Who AI Assistants Can Actually Find in Local Services (And Who They Can't)

We scanned local service businesses to find out whether AI answer engines can actually find, trust, and recommend them. The results show a real gap — and it's not where most business owners expect it.

What We Measured

Hollar's automated scan looks at three things for each business: the public website, structured data (the behind-the-scenes markup that tells AI systems what a business does and where), and online listings. Each business gets an AI-readiness score out of 100. A higher score means AI assistants are more likely to surface that business when someone asks for a recommendation.

This round of scans covered 7 businesses total — 6 in local services (HVAC, plumbing, electrical, and similar trades) and 1 in a technical category.

Local Service Businesses Are Doing Better Than You'd Think

The 6 local service businesses averaged a 74.0 out of 100 on AI readiness. None of them scored below 50. That's a better baseline than we expected going in.

What does a 74 mean in practice? It means AI assistants can generally identify what these businesses do and where they operate. The basics are in place. But a 74 also means there's meaningful room to improve — a business sitting at 74 is visible, but it may not be the one an AI confidently recommends over a competitor who's scored higher.

It's worth being honest about the sample size here: 6 businesses is a small number. These findings are a starting point, not a definitive industry benchmark. As we scan more businesses, the picture will sharpen.

The Technical Category Is a Different Story

The one business scanned in the technical category scored 18.0 out of 100 — well below 50, and far below the local service average.

A score that low means AI assistants are likely struggling to understand what the business does, who it serves, or whether it's a legitimate, trustworthy option. When someone asks an AI for a recommendation, a business at 18 is probably invisible.

Again, one business isn't a pattern. But the gap between 18 and 74 is large enough to be worth noting. The factors that help local service businesses show up — consistent listings, clear service descriptions, structured data — appear to be missing or broken for that business.

What Separates a 74 from a Higher Score

Based on what the scans measure, the businesses that score well tend to have a few things in common:

• Consistent listings. The business name, address, and phone number match across Google, Yelp, and other directories. AI systems cross-reference these sources. Inconsistencies create doubt.
• Structured data on the website. This is code that explicitly tells search engines and AI systems: here's the business name, here's the service area, here's what we do. Many trade business websites skip this entirely.
• Clear, specific service descriptions. "We fix HVAC systems" is less useful to an AI than a page that names the specific services, the cities served, and the types of systems covered.

A score of 74 suggests the basics are covered but some of these elements are incomplete or inconsistent. Closing those gaps is what moves a business from visible to recommended.

Why This Matters Now

More people are skipping Google and asking AI assistants directly: "Who's the best plumber near me?" or "Find me a licensed electrician in [city]." These tools don't return a list of links — they return a name, sometimes one name. The business that gets named is the one the AI has enough information to trust.

Local service businesses have built their reputations on word of mouth and Google reviews for years. AI visibility is becoming a third channel, and right now most business owners don't know whether they show up there or not.

The businesses in our scan averaging 74 are in a reasonable position. They're not invisible. But if a competitor invests in fixing their structured data and listings while they don't, that gap can close quickly — and flip.

What to Do With This

If you run an HVAC, plumbing, electrical, or similar trade business, the first step is knowing your actual score. Not a guess, not an assumption based on your Google ranking — a scan that checks what AI systems can actually see.

You can run a free scan at hollar.ai. It checks your website, structured data, and listings and gives you a score with specifics on what's working and what isn't. From there, you'll know whether you're in the 74 range or closer to 18 — and what it would take to move up.