Will ChatGPT send customers your way? · Volt26 Guides
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Will ChatGPT send customers your way?

More people are skipping Google and asking ChatGPT straight out. "Who's a good plumber in Wanaka?" "Best hairdresser in Cromwell for curly hair?" Whatever comes back is the shortlist, and if you're not on it you don't get the call.

Check where you stand

Open ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity (all free) and ask each one the question a customer would ask. Use your town and what you do, typed the way a real person would type it. Try three or four versions and write down who comes up, and whether you do.

I'm looking for a [what you do] in [your town]. Who would you recommend, and why?

The "why" is the useful bit. It'll often tell you what it's basing the answer on, like reviews or a mention on a local site.

Why some businesses come up and others don't

These tools build their answer from what's written about you online: your website, your Google Business Profile, reviews, and anywhere else your business gets a mention, like a local directory or a story in the paper. If those places are thin, or say different things, it's got less to go on.

The fairly boring fixes

  • Fill in your Google Business Profile properly. Every field, real photos, and the hours you're actually open.
  • Write your business name, address and phone number the same way everywhere.
  • Say plainly on your website what you do and where. "Plumber in Wanaka and Cromwell" beats "Solutions for your home".
  • Add a page that answers what customers actually ask you, like rough prices, how long things take and which areas you cover.
  • Ask happy customers for a Google review, and reply to the ones you get.

None of this is new. It's the same stuff that's always helped with Google. I don't know yet exactly how much each one counts for, and I'm not sure anyone outside these companies does. Check again in a month and see if anything's moved.