As someone who has worked in digital marketing and web design for nearly a decade, I have never seen such a significant shift in how customers (myself included) are using technology to find answers and businesses. As a lifelong Googler, I have made the shift to using AI instead of Googling (Unless I’m Googling the score of the live Eagles game, I don’t think AI is that up to date yet).
It’s not just me. Your customers are probably asking ChatGPT, Google’s AI Mode, and Perplexity who to hire. My riding lawn mower broke one day, ChatGPT and subsequently YouTube helped me identify the problem. The fix was complex and I was short on time as it was. I said “Nope” and went back to ChatGPT to suggest lawnmower repair companies.
Ranking on Search Engines is still critical, but there is a noticeable shift towards AI happening.
Digital marketing agencies have a general sense of how to rank a website on Google and Bing – but we’re left to wonder: How do these tools actually decide which businesses to recommend? Instead of just assuming, “If I have great SEO, AI will love me too,” I did my own research for local searches here in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.
Here’s what I did:
I chose two industries where people frequently search for local help: legal services and home contracting. For each, I ran one broad search and two specific ones:
- Legal: “lawyer in Lansdale PA,” “DUI lawyer in Lansdale PA,” and “estate planning attorney near North Wales PA”
- Contracting: “contractor in Lansdale PA,” “roof repair in Lansdale PA,” and “bathroom remodel in North Wales PA”
I ran all six searches in Google AI Mode, ChatGPT, and Perplexity on October 26, 2026, and recorded every business each tool named and every source it cited. That’s 18 answers in total.
Being transparent, I ran each search from my own logged in accounts. Some answers were personalized to me. AI answers also change between sessions. Treat this as a potentially personalized snapshot, not an official ranking. I’ll rerun the same searches in a few months and publish what changed.
The results at a glance
| Search | Google AI Mode | ChatGPT | Perplexity | Named by all three |
| lawyer in Lansdale PA (broad) | 7 general practice firms | 5 firms | 5 firms | Law Offices of Carla Trongone |
| DUI lawyer in Lansdale PA | 5 attorneys | 4 attorneys | 5 attorneys | Edwin L. Guyer |
| estate planning attorney near North Wales PA | 7 firms | 4 firms | 4 firms | None |
| contractor in Lansdale PA (broad) | 4 remodelers | 5 contractors | 3 contractors | None |
| roof repair in Lansdale PA | 6 roofers | 4 roofers | 4 roofers | Nealman Construction |
| bathroom remodel in North Wales PA | 5 remodelers | 4 remodelers | 4 remodelers | None |
Out of dozens of businesses named, only three appeared in all three tools for the same search. Let’s dig in.
Finding 1: Get specific, and the list changes completely
When I searched “lawyer in Lansdale PA,” every tool returned nearby general practice firms, then asked me what kind of lawyer I actually needed. The AI understood the question was broad, so it gave a broad answer.
When I searched “DUI lawyer in Lansdale PA,” almost none of those firms appeared that were mentioned in the board request. Google and ChatGPT both put Zachary Cooper and Ed Guyer at or near the top. Both focus on DUI defense, and both are based in Blue Bell, not Lansdale. A quick Google search of “DUI defense lawyers Lansdale” shows that there are DUI lawyers in Lansdale, PA.
The same thing happened with contractors. Not one business from the broad “contractor in Lansdale” requested showed up for “roof repair in Lansdale.” The specific request went to dedicated roofing specialists.
This matters because specific searches are the ones closest to a hire. Someone typing “DUI lawyer in Lansdale” needs a lawyer sooner than later. If you’re a generalist relying on being the closest option, the AI will send that customer to a specialist in the next town.
Finding 2: You can win a town you’re not located in
Ed Guyer’s office is in Blue Bell, but his website has a page titled “DUI Attorney in Blue Bell & Lansdale PA.” Google’s AI Mode cited that page directly, and he was the only DUI attorney named by all three tools.
Perplexity recommended C&C Family Roofing, based in Hatboro, and JCF Construction, based in Blue Bell, for roof repair in Lansdale, because their sites say plainly that they serve Lansdale. Neither appeared in Google or ChatGPT.
A page that names your service and the town you want to win is one of the clearest signals these tools respond to.
Finding 3: Looks like Google and ChatGPT read your Google profile. Perplexity reads your website.
This was the biggest surprise.
Google AI Mode and ChatGPT built their lists mostly from Google Business Profile data: ratings, review counts, business category, and distance. Their answers came with maps and star ratings.
Perplexity barely used that data. It cited firms’ own websites and industry directories like Justia. Its picks reflected what each business had published:
- For “bathroom remodel in North Wales,” Perplexity ranked Creative Contracting first because the company had published a North Wales bathroom project case study on its site. From my perspective, this is an incredible insight as a business owner. Perplexity didn’t just name the company, it explained why it was a good fit, using the company’s own words (More on how to write one in the monthly plan below)
- For estate planning, Perplexity recommended Rubin, Glickman, Steinberg & Gifford first, saying the firm’s own site clearly describes its estate planning services and a free consultation.
So a business with a great Google profile and a thin website can show up in Google and ChatGPT and be invisible in Perplexity. A business with no website at all doesn’t exist to Perplexity. I think the key here is to do both well.
Finding 4: The pages AI cites aren’t always the businesses it recommends
When Google’s AI Mode explained bathroom remodeling in North Wales, it cited Volpe Design Build’s page “Bathroom Renovations in North Wales, PA” three times, for timelines and permits. But Volpe wasn’t on its list of recommended remodelers. The same happened with Slutsky Elder Law’s Montgomery County estate planning page.
There are two prizes in AI search: being recommended and being cited as the expert. A strong Google profile helps you win the recommendation. Helpful pages about your service in your town help you win as a source.
Finding 5: Ratings matter less than you’d think (but are still very important)
Most owners assume AI just picks the highest-rated business. My findings suggest otherwise. Google’s AI Mode listed a law firm with a 2.8 rating first for “lawyer in Lansdale,” likely because it was about a mile away. ChatGPT included a contractor with a 1.0 rating in its broad contractor list.
Reviews still matter. Every business that appeared in all three tools had strong ones. But a perfect rating won’t save you if the AI can’t tell what you do or where you do it.
What the three winners have in common
Carla Trongone, Ed Guyer, and Nealman Construction were the only businesses named by all three tools for the same search. Each has:
- A complete Google Business Profile with solid reviews
- A website that clearly states the service and the towns served
- A clear focus that matches the search
That combination is what gets a business recommended everywhere. Most local businesses have one or two of these, not all three.
If you’re a business owner or a marketer reading this post, here is what I would suggest:
If you have time to make some quick changes today:
- Claim and complete your Google Business Profile. Pick the most specific category that fits, list every service, set your service areas, and add real photos.
- Make sure your homepage says what you do and where, in plain words. “Roof repair and replacement in Lansdale, North Wales, and Hatfield” beats “Quality you can trust.”
- For “bathroom remodel in North Wales,” Perplexity ranked Creative Contracting first because the company had published a write-up of a North Wales bathroom remodel. Perplexity even used the project’s details to explain the pick: a larger shower, more storage, heated floors. That’s one result from one tool, but it fits everything else in this test. Pages that clearly show what you did and where get used. A good project write-up includes:
- The town in the title, like “Primary Bathroom Remodel in North Wales, PA”
- What the customer wanted, in plain words
- What you did and why, including trade-offs like budget choices
- The result: timeline, before-and-after photos, and a customer quote if you can get one
- Ask your three most recent happy customers for a Google review.
- Run this test yourself. Ask ChatGPT, Google AI Mode, and Perplexity for “[your service] in [your town]” and make note who shows up.
What you should plan to do soon:
- Build a page for each core service that names the towns you serve. One page for “roof repair,” one for “roof replacement,” and so on.
- Add one real project or case study with the town in it, like Creative Contracting’s North Wales bathroom.
- Get listed in the directories for your industry, such as Justia or Avvo for lawyers and Houzz for remodelers, plus Bing Places and Apple Business Connect.
- Rerun your AI test at the end of the month and compare.
How I apply this to TechHouse Agency
I ran TechHouse through this same playbook: tightened our Google profile, built location pages for Montgomery County and Philadelphia, and added a page for our AI search service. Within days, Google’s AI Overview was describing TechHouse almost word for word from our site copy. That’s the mechanism this whole post is about: write clearly about what you do and where, and the AI repeats it.
The TLDR
- Google My Business listing with reviews will get you on AI’s recommended list. Service-and-town pages to get cited.
- A clear focus to win the searches that turn into customers.
- making each service clear, instead of burying it in a list, is what wins the specific searches, which are the ones that turn into customers.
You need to get on this now. Your competitors aren’t waiting, and the longer you wait, the harder it will be to catch up. That being said, AI moves fast. What I noticed today are observations and just like SEO, can change. Also note that there are probably other recommending factors that were not as obvious. Either way, this is a great starting point.
If you want to know how your business shows up in AI search right now, request a free audit. I’ll run these same searches for your business and show you exactly what to fix. You can also see how we approach this for local businesses in Montgomery County and Philadelphia, or read about our AI search optimization service.
Colin
TechHouse Agency