AI Is Changing How Clients Find You

Quality work, a trusted phone number, and word-of-mouth referrals. If you’re a local contractor, you probably know this well. Satisfied customers pass your number to friends, and your phone rings – no fancy website needed. Sherwin-Williams found that 94% of contractors say referrals from past customers are their top source of new business. Your reputation has been your billboard, and it’s worked for years. But while your phone number and referrals are great, the way people find services is changing fast. Relying on offline methods alone today could mean missing out on the next generation of clients.

The Changing Way Customers Find Local Services

Not long ago, homeowners might have simply called the contractor their neighbor recommended. Today, those same people are pulling out their smartphones and searching online, even for local, word-of-mouth businesses. The data is crystal clear: 96% of people learn about local businesses (like contractors) online. Virtually everyone is using Google or Bing to check out services nearby. Even if they hear your name from a friend, there’s a good chance they’ll Google you before picking up the phone.

Now, if you don’t have any web presence, what happens? Nothing. You simply don’t show up. 62% of customers will ignore a business without a web presence. That means over half of your potential clients could write you off if they can’t find a website or information about you online. It’s not that you’re doing anything wrong in your craft; it’s that the playing field has shifted to the internet.

Consider younger homeowners especially: many don’t keep physical business cards or remember phone numbers. They rely on quick online searches, map apps, or voice assistants (“Hey Google, find me an electrician near me”). If your business doesn’t appear in those searches, it might as well be invisible. More than four in five shoppers (81%) do online research before deciding on a purchase, and hiring a contractor is no exception.

From Search to Answer: AI Overviews and Zero-Click Searches

The shift isn’t just about more people searching online, it’s about how they search. Google searches today often give people answers directly on the results page, without requiring any clicks. We call these “zero-click searches.” In fact, nearly 60% of Google searches in 2024 ended without any click to a website. Why? Because Google is getting better at showing the info people need instantly – via featured snippets, maps with contact info, frequently asked questions, and more – all before the user would visit an actual website.

One big recent change is Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE) – essentially Google’s new AI Overview. Instead of just ten blue links, Google SGE uses artificial intelligence to summarize information from multiple websites right at the top of the page. It’s like a quick overview or answer to your question, generated by AI. For example, if someone searches “best roofing contractor in Springfield for leaks,” Google’s AI might scour the web and instantly show an overview: “Roofers in Springfield: Many specialize in leak repair. ABC Roofing (est. 2005) is known for 24/7 emergency service, XYZ Contractors offer a 5-year warranty…,” and so on – all before any user clicks anything.

This AI Overview is a game-changer. Google’s SGE analyzes content on web pages, extracts key facts and insights, and presents a concise answer directly in the search. It’s designed to save users time by giving them what they need upfront. And it often works – users may not need to click through to any website at all if the AI overview answers their question. This is the ultimate “zero-click” scenario: the customer gets the info and might never visit a business’s site unless they want more details.

This new search landscape puts “invisible” businesses at real risk. When Google tries to answer queries like “top-rated plumber near me” or “affordable kitchen remodel in [town]”, it’s essentially acting like an all-knowing local guide. If the guide has no information about you, it won’t mention you. And if potential customers aren’t clicking through to see a long list of search results anymore, you can’t rely on them to magically find your phone number. You need to be part of the global conversation, and that means having a presence AI agents trust and can draw on.

AI Relies on Your Web Content (So Give It What It Needs)

Here’s a secret about all those fancy AI summaries and instant answers: Google’s AI is hungry for content, and it gets that content from websites. AI doesn’t just make things up from thin air (most of the time). It combs through online sources – your website, your competitors’ sites, news articles, and directories, and pulls information it finds relevant and trustworthy. Google’s AI Overview is only as good as the information available on the web.

Think of your website as feeding Google the facts about your business. Want the AI to know you specialize in historic home restorations, or that you offer a 10-year warranty on your roof work? Then that info needs to be on your site, in clear terms. Google has even emphasized concepts like E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) for content. AI favors content that shows you know your stuff and are a legitimate, trusted business. A well-crafted website filled with helpful information (services you offer, how you work, tips you’ve shared, testimonials, etc.) signals to Google that you are a source worth highlighting.

On the flip side, if you have little or no web content, Google’s AI might ignore you simply because it has no data to chew on. No website = no content = nothing for Google to reference.

It’s not just the AI overviews, either. Traditional search results and Google’s local listings (Map Pack) also pull details from your website. Your Google Business Profile (the listing that shows your phone, address, and reviews on Google Maps) is far more effective when it’s linked to a website with further info. Google often takes snippets from websites to answer common questions. For example, if someone searches “Does Joe’s HVAC offer emergency service?”, the answer might show up as a snippet drawn from Joe’s site’s FAQ page. If Joe has no site, Google might not show an answer at all, and the customer moves on to the next company.

Bottom line: Your website is the data source that powers your visibility in the era of AI-driven search.

Capture Niche Searches with Specific Pages

One of the great advantages of a website is the ability to target all those niche, specific searches customers make, even ones you might not anticipate. Did you know that Google keeps some of this search data hidden from us? If you’ve ever used Google Search Console (a tool that shows website owners what queries people use to find them), you might be surprised to learn it doesn’t show everything. In fact, a study by Ahrefs found that Google Search Console hides the specific search terms for roughly 46% of all clicks! These are often long-tail, very specific queries (Google omits them for privacy or because they’re rare searches).

Why should you care? Because those “long-tail” searches are gold for local contractors. They’re the detailed questions or needs that serious customers type when they have a particular problem. Think of searches like “bathroom tile installer for small bathroom in Springfield” or “kitchen remodel cost for 1920s bungalow”.

They’re specific and might not be searched by thousands of people, but the ones who do search are highly likely to hire someone who fits that niche query. If you have a page on your website about “Kitchen Remodeling for Historic Homes” or a blog post on “How to Remodel a Small Bathroom on a Budget” (with your local area mentioned), you increase the chance of showing up for those exact queries.

With a website, you can create dedicated service pages and FAQ pages to address these niche needs. Each page becomes a doorway for a different type of customer search. Maybe one page for “Emergency Plumbing – 24/7 Service” catches late-night Googlers with burst pipes, while another page “Eco-Friendly Home Renovations in [Your City]” appeals to the green-conscious crowd. Without pages like these, you’re hoping that Google somehow knows you handle these specific jobs, which it won’t, if you haven’t explicitly put that information online.

The 24/7 Benefits of a Professional Website

Beyond appeasing Google’s algorithms and AI, let’s not forget the human element, your potential clients. A simple, professional website delivers benefits that a phone number on the side of a truck can’t match. Here are just a few of the ways a website works for you around the clock:

• Always Open for Business (24/7 Availability): Your website is like a storefront that never closes. Whether it’s 10 PM on a Sunday or 6 AM on a Tuesday, a homeowner can find information about your services, see how to contact you, or even fill out a request form. You don’t have to be awake, your site is doing the talking for you. This is crucial because people often search after work hours. If a prospect hears a mysterious dripping in their home at midnight, they might start googling plumbers right then and there. With a website, you’re in the running to be noticed and contacted anytime. Without one, that late-night search will only find your competitors.

• Showcasing Your Work and Expertise: A website serves as your portfolio and a testament to your quality. You can display before-and-after photos of your projects, list testimonials from satisfied clients, and highlight what makes your service unique. One of our clients offers remodeling services, so each of their service pages features galleries showcasing their work. This visual and written content builds confidence in customers. Most people want to see information about a company’s products and services on the homepage; they are actively looking for evidence of what the company does. If someone referred you by name, a quick visit to your site where they see “Oh wow, they’ve done a project just like what I need!” can seal the deal. In contrast, if all they find is maybe a barebones listing with a phone number, they might not be convinced enough to call.

• Building Trust and Credibility: 75% of consumers admit they judge a company’s credibility based on its website design. Fair or not, people equate a clean, modern website with professionalism. A great site with your branding, customer reviews, and even a personal “About Us” story humanizes you and reassures clients that you’re the real deal. It’s also a place to spell out your licenses, insurance, and any associations (like “Member of the Local Builder’s Guild”), which further boosts trust.

• Reaching New Customers Through SEO: While your existing network gives you referrals, a website opens the door to totally new clients who never would have heard of you otherwise. By showing up in local Google searches (thanks to good local SEO practices), you can get leads from outside your immediate word-of-mouth circle. This is especially valuable if you want to grow or fill gaps in your schedule.

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Build a Website That Works as Hard as You Do

We know you don’t have time to mess with complicated new tech or learn how to code, and honestly, you shouldn’t have to. At Purely Imagined, we make it easy to create a clean, mobile-friendly website that showcases your work, answers customer questions, and generates qualified leads. We also optimize your Google Business Profile and write content in a way that Google’s AI understands, so your business shows up when locals are searching for the exact services you offer.

From simple service pages to clear contact forms, we design websites that work quietly in the background to win trust and keep your phone ringing. You’ve already built a solid reputation; now let’s make sure people can actually find you online. Schedule a call with our team today.