A homeowner stares at their phone, breaker tripping for the third time tonight. They type into ChatGPT: "Best electrician near me that can come tomorrow." Three names appear. One gets the call.
ChatGPT doesn’t “rank” you the same way Google does, but the result feels the same: a small set of names it’s comfortable recommending. If you’re not in that set, you’re not getting the call. And here’s the part most trades miss, you can influence this without becoming a tech expert.
Try it yourself. Ask ChatGPT for a roofer, electrician, or garage door repair company in your town. Write down who it mentions and what it says about them. That’s the new battleground.
This is exactly what Pantora helps you do: build an AI presence that makes your business easy to understand and easy to recommend, then track what AI is saying about you across ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Perplexity, and more.
What “rank higher in ChatGPT” actually means for your business
When you say “rank higher in ChatGPT,” what you really mean is: “Get mentioned and recommended when people ask for my service.”
AI assistants don’t look at a neat list of ten blue links. They pull from a mix of sources, patterns, and trusted references, then write an answer. That answer usually includes a few businesses, plus reasons why they were picked (service area, reviews, specialties, availability, pricing transparency, licensing, and so on).
Why this matters: homeowners don’t want research. They want a decision. AI narrows it down to a handful of options, and those businesses get the calls.
Your goal is not to “game” ChatGPT. Your goal is to make your business information so clear, consistent, and credible online that AI can repeat it confidently without guessing.
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Why ChatGPT skips great trades (and picks your competitor)
If you do solid work but AI never brings you up, it’s usually not because you’re “bad at marketing.” It’s because AI can’t verify the basics quickly.
Here’s what causes the skip most often:
- Your business details don’t match across the web. Different phone numbers, slightly different names, old addresses.
- Your services are vague. “Electrical services” is not the same as “panel upgrade,” “EV charger install,” or “troubleshooting intermittent power loss.”
- Your reviews don’t say what you actually do. Lots of “Great guy!” but nothing about the job type or outcome.
- Your website is thin or unclear. No service area, no specialties, no straight answers.
- Your reputation is hard to read. AI tends to repeat what it sees most consistently, including complaints.
Why this matters: AI is trying to avoid recommending the wrong company. If it’s not sure, it plays it safe and mentions the businesses with the clearest footprint.
This is where Pantora comes in early. Pantora builds and hosts an AI-optimized website that’s structured around the questions homeowners actually ask, with clean service descriptions, clear business info, and content AI can parse and cite. It works alongside your current site, so you don’t have to rebuild everything.
How to rank higher in ChatGPT: 7 steps you can actually do
Follow these steps to get recommended more often when homeowners ask ChatGPT for a local pro:
- Lock down your “same everywhere” business info: Name, address, phone, hours, service area.
- Write service pages like a homeowner is asking you a question: Specific jobs, specific outcomes, clear coverage area.
- Prove trust fast: License, insurance, years in business, warranties, and what you won’t do.
- Turn reviews into job proof: Ask for reviews that mention the service and the city.
- Build location clarity: The towns and neighborhoods you actually serve, not “near me.”
- Get cited by places AI trusts: Google Business Profile, reputable directories, local associations.
- Monitor what AI says and fix the gaps: Track mentions, sentiment, and missing details.
You don’t need to do all seven in a weekend. You do need to start, because the window is open now, but it won’t stay open.
Step 1: Make your business info boringly consistent
AI is looking for clear, consistent information about your business. That starts with the basics:
- Business name (exactly the same spelling)
- Address (or service-area setup if you don’t publish an address)
- Phone number
- Hours
- Website URL
- Service area list (cities and neighborhoods)
Check your Google Business Profile first, because it feeds a lot of the wider ecosystem. Then check your website header/footer, Facebook, Yelp, Angi, Nextdoor, and any industry directories you’re listed in.
Why this matters: if ChatGPT sees three phone numbers and two addresses, it has to guess. When it has to guess, it recommends someone else.
For GBP best practices straight from Google, use their guidance here: https://support.google.com/business/answer/3038177
Step 2: Turn “we do everything” into clear service answers
Homeowners don’t ask ChatGPT, “Who provides residential electrical services?” They ask:
- “Who installs EV chargers near me?”
- “Who can fix flickering lights in an older house?”
- “Do I need a panel upgrade for a hot tub?”
- “Who does emergency troubleshooting without ripping you off?”
If your site only lists broad categories, AI has nothing specific to latch onto. Create simple, specific pages (or sections) for your real money jobs. Include:
- The exact job name
- Common symptoms (what the homeowner notices)
- What you typically do
- What it costs depends on (without promising a price)
- The areas you service
- Clear next step (call, text, request a quote)
Why this matters: specificity is how you become “the answer” to the question. Generic pages make you invisible.
Step 3: Add trust signals AI can repeat without guessing
AI recommendations are cautious. If it can’t tell whether you’re licensed, insured, experienced, or legitimate, it avoids making the call for the homeowner.
Add trust details in plain language:
- License number (if relevant in your state)
- Insurance coverage (general statement is fine)
- Years in business
- Warranty approach
- Emergency availability (if you offer it)
- Payment types
- Safety and cleanup practices
- Photos of your team and completed work
Why this matters: these are the “reasons why” AI includes when it recommends someone. If you don’t publish the reasons, AI can’t say them.
Pantora helps here by structuring your AI-optimized website around the exact details AI needs to repeat accurately, including service area, specialties, and trust signals. You’re already doing the work in the field. Pantora makes sure AI can see it.
Step 4: Get reviews that mention the job, not just your personality
A 5-star review that says “Great service” is nice. A 5-star review that says “Replaced our 200-amp panel in Plano and explained everything” is gold for AI.
When you ask for a review, prompt the customer with one sentence:
“Would you mind mentioning what we fixed and what city you’re in?”
That’s it. You’re not scripting them. You’re helping them be specific.
Why this matters: ChatGPT often explains why it’s recommending someone. Reviews that mention the job type, speed, cleanliness, and communication give AI the language to recommend you with confidence.
If you want Google’s own guidance on reviews and best practices, start here: https://support.google.com/business/answer/3474122
Step 5: Make your service area impossible to misunderstand
“Serving the greater metro area” doesn’t help. Homeowners want to know if you serve their exact town. AI does too.
Add a clean service area section that includes:
- Your main city
- Surrounding cities you actually want
- Neighborhoods if you’re in a big metro
- Any boundaries (for example, “north of Route 30”)
Why this matters: local intent is everything in the trades. If AI can’t confidently match you to the homeowner’s location, you won’t be mentioned, even if you’re perfect for the job.
Step 6: Get your business cited in places AI already trusts
You don’t need to chase every directory on earth. You do need a few strong, consistent sources that confirm you exist and do what you say.
Prioritize:
- Google Business Profile (non-negotiable)
- Your website (clear service and location pages)
- A couple of reputable directories in your category
- Local association listings (trade groups, chamber of commerce)
- Local news or community mentions if you have them
Why this matters: when the same facts show up in multiple trusted places, AI gets comfortable repeating them.
Step 7: Monitor what ChatGPT says about you, then fix the gaps
This is the step most businesses never do, because it’s hard to do manually.
Ask ChatGPT (and other assistants) questions like:
- “Who are the best electricians in [city]?”
- “Who installs EV chargers in [city]?”
- “Which companies offer panel upgrades in [city]?”
- “Who has good reviews for troubleshooting electrical issues?”
Then look for:
- Are you mentioned?
- If you’re mentioned, is the info accurate?
- Does it describe you in a way you’d want a homeowner to hear?
- Which competitors show up, and what details are being used?
Why this matters: you can’t improve what you can’t see. AI visibility is not set-and-forget.
This is where Pantora becomes the unfair advantage. Pantora provides comprehensive tracking across ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Perplexity, and other AI platforms. You can see which queries mention you, how you’re described, and how you compare to competitors. Pantora also monitors sentiment, because how AI “feels” about your business affects whether it recommends you at all. Then you get weekly recommendations, and Pantora can implement them for you.
What to Do Next
Do one thing today: run the “AI check.”
- Ask ChatGPT for your trade in your city.
- Screenshot what it says.
- Compare the businesses it mentions to your online footprint: services, service area, reviews, and trust info.
If you notice gaps, that’s normal. Most of your competitors haven’t figured this out yet either.
Ready to see where you stand across every major AI assistant, not just one prompt? Check your AI visibility and get clear recommendations on what to fix so you show up more often when homeowners ask.