In the US, 45% now ask AI who to call. A year ago: 6%.

By the numbers

The read

For years, getting found came down to one page: the Google map pack, with its three listings and star ratings. That page still matters, but a growing slice of customers never reach it. They ask an AI tool who the best plumber or electrician nearby is, and treat the answer as a shortlist. In the US, BrightLocal's 2026 survey found AI is now the third most used source of local business recommendations, behind only Google and Facebook.

Here's the part that should get a tradie's attention: the AI doesn't necessarily read the same signals Google does. It leans on your reviews, how recent they are, and how consistently your business is described across the web, not just your position on a search results page. A business that looks solid on Google can still be left out of an AI answer if those signals are thin or out of date. That's a new kind of invisible, and it can cost jobs before the phone ever rings.

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