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AI search.
What changed in how Google, ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity and Gemini pick businesses to recommend, and what to do about it. Sourced, plain English, new every other day.
Google rewrote its "Crawled - currently not indexed" help text. What a local service business should check before it worries.
Google now says "Crawled - currently not indexed" is common and often needs no action. How a local business can check that its key pages are in Google.
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ChatGPT appears to be testing a "Claim your business" dashboard. What a local service business should do before it arrives.
OpenAI is reportedly testing a tool that shows verified businesses how often ChatGPT mentions them. What a local service business can prepare now.
Google AI Mode now sends home service bookings through Jobber, Housecall Pro and Angi. What a local service business should check.
Google AI Mode now links to bookings and quotes through Jobber, Housecall Pro and Angi in the US. What a local service business should check first.
Google is moving AI Overviews into the box beside brand searches. What a local service business should check when it searches its own name.
Google now shows AI Overviews in the right column for many brand searches, where knowledge panels sat. What a local business should check on its own name.
Google and Bing will honor one robots.txt line that opts a website out of AI training. Why a local service business should be careful with it.
Google and Microsoft will honor a shared AI training opt-out in robots.txt in 2027. Why a local business should not block AI answers by mistake.
Google will now show ads in AI Mode follow-up answers. What a local service business should know about paid and earned AI answers.
Google launched multiturn ads in AI Mode in the US and expanded AI Mode ads to 10 countries. What it means for a local business's ads and organic AI answers.
Google is putting Gemini in charge of more Business Profile work. What a local service business should check before it connects.
Google launched a Gemini business hub that connects to Business Profile and a Gemini-built Business Home beta. What a local service business should check first.
Three new studies say ChatGPT sends a tiny share of website traffic next to Google. What a local service business should take from them.
October 2026 studies found Google organic sends far more traffic and conversions than ChatGPT. What that means for a local service business's priorities.
Search Console has a switch that removes your website from Google's AI Overviews and AI Mode. Why most local businesses should leave it alone.
Google's Search Console setting can exclude your site from AI Overviews and AI Mode. What it does, and what a local service business should check.
Yelp's AI assistant now books plumbers, HVAC techs and electricians. What a local service business should check on its Yelp page.
Yelp's October 20, 2026 release lets its AI assistant book service pros directly. What it means for plumbers, HVAC and other local service businesses.
Google's Gemini can now phone your business for a customer. How to handle the call.
Gemini's Call for Me feature phones businesses to get quotes and book appointments for customers. What the caller says and how to answer or opt out.
Bing now shows which AI answers cite your competitors and not you. What a local business should do with it.
Bing Webmaster Tools now lists AI queries where other sites get cited and yours does not. What the October 13, 2026 beta means for a local business.
Google is putting more links in AI Overviews and AI Mode. Here is what changes for a local business.
On October 15, 2026 Google announced more inline links, a test that pins official pages to the top of AI answers, and clickable creator names. What it means if you run a local service business.
Your business name is probably missing from your own page titles
We audited a landscaper whose name appeared in none of its seven page titles. The audit then counted the company as its own competitor. Here is how to check yours.
Buying a local business? Add an AI visibility check to your diligence
Acquirers underwrite reviews, ad spend and Google rankings. Almost none check how the target shows up when a customer asks AI who to hire.
How to check what ChatGPT says about your business in 15 minutes
A do-it-yourself AI visibility check for local service businesses: which questions to ask, which assistants to use, and how to read the answers.
What AI visibility means for a local service business, and why it is not SEO
Customers now ask AI assistants who to hire. Here is what decides whether one names your business, and why ranking on Google does not settle it.
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