to be:

• Scannable – Can AI read it easily?
• Specific – Not vague generalities
• Complete – Full information, not partial answers
• Credible – Trustworthy and verified
• Current – Up-to-date
• Accurate – Factually correct

This is where most businesses fail. They might have good information, but it’s buried in long paragraphs, uses vague language like “serving the area for years,” or lacks specific details AI can extract. Even if you rank #1 on Google, if your content doesn’t pass these filters, AI skips you and recommends a competitor whose information is clearer and more complete.

 “AI search is like a raffle. You don’t have control over the synthesis pipeline, but if you appear for as many of the inputs as possible, you are improving your chances of being the final choice.” — Mike King, iPullRank

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We don’t chase individual AI platform algorithms—that would be a disservice to our clients. Instead, we build comprehensive authority around your business, brand, and services that works across all AI systems because it’s genuinely thorough and clearly structured.

You’ve seen it yourself. Type a question into Google and AI gives you an answer right there—no clicking required. Ask ChatGPT for a business recommendation and it suggests 2-3 options instantly.

This isn’t coming. It’s here.

AI Overviews appeared in 7% of searches in June 2024. By November, that jumped to 20%. For some industries, it’s over a third of all searches. And here’s what most businesses don’t realize: you can rank #1 and still get no business because AI is answering the question without sending clicks to your website.

The NEW AI search model doesn’t just rank websites—it recommends businesses directly.

The Shift Is Real—And It’s Permanent

The numbers tell the story. AI Overviews appeared in just 7% of searches in June 2024. By November, that jumped to 20%. In some industries, it’s over a third of all searches. And it’s not slowing down—it’s accelerating.

Here’s what changed: “First-position rankings for valuable keywords don’t matter like they used to. Google’s AI Overviews have sprawled in both size and prevalence to such an extent that zero-click searches are becoming the norm, not the outlier.” Mike King, iPullRank QFO Deck 

Traditional rankings still matter as a foundation, but they no longer guarantee you get the business. AI decides who gets recommended, and that decision happens before anyone clicks.

Even more striking: 62% of what ChatGPT recommends comes from sources that don’t even rank on Google’s first page. The game has fundamentally changed. Ranking isn’t the finish line anymore—it’s the starting point.

Local Businesses Have an Unexpected Advantage

Here’s the surprising part: small local businesses actually have an edge in AI search that national directories can’t match.

Think about it. Angie’s List has generic information about thousands of plumbers across hundreds of cities. They can’t write detailed, specific content about emergency plumbing in Seattle’s older homes, or explain the unique pipe systems in Spokane’s historic neighborhoods. But you can. And AI rewards that specificity.

Remember: 95% of the questions AI generates don’t show up in keyword research tools. You can’t optimize for them using traditional methods. The only way to win is comprehensive local expertise—exactly what you already have. National directories operate at scale. You operate with depth.

For the first time in 15 years, depth beats scale in search.

The good news? This is your opportunity to out-local the big players. They can’t compete with your neighborhood-level knowledge and real customer experience.

The Digital Real Estate Land Grab Is Happening Now

This isn’t about a deadline. It’s about market positioning.

Right now, most businesses in your area haven’t done any of this. The first plumber in Bellingham to build comprehensive AI search coverage owns that digital territory. Once someone establishes authority across the topical clusters—emergency services, old home expertise, insurance claims, licensing, service areas—everyone else is fighting for what’s left.

The data backs this up: businesses appearing once in search results have a 9.7% chance of being cited by AI. Businesses appearing 7+ times hit 80%+. That’s SERP saturation—and it’s how you own your market.

“For SEO, the message is clear: optimize for AI visibility, track alternative metrics, build brand authority across platforms, and prepare for a world where the search results page is no longer the starting point.” — SEO Week 2025

Enterprise companies are just starting to figure this out. Your local competitors haven’t even heard of it yet. The businesses that move now will dominate their markets for years—just like early SEO adopters did a decade ago.

We specialize in AI Local SEO for Small Business—the companies customers need when something breaks, when they’re planning a project, or when they need expert help. Plumbers, HVAC contractors, electricians, dentists, lawyers, real estate agents, restaurants, medical practices, and dozens of other local service businesses.

If customers search for what you do, AI needs to recommend you. We’ve built specialized strategies for 22 different business types, each optimized for how customers in your industry actually search.

We offer three service tiers designed for businesses at different stages of growth—from building your foundation to dominating your entire market. All packages are month-to-month with no long-term contracts.

Our approach combines traditional SEO fundamentals with AI search optimization, ensuring you’re visible everywhere customers look for businesses like yours.

Most businesses have no idea whether AI systems like ChatGPT, Google AI, and Perplexity are recommending them—or recommending their competitors instead.

We’ll run a free AI visibility audit to show you exactly where you stand and if AI Local SEO for Small Business is right for y0u. You’ll see how you appear (or don’t appear) when customers ask AI for businesses like yours in your area, and what it would take to start getting recommended consistently.