C ยท AI answers
When a homeowner asks ChatGPT for a roofer
Some homeowners already do. Not many yet, and nobody publishes how many. Here's what gets a roofer named, what's snake oil, and how we'd count it.
Where the facts come from
Where AI answers get their facts
- Google's own guideGoogle AI Overviews and AI ModeRun on Google Search's normal ranking. Google says they need no special file or markup.
- OAI-SearchBotChatGPTReads the web and business listings to answer local questions. OpenAI doesn't say which listings. Anyone who tells you exactly where ChatGPT gets roofers is guessing.
- Claude-SearchBotClaudeSearches the web with its own search crawler when a user asks.
- PerplexityBotPerplexityUses its own crawler, and has licensed Yelp data.
- BingbotCopilotFollows Bing's ranking, according to Microsoft.
The common thread is boring: your Google listing, your website, your other listings and your reviews. If those are wrong, thin or blocked, no trick fixes it.
Month 5 of the plan
What we do about it
- Let the right crawlers in. Plenty of sites block the crawlers behind ChatGPT search, Claude or Perplexity by accident, often through a "block AI bots" setting. We check and fix it.
- Make your facts match everywhere. Name, address, phone, hours, service area.
- Answer the questions homeowners actually ask, on your town and service pages.
- Measure it. Visits from AI assistants in your analytics, and "how did you hear about us?" on your calls.
It's part of the work, not a separate line on your bill. Other agencies sell "AI search" as a $2,000 to $4,000 monthly add-on.
Real questions, Austin, October 2026
What homeowners are asking
- What is the average cost of a new roof in Austin, Texas?
- How can you tell a good roofer?
- Is $30,000 too much for a roof?
- How to tell if a roofer is lying?
- Will insurance cover a 20 year old roof in Texas?
- Will my home insurance go down if I replace my roof?
- What is the average lifespan of a roof in Texas?
- Can you repair just a section of a roof?
From Google "People also ask" for Austin roofing searches, October 2026. Each one is a page waiting to be written by a roofer who knows the answer.
No snake oil
What we won't sell you
- llms.txt as a fix. It's a small text file some sites publish for AI tools. We publish one for you because it's harmless and takes ten minutes. Google says its search doesn't use these files and that keeping one "will neither harm nor help." None of the other AI companies list it as something they read. Anyone charging you for it is charging for nothing.
- "AI rank" screenshots. Ask ChatGPT the same question twice and you'll often get different roofers. One screenshot proves nothing.
- An "AI optimization" add-on fee. It's the same work as the map and your pages.
Your call
Search crawlers and training crawlers aren't the same
Some AI crawlers fetch pages to answer a search. Others collect pages to train models. OpenAI, Anthropic and Perplexity each run them separately, so you can block training and still show up in their search answers. Some owners want that; some don't care. We'll explain it, write down your choice, and set it.
Same goes for Google's Search Console setting that keeps your site out of AI Overviews and AI Mode. It's easy to flip and costly to forget.
Plugins and connectors
And the apps inside ChatGPT and Claude?
Getting named in the answer is still the main thing. Plugins, connectors and Google's new habit of phoning roofers for homeowners have their own page. Read about assistants →
Questions
ChatGPT doesn't send anyone business.
You may be right for now. Nobody publishes good numbers on it. That's why we don't charge extra for it and don't lead with it. If it turns out to matter in your market, you'll see it in the report first.
Should I block AI bots?
Block the training crawlers if you want. Don't block the search ones unless you're fine with never showing up in those answers.
Do you guarantee I'll show up in ChatGPT?
No. Nobody can. We can make sure nothing on your side is stopping it.
Free audit
See where your calls come from.
A free 30-minute call audit: where you show up on the map, what your listing and site get wrong, and two test calls to your own line. You keep the written audit whether you hire us or not.