Guide · By Alif, True & Level · Updated 2 October 2026

How trade firms get recommended by ChatGPT

Ask ChatGPT "who's a good roofer in Solihull?" and it names a handful of firms, with a line about each. More homeowners now ask that kind of question, in ChatGPT, Perplexity or Google's AI answers, before they pick up the phone. Below: how those firms get chosen, how to check what the tools say about you, and what you can do to be one of the names.

One honest point first: nobody controls these answers. They change from one question to the next, and no one can guarantee you'll be named. What you can do is make your firm easy for these tools to find, understand and trust.

How ChatGPT decides who to recommend

When someone asks ChatGPT about local firms, it usually searches the web, reads what it finds and writes a summary. ChatGPT's web search draws on search engine results, with Bing a big part of that, and on OpenAI's own crawler. Google's AI answers use Google's own index. In practice, the firms that get named tend to be the ones that are:

• Easy to find for that exact job and place, because a page on their website is about it.
• Clear about what they do and where, in a way a machine can read.
• Mentioned and reviewed in several places, so the tool can see other people vouching for them.
• Consistent, with the same name, phone number and services everywhere they appear.

How to check what AI tools say about you

1. Open ChatGPT and start a new chat.
2. Ask the question your customers would ask, word for word: "Who are the best roofers in Sutton Coldfield?" or "Can you recommend a loft conversion company in Solihull?"
3. Note which firms are named, and whether you are.
4. Ask again in a new chat, and try two or three variations. Answers vary, so one result on its own doesn't mean much.
5. Do the same in Perplexity and in a Google search (look at the AI summary at the top, if there is one).

Write down the results with the date. Checking the same questions every month is the only honest way to see whether anything is changing.

Eight things you can do

1. Have a page for each job and town you want

If you want to be recommended for flat roofs in Walsall, have a page about flat roofs in Walsall. Build it around a real job you did there, with your photos and a realistic price range. AI tools, like Google, look for the page that matches the question best.

2. Say clearly what you do and where

Your homepage headline, your page titles and your first paragraph should say in plain words what you do and which towns you cover. "Home" or a list of twelve towns in one line doesn't help anyone.

3. Add structured data to your website

Structured data is a short block of code that tells search engines, in their own format, that you're a roofing contractor or a builder, where you work and how to contact you. It's invisible to visitors. Ask whoever looks after your site whether it has "LocalBusiness" structured data, ideally the specific type such as RoofingContractor or GeneralContractor.

4. Get into Bing, not just Google

Because ChatGPT's search leans on Bing, being properly listed there matters more than most firms realise. Two free steps: add your website to Bing Webmaster Tools (it can import from Google Search Console in a few minutes), and claim your listing on Bing Places.

5. Make your details match everywhere

Same business name, phone number and list of services on your website, Google Business Profile, Bing Places, Apple Business Connect and directories such as Yell and FreeIndex, plus any trade bodies you belong to. Different numbers and old addresses make it harder for any tool to be sure it's the same firm.

6. Collect real reviews in more than one place

Ask every customer, not just the happy ones, and spread reviews across Google and one or two other platforms. Never write fake reviews or offer anything in return for them: both have been illegal in the UK since April 2025, and the platforms remove them.

7. Answer the questions customers ask

"How much does a new roof cost?" "Do I need planning permission for a dormer?" If your site answers these honestly, from your own experience, AI tools have something useful from you to quote.

8. Don't block the AI crawlers

Some websites accidentally block the bots that AI tools use to read pages. Your website's robots.txt file should allow them, including OAI-SearchBot (ChatGPT's search), GPTBot and PerplexityBot. Whoever manages your site can check this in a few minutes.

What doesn't work

• Pages that just swap the town name. Fifty copies of the same page with a different town in each are treated as low quality and can harm the whole site.
• Stuffing keywords or hidden text. It reads badly to people and machines alike.
• Anyone promising you'll be "number one in ChatGPT". The answers change constantly. Look for steady work and honest monthly checks instead.

We work with roofers, loft conversion companies and builders and extension firms across the West Midlands. More guides for trade firms →