Your Google ranking doesn’t matter as much as you think it does. That might sound crazy coming from a digital marketing agency, but it’s the truth we’re seeing in 2025.
Here’s what’s actually happening: AI is changing how customers find local home service businesses. Instead of clicking through blue links on Google, they’re getting complete answers from AI systems that pull information from dozens of sources—Reddit threads, YouTube videos, review sites, LinkedIn posts, and forums you’ve probably never heard of.
At Fencepost, we’re watching this shift happen in real time across our home service clients. The contractors getting the most qualified leads aren’t necessarily ranking #1 on Google anymore. They’re the ones being mentioned, recommended, and cited in AI-generated answers.
This isn’t some distant future prediction. It’s happening right now, and the businesses that adapt fastest will capture the most market share.
AI Search Is Already Eating Your Traffic
Google’s AI Overviews now appear on 15-34% of local search queries. When someone searches for “best HVAC repair near me” or “trusted plumber recommendations,” they’re increasingly getting AI-generated summaries instead of traditional search results.
The numbers are striking: agencies report that 8-40% of local home service website traffic is being displaced by these AI modules. But here’s the twist—the leads that do come through AI search convert at 4.4 times the rate of traditional searchers.
Why? Because AI pre-qualifies and educates potential customers before they ever contact you. They arrive knowing more about your services, your reputation, and why you’re a good fit for their needs.
We’ve seen this firsthand with our clients. A roofing contractor in Georgia saw their website traffic drop 20%, but their qualified appointment bookings increased 35%. The AI was doing the heavy lifting of education and qualification that used to happen on their website.
Where AI Gets Its Recommendations
Traditional SEO focused on keywords and backlinks. AI search optimization—what experts are calling Generative Engine Optimization or GEO—focuses on being cited and referenced across multiple platforms.
AI systems are pulling recommendations from:
- Google reviews and other review platforms
- Reddit discussions and forum conversations
- YouTube videos and descriptions
- LinkedIn posts and professional content
- Industry publications and local media
- Social media discussions and comments
This means your marketing strategy can’t just focus on your website anymore. You need to influence conversations and build presence across all these secondary platforms.
One of our plumbing clients discovered this when they started tracking where their leads heard about them. Almost 40% mentioned seeing them “recommended online” but couldn’t remember the specific source. They weren’t finding them through Google ads or direct searches—they were encountering the business through AI-curated recommendations that synthesized multiple mentions across platforms.
The New Local Growth Formula
At Fencepost, we’re adapting our Local Growth Formula to account for this AI-driven discovery. Here’s how the four pillars work in an AI-first world:
Visibility: Beyond Search Rankings
Paid search still matters, but AI Max for Search is changing the game. Your ads can now appear within AI-generated answers, not just traditional search results.
But visibility also means being present and active across all the platforms AI systems monitor. That includes maintaining updated profiles on review sites, participating in relevant LinkedIn discussions, and even engaging thoughtfully in Reddit communities where your customers ask questions.
Competency: Structured, AI-Friendly Content
AI systems favor clear, structured information they can easily extract and cite. Your service pages, FAQs, and business profiles need to present information in formats that AI can understand and reference.
This means:
- Clear service area definitions
- Structured pricing frameworks
- Detailed warranty information
- Certifications and credentials prominently displayed
- Consistent business information across all platforms
Social Proof: Reviews and Community Engagement
Reviews have always been important for local businesses, but they’re critical for AI recommendations. Review generation and management directly impacts whether you get cited in AI answers.
But social proof also extends to community engagement. Answering questions in Facebook groups, providing helpful advice on Reddit, and sharing insights on LinkedIn all contribute to your online authority that AI systems recognize.
Referral: Authentic Community Participation
The referral pillar has expanded beyond asking satisfied customers to spread the word. It now includes building authentic relationships within online communities where your potential customers gather.
This isn’t about spam or self-promotion. It’s about genuinely participating in conversations, providing helpful advice, and building recognition as a trusted expert in your field.
What This Means for Your Marketing Strategy
Your marketing team needs to think cross-functionally. The old model of separate content, PR, and advertising efforts won’t work when AI systems are evaluating your entire online presence.
Here’s the integrated approach we’re implementing with clients:
Content Strategy
Create authoritative, local-specific content designed for extraction and citation. This includes:
- Seasonal maintenance guides
- Cost comparison frameworks
- Warranty and guarantee explanations
- Service area-specific advice
But don’t just publish this content on your website. Adapt it for different platforms—turn blog posts into LinkedIn articles, create video versions for YouTube, and share insights in relevant online communities.
Consistency in messaging and factual accuracy across all these platforms is paramount. AI rewards clarity and verifiability. This means ensuring your published content on a blog post matches the information on your Google Business Profile and what you say in a YouTube video. It also means actively monitoring and updating content to reflect any changes in your services, pricing, or guarantees. Think of your online presence as a cohesive knowledge base that AI can readily tap into.
Reputation Management
Systematic review generation remains crucial, but reputation management now extends across all platforms where you maintain a presence. Monitor mentions across social media, forums, and review sites.
Respond professionally to all feedback, not just reviews on Google. AI systems notice engagement patterns and responsiveness across platforms. This includes public responses to negative feedback, demonstrating a commitment to customer satisfaction. Highlighting certifications, safety practices, financing options, and guarantees in your profiles and public discussions further strengthens the signals AI systems scrape and weigh. Securing mentions in local media and trade publications also builds E-E-A-T-style authority signals that feed generative ranking and citation, reinforcing your brand’s credibility.
Technical Infrastructure
Ensure your business information is consistent and machine-readable across all platforms. This includes:
- Structured data markup on your website for services, pricing, and FAQs
- Consistent NAP (Name, Address, Phone) information across all directories and listings
- Clear service area definitions that AI can easily pinpoint
- Updated business profiles on all relevant platforms, including specific service offerings and attributes
Beyond static data, implementing conversational AI for lead intake, appointment setting, and follow-ups meets the “instant answer” expectations that correlate with inclusion and user satisfaction. This means web chat, SMS, and social direct messages should be handled with speed and accuracy, providing a seamless experience that AI also rewards by recognizing efficient customer interaction. Businesses that automate these processes not only reduce friction for users but also provide a more consistent and reliable data source for AI systems to interpret.
Community Engagement
Identify where your customers ask questions and seek recommendations online. Join these communities and participate authentically. Share helpful advice, answer questions, and build relationships.
This isn’t about immediate lead generation—it’s about building the kind of online presence that AI systems recognize as authoritative and trustworthy. Actively participating in platforms like Reddit, Nextdoor, and specialized forums for home services allows you to seed attributable expertise that AI can quote or reference. Think about sharing tips for home maintenance, explaining common issues, or offering general advice without direct solicitation. This positions your brand as a helpful resource, increasing the likelihood of being cited when someone asks “best plumber near me” or “HVAC repair options.”
Measuring Success in an AI-First World
Traditional metrics like website traffic and search rankings don’t tell the whole story anymore. We’re tracking new metrics with our clients:
- AI overlay impressions and mentions: How often is your brand appearing in AI-generated summaries?
- Cross-platform brand mentions and sentiment: What are people saying about you on Reddit, YouTube, and forums, and is it positive?
- Lead quality and conversion rates by source: Are the leads coming from AI more qualified, and do they convert at a higher rate?
- Share of voice in AI-generated recommendations: How often are you recommended compared to competitors in AI answers?
The most important metric remains ROI, but the path to revenue is changing. Leads might discover you through an AI recommendation, research you across multiple platforms, and then call or book online. This means instrumenting tracking for AI overlay impressions and downstream calls or leads, even if traditional organic traffic appears to decline. It’s crucial to monitor where AI answers cite or list competitors versus your brand to identify content gaps and reputation levers to close the inclusion gap. This granular tracking allows us to quantify the true impact of AI visibility on your bottom line.
Getting Started: Your 90-Day Action Plan
Don’t try to change everything at once. Here’s how to start adapting your strategy:
Days 1-30: Audit and Optimize
- Audit your business profiles across all major platforms, including Google Business Profile, Yelp, Angi, HomeAdvisor, and Nextdoor.
- Ensure consistent, complete information everywhere: categories, services, service areas, attributes, products, FAQs, photos, and user generated content responses.
- Implement structured data on your website for services, product offerings, and FAQs to make your information machine-readable.
- Set up monitoring for brand mentions across platforms, using tools that track social media, forums, and review sites.
Days 31-60: Expand Presence
- Identify relevant online communities where your customers gather and where discussions about home services take place.
- Create platform-specific content calendars that target these communities, adapting your existing content for forums, YouTube, and LinkedIn.
- Begin authentic participation in industry discussions, answering questions and providing valuable insights without direct self-promotion.
- Intensify review generation efforts by implementing automated tools and processes to consistently gather high-quality reviews.
Days 61-90: Scale and Optimize
- Analyze which platforms drive the highest-quality engagement and conversions, focusing your resources there.
- Create systems for consistent cross-platform content creation, potentially using AI to scale production while maintaining human oversight for accuracy and brand voice.
- Implement conversational interfaces and automated follow-up systems for lead intake, appointment setting, and customer service.
- Begin testing AI Max campaigns if you’re running Google Ads, leveraging its ability to appear in AI Overviews.
The Bottom Line
AI isn’t making marketing more complicated—it’s making it more holistic. Instead of focusing solely on gaming Google’s algorithm, you need to build a genuine, comprehensive online presence that serves your customers wherever they seek information.
The businesses that thrive in this new environment will be those that provide real value, maintain consistent messaging across platforms, and build authentic relationships within their communities.
At Fencepost, we’re helping home service businesses navigate this transition while maintaining focus on what matters most: ROI and business growth. The tactics are changing, but the fundamentals remain the same—be helpful, be consistent, and be where your customers are looking for solutions.
Want to see how AI search optimization can work for your business? Let’s talk about adapting your strategy for the AI-first future that’s already here.
