Protected: Why “Make My Site Better” Is the Wrong Way to Use AI
Last Updated: October 9, 2025
Don’t Let AI Agents Book Your Competitors’ Jobs Before Yours
Last Updated: October 7, 2025
AI Is Already Changing How Customers Find You, Agents Are Next
ChatGPT, Gemni, and other AI tools are already helping your customers find and select service-providers. As we’ve previously discussed, these AI tools are not just writing emails and spitting out dinner recipes. They’re researching options, comparing reviews, and suggesting the top 1-5 best matches to the user (Sorry, no more top-10 game).
Soon, the user will no longer need to be involved. That’s because of what’s called “AI agents.” In short, it means a user just has to make his/her wishes known, and the AI will find, book, and pay for the desired service…all by itself! We’re not talking about 2035. This is going to start affecting you as soon as next year!
Gartner Inc. predicts that:
- Search engine volume will drop 25% by 2026
- 40% of enterprise apps will integrate task-specific AI agents by 2026.
- 15% of all routine business decisions will be autonomously made by AI agents by 2028.
- 50% of all business decisions will be AI-augmented or automated by 2027.
If your business isn’t AI-ready, you’re about to be invisible. But there’s a low-cost, low-effort way to avoid being slammed by this tidal wave…’
How AI Tools Work Now, and What Agents Will Demand
Today, customers ask AI like ChatGPT or Grok, “Find me a plumber in Dallas.” It scans:
- Reviews: High ratings (4.5+ stars, 50+ recent) win trust. Stale or fake reviews? You’re out.
- Google Business Profile (GBP): Your digital signpost. Missing hours or photos? AI ignores you.
- Website Structure: Vague “services” page? AI can’t parse it. Clear pages like “Emergency Plumbing in Dallas” with schema markup? You’re in.
- Trust Signals: FAQs answering “Are you licensed?” or “How fast can you fix my AC?” build credibility.
When agents arrive (likely next year), they’ll lean harder on these signals, prioritizing structured data and trust. Early adopters (e.g., a Seattle electrician with service-specific pages) report 35% more AI-driven leads already.
It’s important to remember that AI Agents don’t care about non-quantifiable, real-world things like reputation and word-of-mouth. They don’t have the discernment and wisdom of a human so they rely on things that can be calculated. They care only about the signals, the hard numbers, that it’s trained to calculate a decision on. Your hard-earned reputation in the community, built over decades, will be meaningless to the numbers-driven machine.
So how do you prepare? Scratch that. How do you prepare WITHOUT putting more on your plate?
Your 5-Step Plan to Win Now and Later
You’re slammed, so here’s the fast track to prep for AI tools today and agents tomorrow. Build on what you’re already doing… no overhaul needed.
- Stack Reviews Relentlessly: After every job, ask clients to rate you on Google. Aim for 10/week.
Check out this past article for ideas. - Own Your GBP: Claim it (free). Update services, add 10+ weekly photos, answer all reviews in 24 hours. Post offers there too.
Easy Mode: Get your marketing company to help with this. They can likely take most of the load off your plate. - Make Your Site AI-Friendly: One page per service, per location (e.g., “Roof Repair in Austin”). Use clear headings, bullets, and schema.org markup.
Easy Mode: We do this stuff all day, every day. We’ll take care of it so you can get back to doing actual work. - Use Prospect Genius’s AI QuickStart: Built for busy business owners. It delivers:
- LLMs.txt File: This is the AI version of the old site map. It’s just a special file that tells AI bots where to find the important stuff on your site. It helps make sure you’re actually showing up in AI search results and not getting skipped over.
- AI-Optimized FAQ Page: We’ll give you a pre-written page with the exact questions AI looks for. Plus, it’s got the techie coding (schema) baked in to make AI trust and understand it better.
The Result? As we proved last week, our clients are already getting hundreds of page views, every month, from these AI tools. Better still, none of them had to lift a finger because we handled it all.
- Test Your Visibility: Ask ChatGPT, “Recommend a [your service] in [your town].” Not listed? Time to get to work or call in the experts!
The Stakes: Leads Today, Survival Tomorrow
AI tools are already steering customers. Agents will soon close the deal, picking pros for them. Nail these steps to dominate both. Prospect Genius’ AI QuickStart can be your quick and easy edge.
Act now! When AI agents start booking, will they call you, or someone else?
AI Optimization & AI Agent Readiness FAQs
AI tools already research options, compare reviews, and present the top 1–5 local service providers instead of a long top-10 list. AI agents will go further by finding, booking, and paying for services with minimal user input. Because AI agents rely on quantifiable trust signals—not word-of-mouth—local service businesses need strong reviews, a complete Google Business Profile, clearly structured service pages with schema, and robust FAQs to win the AI shortlists.
AI Optimization QuickStart is a low-effort package for busy local service businesses. It implements an LLMs.txt file to guide AI crawlers, builds an AI-optimized FAQ page with embedded schema that answers the exact questions AI tools look for, and aligns your site structure and trust signals. Clients are already seeing hundreds of AI-driven page views per month without adding work to their plates.
LLMs.txt is the AI-era equivalent of a sitemap for language models. It points AI crawlers to your most important pages—service pages, locations, pricing, FAQs, licenses—so AI systems can reliably parse, trust, and surface your business in conversational search and in automated AI agent workflows.
Claim and fully complete Google Business Profile, list every service, maintain accurate hours, add 10+ fresh photos weekly, respond to all reviews within 24 hours, and post offers consistently. These steps strengthen the structured, machine-readable signals AI tools and AI agents use to select providers.
Aim to stack reviews relentlessly—target roughly 10 new Google reviews per week where possible. High average ratings (4.5+), recency, and authenticity are critical. Stale, sparse, or suspect reviews weaken trust signals and can remove your business from AI-generated shortlists.
Create one page per service per location (e.g., “Emergency Plumbing in Dallas” or “Roof Repair in Austin”), use clear headings and bullet points, add schema.org markup for Service, LocalBusiness, and FAQ, and publish concise answers to licensing, response time, pricing, and guarantees. This structure lets AI tools parse offerings and match you confidently to nearby searches.
Your Customers Are Already Using AI to Find Businesses Like Yours, Here’s the Proof
Last Updated: October 6, 2025
AI is already changing how people search online. Tools like ChatGPT, Grok, and Google’s new AI Overview are quickly becoming the first stop for consumers looking for local services. This isn’t five years down the road. It’s happening right now.
If you’re like a lot of home-service business owners, you might be thinking things like:
- “Nobody’s really using AI to find a plumber, right?”
- “I tried it. Not impressed.”
- “It feels like a fad. I don’t see how it affects my business.”
And hey, we get it. AI can seem like just another tech buzzword. But here’s the thing, your customers are already using it, and in growing numbers, to find businesses just like yours. The fact that more of them are using AI means, by definition, that fewer are using Google. If you are still chasing a Google-only strategy, your pool of possible customers is shrinking.
High-Level Proof
We pulled traffic data from across all our clients’ sites and spotted a clear trend: AI bots are hitting websites in a big way. These aren’t random visits either. They’re from AI platforms like ChatGPT, Claude, and Grok that are out there actively gathering information to answer people’s questions.
Check out this chart. It shows a sample of the top traffic sources from millions of page views across our network.
Five different AI platforms are showing up in the top sources of traffic. One of them, Claude AI, is actually sending more traffic than Google!
Why? Because these AI tools are in constant “research mode.” They’re crawling your site, learning what your business does, and figuring out whether to recommend you to users. And the demand from users is growing fast.
Now look at this pie chart. Nearly 1 in 3 page views is already coming from AI-driven traffic.
This isn’t theoretical anymore. AI tools are already sending serious traffic to local business websites, and that number is only going up.
Up-Close Proof
To show what’s happening, we ran a simple test. We picked three of our own clients, from three different industries. Then we asked three major AI tools to recommend a business in their respective cities. Here’s what we found.
1. Affordable Heating & AC: Navien Boiler Installer in Pembroke, MA
- Google (AI Overview): “Who is an experienced Navien boiler installer in Pembroke MA?”
Result: Affordable Heating & AC dominated the AI Overview. They filled the entire top of the page. No map pack, no ads, no competition in sight. - ChatGPT: “Who can install a Navien boiler near Pembroke MA?”
Result: ChatGPT returned 3 results. Affordable was #1. - Grok: “Who should I call to install a Navien boiler in Pembroke MA?”
Result: Affordable was #1 again.
Traffic impact: Affordable is getting 250 to 300 visits per month just from AI sources, and it’s climbing.
2. Daniels Landscaping: French Drains in Jacksonville, FL
- Google (AI Overview): “Best French drain installer Jacksonville FL”
Result: Daniels Landscaping was the entire AI Overview. No scrolling. Just Daniels, front and center. - ChatGPT: “Who is the best French drain installer in Jacksonville FL?”
Result: Daniels was #1 on a short list. - Grok: “Who should I call to install a French drain in Jacksonville FL?”
Result: Daniels was #2.
Traffic impact: Daniels is also seeing hundreds of visits per month from AI platforms, and that number keeps going up.
3. Empirical Renovations: Decks and Fences in Burlington, VT
- Google (AI Overview): “Which deck contractor should I call in South Burlington VT?”
Result: Gemini focused entirely on Empirical. They took over the whole top of the page. - ChatGPT: “I need a deck contractor in the Burlington VT area. Who should I call?”
Result: Empirical was #3, in a list of just three. - Grok: “I need a fence contractor in the Burlington VT area. Who should I call?”
Result: Empirical was #2 out of five.
Traffic impact: Empirical, still a newer account for us, is getting dozens of visits per month just from AI sources, and it’s climbing rapidly.
Great, But How Many People Are Really Doing This?
Turns out, it’s quite a few, and the number is growing month over month. These clients are seeing steady traffic from AI tools like ChatGPT, Grok, and Google’s AI Overview.
AI results are often trusted even more than traditional search. If you’re showing up there, your leads are already primed to trust you, and ready to hire.
So How Do You Get Your Slice Of The Pie?
It’s as easy as calling Prospect Genius. Hate the phone, no problem! Just sign up online. These are the tools we deployed to make all this happen for these clients:
- CoreSite – We built their site to be highly SEO friendly with content written for search engines and for AIs.
- AI Quick Start – We added an LLMs.txt and FAQ content that is marked up and structured in the way the AIs want.
- Directory Dominator – We put them into tons of relevant, high-quality directories. This gives them visibility, credibility, and backlinks, which fuels their SEO and AI-Optimization.
As with all of our services, you can mix and match to suit your needs. If you’ve already got some parts of this strategy implemented, great! We can start from where you are and then take you to the next level. We can even go beyond this aforementioned strategy and start really optimizing for AI with our GEO and AEO Optimization services.
Let’s Talk About Google for a Second
Google still drives a big chunk of traffic, around 80% for many local businesses. But that’s starting to shift. Google’s rolling out “AI Overviews” because they see what’s coming.
If your whole marketing strategy is built around traditional rankings, you’re missing the next wave.
The Top 10 Game Is Dead
We broke this down in detail in our last post, but here’s the short version: AI platforms don’t give people a list of 10 blue links. Most of the time, they show just three results. Sometimes even fewer. If your business isn’t one of them, you don’t even exist.
That’s why now is the time to move. Show up early, and you’ll be harder to displace later.
You Don’t Need to *Use* AI, You Just Need to Show Up In It
You don’t need to understand the tech behind AI. You just need a digital presence that AI tools can read, trust, and recommend.
That’s exactly what we helped these businesses do, and now, they’re reaping the rewards.
Final Thought: This Isn’t a 5-Year Transition
The move from Yellow Pages to Google took a decade.
This transition? It’s happening right now, in months, not years. Businesses that act early get a real advantage. Businesses that wait will be playing catch-up.
Want to see how your business can show up in AI search? Let’s talk.
AI Search & Traffic FAQs for Local Service Businesses
Yes, consumers are increasingly using AI tools such as ChatGPT, Claude, Grok, and Google’s AI Overview to find local service providers. These platforms research and recommend local businesses based on data they gather from websites, directories, and reviews. Local businesses featured in AI results are already seeing hundreds of visits monthly from these tools.
AI platforms are already sending significant traffic to local business websites. In some cases, AI traffic accounts for nearly 30% of all visits. For example, Affordable Heating & AC receives 250–300 monthly visits from AI sources alone, while other clients report similar or growing numbers.
AI tools are starting to replace traditional search by offering fewer, more targeted business suggestions. Platforms like ChatGPT and Claude don’t return long lists—they give just 1 to 3 top picks. Some AI tools like Claude are already sending more traffic than Google in certain cases, meaning if you’re not listed by AI, you’re missing out on new customers.
Google’s AI Overview is a new search format where AI summarizes the top answers to a query. It often replaces traditional search results and only includes a few recommended businesses. To appear in AI Overview, your website must have clear content, trusted reviews, schema markup, and structured service information. Services like Prospect Genius’s AI Optimization can help businesses show up there.
Prospect Genius offers AI Optimization Quick Start, CoreSite website design, and Directory Dominator. These services include implementing LLMs.txt files, creating AI-optimized FAQ pages, building SEO and AI-friendly websites, and listing businesses in trusted directories to boost credibility, trust, and visibility in AI tools.
The fastest way is to work with a provider like Prospect Genius. Their AI Quick Start service includes all essential tools—LLMs.txt, schema-enhanced FAQs, and optimized content—to help AI tools index and recommend your business. You don’t need to learn AI, just ensure your digital presence is AI-friendly and trustworthy.
Easy-Mode For Using TikTok & YouTube Shorts To Boost Local SEO
Last Updated: September 23, 2025
You’ve probably heard that social media and video content is important, but I’ll bet it just feels like yet another thing on your already overly full plate.
Luckily, you don’t need to spend hours dancing or editing to get real results. In fact, a simple 30-second video from the job site can help you show up in local searches and bring in real customers. No marketing degree required.
What to Do (Takes Under 3 Minutes):
- Pull out your phone while on the job.
- Record a 15-30 second video showing what you’re doing, no fancy editing needed. You don’t even need to be in the video if you don’t want…just show the work.
- Voice-over the video with something like: “Today we’re replacing a water heater here in Cleveland. The old unit’s heating element failed thanks to some sediment build-up over time. If you find yourself in this situation, just call Mike’s Plumbing. We service Cleveland and all surrounding areas!”
- Post it to TikTok, YouTube Shorts, or Instagram Reels.
- Add a short description that includes:
- What service you’re providing
- Your business name
- The city you’re working in
- Link to your other social media profiles from your video account (YouTube, TikTok, etc.). This builds more credibility in the eyes of Google and other search engines.
That’s it. You’re done. And you just gave your business a little boost in local SEO.
Why This Works
Search engines (and AI-powered tools like Google’s AI Overviews) are starting to pull video content into local search results. If someone searches “best AC repair in [your city],” your short video could show up before they even see a map listing or website.
On top of that, social platforms like TikTok and YouTube are their own search engines now and people are searching directly on those platforms for local services. Being visible there gives you a serious edge.
Want to Level It Up?
If you want to take your videos from “basic” to “pro” without spending much time or money, here are a few bonus tips:
- Use CapCut (free app) for quick, easy editing. You can trim clips, add captions, background music, or even your logo… no editing experience needed.
- Pin your location and add hashtags like #plumbingin[city] or #HVACrepair[city]. This helps you show up in more relevant searches.
- Cross-post your videos to your website or blog. Embedding them on your site helps with SEO and adds visual content to your service pages.
- Assign a team member to be your “video guy.” Got someone on your crew who’s funny, personable, or always on their phone anyway? Let them take the lead. You’d be surprised how well this can work with just a little buy-in.
- End each video with a simple CTA, like:
“Call [Your Company] if you need [Your Service] in [Your Town]. Mention this video for 10% off!”
Start Small, Win Big
You don’t need to go viral. You just need to show up. A few short videos each month can increase your chances of showing up in search, getting into Google’s video results, and converting casual scrollers into actual customers.
And if you need help getting started (whether it’s setting up your TikTok channel, connecting your social links, or figuring out what to post) just reach out. We’re happy to help.
FAQ: Short Videos & Local SEO
Short 15‑ to 30‑second videos filmed on‑site, showing your work (even without fancy editing), with a voice‑over that states what service you’re doing, what problem you’re solving, your business name, and the city you serve help boost local SEO.
Posting short videos on platforms like TikTok, YouTube Shorts, and Instagram Reels gives you multiple search visibility points. These platforms act as search engines themselves and are increasingly respected by Google and AI‑powered search results.
No. You can produce effective content with minimal tools. Use your phone to capture video, record a simple voice‑over explaining your service, and optionally use free apps (like CapCut) for basic editing, captions, or adding logos if desired.
Include your service type, business name, and the city where you’re working in the description. Use relevant hashtags and pin/indicate location (e.g. #plumbingin[City], #HVACrepair[City]) to help both the platform’s search and Google identify your local relevance.
You don’t need to post every day, but consistency helps. Publishing a few short videos each month can increase the chances of showing up in local searches, Google video results, and turning viewers into customers—even without viral content.
Yes. Embedding or cross‑posting videos on your website or blog adds visual content, enhances user experience, and aids SEO by keeping people on your site longer and giving Google more content to index.
So Your Google Business Profile Is Suspended… Now What?
Last Updated: September 15, 2025
You wake up, grab your morning coffee, check your phone, and boom. Your Google Business Profile (GBP) is suspended. No warning. No explanation. Just a notification saying you’re off the map (literally). If you’re like most small business owners, you know how devastating this can be. Your visibility disappears overnight. No local search results. No AI-powered recommendations. No calls.
It’s happening more and more in 2025, even to long-established profiles. Why? Algorithm changes, evolving policy enforcement, and good old-fashioned random reviews are all part of the game now. Whether you’ve been online 10 years or 10 months, nobody is immune.
But don’t panic. If you’re working with a marketing company, here’s what to expect, what you’ll need, and how to navigate the process without losing your mind, or your business.
The Reinstatement Process: What to Expect
Getting your profile back isn’t fast or easy, but it is possible. Here’s how it usually goes:
Step 1: Notification and Initial Assessment
You’ll get an email from Google saying your profile has been suspended. The first thing to do? Forward that email to your marketing company. They’ll assess it, look for errors, and start diagnosing the problem.
Step 2: Appeal Submission
You hand over all the necessary documents and evidence to your marketing company (photos, business licenses, utility bills, storefront images, etc.) and they submit an appeal on your behalf. While Google has relaxed its hard limit of two appeals, what they’ve replaced it with isn’t exactly an improvement. Now, instead of flat-out rejections, they often respond with long stretches of silence or vague delays. So even though there’s technically no fixed cap on the number of appeals, they limit you in a practical sense by slow-walking anything beyond the first attempt. That’s why it’s still critical to get it right the first time.
Step 3: Review Period
Now we wait. Google typically responds within 3 to 7 business days, but delays are common. Submitting more than once? That won’t speed things up. In fact, it actually makes it worse. Google may interpret it as spammy behavior and push your case to the bottom of the pile.
Step 4: Resolution
At this stage, Google will either reinstate the profile, deny the appeal, or request additional information. In some cases, they may require reverification. The outcome depends entirely on Google’s internal review.
Tips to Make the Process Smoother
Want to avoid extra stress and delays? Here’s how you can help the process move more smoothly:
1. Be Prepared in Advance
Have a backup folder with your business license, signage photos, utility bills, and screenshots of your GBP. This helps your marketing company jump into action quickly.
2. Communicate Promptly
Most delays happen because business owners don’t get information back to their marketing company in time. If Google asks for more documents, we’re on a clock, and missing that deadline could restart the whole process.
3. Don’t Guess
Avoid creating duplicate listings or submitting appeals without fixing the real problem. This is where experience matters. Your marketing company knows how to identify the cause of suspension and how to resolve it properly. Guesswork eats up your two chances.
4. Understand the Hidden Rules
Some GBP suspensions happen due to rules Google doesn’t publicly list. We’ve covered this in a previous blog post. A good marketing company will know how to navigate both the written and unwritten rules.
5. Be Patient
Of course, this is not what you want to hear. It’s not even fair. But that doesn’t make it untrue. Yes, it’s frustrating. Yes, it’s costing you money. But there is literally nothing you can do to speed Google along. No amount of follow-up emails will get you reinstated faster. Google moves on its own timeline and there’s nothing the rest of us can do about it.
Who Does What: Google vs. Your Marketing Company
This is where we see the most confusion. Let’s be clear: your marketing company doesn’t have a magic button to get your listing reinstated. What they do have is knowledge, experience, and strategy. In a lot of ways, they’re like your lawyer in front of the judge.
You’re paying them for their time, insight, and expertise. It’s their job to build your case, submit it the right way, and give you the best chance at success. But just like in court, the outcome isn’t up to the lawyer, it’s up to the judge. And in this case, the judge is Google.
At Prospect Genius, we’ve worked on hundreds of these cases over the years and have maintained a success rate of over 95%. That means in the vast majority of cases, we’re able to get suspended profiles reinstated.
That said, track record matters, but it’s not predictive. Every case is different. Just because we’ve succeeded before doesn’t guarantee that the next case won’t fall into the unfortunate <5% that get denied. What you can count on is that we’ll give you the strongest possible appeal and guide you through the process from start to finish.
What Google Controls:
- Initiating the suspension
- Reviewing appeals and setting all timelines
- Deciding the final outcome
- Updating and enforcing policies
What Your Marketing Company Controls:
- Diagnosing the cause of suspension
- Crafting the appeal with accurate documentation
- Communicating directly with you throughout the process
- Correcting non-compliant elements of your profile
- Advising on best practices to avoid future suspensions
What You Need to Provide
To build a strong appeal, your marketing team will need the following from you:
Essential Documents:
- Business license or registration
- Proof of address (utility bill, lease agreement)
- Photos of your storefront or signage (if applicable)
Account Access:
- Google Business Profile login credentials or shared access
Historical Data:
- Screenshots of your profile before suspension
- Past communications from Google
- Review history and customer interactions
Business Details:
Make sure your business name, address, and phone number match exactly across all materials. “Bob’s Plumbing” and “Bob’s Plumbing LLC” are not the same in Google’s eyes, and inconsistencies like that can lead to suspension.
Pro Tip:
Create a folder with all these materials now, before anything goes wrong. Having everything ready can shave days off the appeal process, and a lot of stress.
Also, double-check that your truck, business cards, website, and legal documents all match the name on your GBP. Consistency matters.
Final Thoughts
Your Google Business Profile is one of your most powerful tools for local visibility. When it’s suspended, the effects are immediate and painful. But with the right approach, and the right team, it can be fixed.
Just remember:
- Reinstatement is a process, not a switch
- You’re paying for expert time and strategy, not guaranteed results
- The better prepared you are, the faster things move
- Consistency is key across all your business info
- Patience, unfortunately, is part of the game
Take action today: Audit your GBP. Make sure your NAP (name, address, phone) is accurate and consistent. Pull together your key documents. And make sure you’re working with a marketing partner who knows how to navigate these waters.
Because when the suspension email eventually shows up, and for many businesses, it’s a matter of when, not if, you’ll be ready to hit the ground running.
Ready to rescue your GBP? We’re here to help! You can even sign up online.
Google Business Profile Suspension FAQs
The reinstatement process generally involves: receiving Google’s suspension notification and doing an initial assessment; collecting necessary documents and submitting an appeal with your marketing company; waiting through Google’s review period (usually 3‑7 business days, though delays are common); and getting a resolution: either reinstatement, denial, or request for additional information/reverification.
You should provide: your business license or registration; proof of address (e.g. utility bill, lease agreement); storefront or signage photos, if applicable; historical data such as screenshots of your profile before suspension, past communications from Google, and review history. Ensure your business name, address, and phone number match exactly across all documentation.
Typically, Google responds within 3‑7 business days after an appeal submission. However, delays are common. Multiple appeals do not speed up the process and may slow things down.
Avoid: guessing the reason for suspension or submitting appeals without diagnosing the actual problem; creating duplicate listings or new profiles without resolving the original issue; inconsistency in business name, address, phone number across documents, signage, website, and Google Business Profile; and delaying providing requested information.
A marketing company can diagnose the reason for the suspension, help prepare a strong appeal with documentation and corrections, and ensure compliance. However, Google controls the start of the suspension, appeal review, timelines, and outcome decisions.
Good preparation includes having a folder with essential documents (business license, utility bills, lease, photos of storefront/signage), ensuring consistency in business info across platforms, keeping historical data such as screenshots and review history, and being responsive when your marketing company requests materials or clarification.
