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Cited or invisible: getting your trade business into Google's AI Overviews

78% of UK local trades are invisible in Google's AI Overviews. Here is what plumbers, electricians, builders and other local services can do to get cited.

Categories
SEO
Tom BarberTom Barber
Published
Reading time4 min

Local SEO

Ask Google 'best plumber near me' and you increasingly get a summary answer at the top - written by Google's AI, citing two or three named businesses. If your trade business is not one of them, you are now competing for a much smaller share of clicks below. The good news is that being cited in AI Overviews is achievable for small local trades. The bad news is that 78% of local-service brands currently are not.

AI Overviews now appear on roughly 48% of Google searches in the UK and US, up from 34.5% in December 2025. They are also expanding into local queries that used to belong squarely to the map pack. Brands that get cited inside an Overview see, on average, 35% more clicks; brands that do not get cited typically see top-result click-through halve. The May 2026 5W AI Visibility Index found that 78% of local-services brands are invisible in AI answer engines - source: Marketing Code.

How Google decides which trades to cite.

There is no secret API. Google's AI is reading the same web Google has always read, but it now prefers sources that meet four criteria simultaneously:

  • A real, verifiable business with a complete Google Business Profile, consistent NAP (name, address, phone) across the web, and recent reviews.
  • Pages that answer the specific question being asked, in the words a customer would use - not in industry jargon.
  • Structured data the AI can parse without guessing - LocalBusiness, FAQPage, Service, and Person schema where applicable.
  • Recency. AI Overviews disproportionately cite pages updated in the last 12 months over older evergreen content.

The five pages every trade business should audit this week.

Before adding any new content, work through what you already have. Most trades we audit are missing the same five pages or have them in a form Google's AI cannot use.

  • Homepage - does it state, in plain text, where you are based, the trades you cover, and the areas you serve?
  • Service pages - one page per service, with a clear question-and-answer structure, prices or price bands, and a recent example of work.
  • Location pages - one per town you actually serve. Generic 'we cover Yorkshire' rarely earns AI citations; 'we cover Dronfield, Chesterfield, Sheffield S8 and S11' does.
  • FAQ page - the questions customers actually ask, answered in 40-60 words each, with FAQPage schema applied.
  • About / team page - named people with photos and credentials. This is the single biggest expertise signal most trades are missing.

What to put on a service page that earns citations.

Imagine a homeowner typing 'how much does an emergency boiler repair cost in Sheffield?' into Google. The AI Overview pulls from the page that best answers that exact question. Yours should:

  • State the typical price band in pounds, not 'contact us for a quote'.
  • Describe the steps you take on the visit - so the AI can summarise your process in its answer.
  • Include a named engineer's quote or photo - real people massively out-cite stock imagery.
  • Link to two or three relevant case studies on your site, with dates.
  • Carry an FAQ block at the bottom answering 4-6 close-variant questions.

GBP, reviews and the citation flywheel.

Even a perfect website will not get cited consistently without a strong Google Business Profile. Make sure your profile has services listed individually (not bundled), 20+ photos, weekly Posts, and at least 50 reviews with replies. Reviews are the data Google's AI uses to decide which of three plausibly-cited businesses to lead with - so respond to every review, good or bad, in the customer's words.

Measuring whether it is working.

Google Search Console will not show you AI Overview citations directly yet, but two proxy signals are useful: branded search volume in Search Console (rising when you are being cited by name), and direct traffic from /near-me-style queries (the AI Overview link-out tends to land on specific service pages). Track both monthly.

Where Web & Roll can help.

We carry out AI-citation audits for trades and other local service businesses across Sheffield and the wider Yorkshire region - covering GBP, schema, content depth and review profile. If you suspect you are in the 78% that AI search currently cannot see, get in touch to book a consultation.

Sources.