Is Local Search Over For Home Services?

Local search isn’t dead for home services. But the habit that powered it is dying: people typing a few words into Google and clicking around.

Now they ask. Google shows an AI Overview. iPhone users ask Siri. Homeowners use ChatGPT and Perplexity to narrow it down. And instead of ten choices, they get a handful. If you’re not on that list, your Google ranking almost doesn’t matter in that moment.

That’s the shift behind the question: is local search over for home services? The better question is: are you still getting discovered the way customers now decide who to call? This is exactly what Pantora helps with by building an AI-optimized website for your business, tracking how you appear across major AI assistants, and giving you weekly recommendations that improve your visibility without you becoming a tech expert.

Local search isn’t over, it’s getting “compressed”

For years, local search meant the map pack, your Google Business Profile, reviews, and a decent website. That still matters. A lot.

What’s new is the funnel is getting compressed:

• The customer asks a question in plain English.
• AI summarizes the answer.
• AI recommends a few businesses.
• The customer calls one.

You’re not competing for a click anymore. You’re competing to be included, accurately, in the recommendation.

Why this matters: If AI doesn’t understand your service area, your specific services, or whether you’re reputable, it plays it safe and recommends someone else. AI assistants tend to prefer businesses they thinks are real, consistent, and clearly described across multiple sources.

Local SEO still feeds that understanding, but it’s no longer the whole game.

“Near me” is turning into “best option for my exact problem”

The biggest misconception is that AI recommendations are just local search with a new wrapper. They’re not.

Traditional local search rewards strong proximity signals and popularity signals. AI recommendations reward clarity and confidence. When someone asks, “Who installs wrought iron fences in my neighborhood?” or “Who can get rid of German roaches and explain the treatment plan?” AI tries to answer like a helpful friend. It favors businesses it can describe with specifics.

So if you’re a:

• Pest control company that treats specific pests and explains your process clearly
• Appliance repair business that lists brands, symptoms, and what you typically fix
• Fence installer that specifies materials, permits, and service area neighborhoods
• Pool service company that documents weekly maintenance, openings, and common issues

…you have a real opportunity. These are all “explain it to me” services, and AI lives in that world.

Why this matters: If your online presence is vague, AI can’t be specific about you. And if AI can’t be specific, it can’t confidently recommend you.

What AI is actually looking for when it recommends a local business

You don’t need to know how the model works. You need to know what makes AI confident enough to say your name.

AI tends to recommend businesses when it can find:

1. Consistent business identity: same name, address, phone, and service area across the web.
2. Clear service descriptions: not just “pest control,” but what pests, what methods, what guarantees, what you do on visit one versus follow-ups.
3. Proof you’re legit: reviews, licenses, certifications, photos, and real-world details.
4. Helpful language: answers to customer questions, pricing ranges or factors, and what to expect.
5. Low friction signals: easy contact info, hours, booking, and “yes we serve this area.”

If you’ve ever read your own website and thought, “This is mostly generic,” that’s the problem. Generic content makes AI shrug.

Pantora tackles this head-on. Pantora builds and hosts an AI-optimized website structured around the questions homeowners actually ask, with service pages and Q&A content AI can parse and cite. It works alongside your existing website, so you don’t have to rip everything out to start showing up.

A practical way to check if you’re “AI-visible” (and what to fix)

You can do a quick reality check in under ten minutes. Use the same device and wording your customers would use.

1. Ask three AI assistants the same query
   • Example: “Best pest control company for ants in [your town]”
   • Example: “Who repairs Samsung refrigerators near [your neighborhood]”
   • Example: “Fence installer for vinyl privacy fence in [your city]”
2. Write down who gets recommended
   • Not who is ranked. Who is named.
3. Look at how they’re described
   • Are they “licensed,” “responsive,” “specialists,” “fair pricing,” “emergency service”?
4. Compare that to your online footprint
   • Do you clearly state the services, areas, and differentiators AI could repeat?

Then fix the basics that block AI confidence:

• Update your Google Business Profile categories and services.
• Make sure your NAP (name, address, phone) matches everywhere.
• Add service-specific pages, not one “Services” page.
• Publish plain-language answers to common questions customers ask before they call.

Mid-article reality: Most businesses don’t know how they’re showing up in AI, or whether AI is describing them correctly. Pantora gives you comprehensive tracking across ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Gemini, and Perplexity so you can see which queries mention you, what AI says about you, and which competitors keep getting picked instead. Pantora also monitors sentiment, because a business can be mentioned and still not be recommended.

Local SEO vs AEO: what changes, what stays the same

You don’t have to choose between “local search” and “AI search.” You have to connect them.

Local SEO vs AEO (Answer Engine Optimization): Key Differences

Why this matters: If you only play the old game, you can still do well, but you’re exposed. A single AI answer can decide the call before the customer ever sees the map pack.

AEO is not “SEO with a new label.” It’s making sure AI can confidently explain who you are, what you do, and why you’re a safe choice.

The playbook: how to stay discoverable as local search shifts

If you want a simple plan that doesn’t require rebuilding your entire marketing, focus on these moves:

1. Turn your services into specific, searchable promises
   • “Appliance repair” becomes “Dishwasher not draining,” “dryer not heating,” “ice maker leaking,” “same-week diagnostics.”
2. Publish answers customers actually care about
   • “Do you use bait or spray for roaches?”
   • “Do I need a permit for a new fence in this city?”
   • “Do you service saltwater pools?”
3. Clean up your business info everywhere
   • The fastest way to lose AI trust is conflicting info.
4. Strengthen your proof
   • Reviews matter, but so do photos, licensing, and real details about how you work.
5. Track where you’re being mentioned and how you’re framed
   • Being described as “expensive” or “hard to schedule” will quietly cost you calls.

This is where an end-to-end solution matters. Pantora doesn’t just tell you what’s wrong. You get weekly recommendations and Pantora can implement them for you, which is what most busy owners actually need.

Take Action

Local search isn’t over for home services. But it’s no longer just rankings and reviews. The decision is moving upstream into AI answers, where customers see fewer options and trust the summary.

If you want to keep winning calls, make sure AI can understand your business as clearly as your best customers do. Start by checking how you show up, then tighten your service descriptions, service areas, and proof across the web.

Ready to see your current position? Use Pantora to see how AI describes you, track your visibility across ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews, and get weekly recommendations to improve how often you’re recommended.