You have probably heard people banging on about AI for a couple of years now. Most of it sounds like it has nothing to do with running a trade business. You fix boilers, rewire houses, fit kitchens. What does a chatbot have to do with any of that?
More than you might think. Because the same AI tools people use to write emails are now being used to find tradesmen.
People Are Asking AI to Recommend Trades
Here is the bit that matters. When a homeowner asks ChatGPT or Google’s AI something like “I need a good electrician in Dorset, who do you recommend?”, the AI gives them actual business names. Real recommendations, with reasons.
It might say something like: “Based on reviews and local presence, here are three electricians worth contacting.” Then it lists them. Phone numbers, websites, the lot.
If you are one of those three names, brilliant. Free work, no advertising spend. If you are not, that customer never sees you. They do not scroll past you, they do not compare you, they just never know you exist.
This is already happening, right now, in your area.
You Do Not Need to Understand How AI Works
Good news. You do not need to learn anything technical, and you definitely do not need to start “using AI” yourself if you have no interest in it.
What you need to understand is much simpler: AI tools recommend businesses based on what they can find out about you online. That is it. The whole game.
So the real question is not “how does AI work”. It is “what does the internet say about my business”. Because whatever it says, that is what the AI believes.
Try it yourself tonight. Open ChatGPT on your phone and ask it to recommend someone in your trade, in your town. See if you come up. See who does. That five-minute test tells you more about where you stand than any marketing report.
What AI Tools Look For in a Trade Business
When an AI decides which plumber, builder or roofer to recommend, it weighs up a few things.
First, your Google Business Profile. Is it claimed, complete and up to date, or was it set up years ago and forgotten?
Second, your reviews. AI tools read them and take them seriously. Ask yourself honestly when you last got one.
Third, your website. It needs to plainly say what you do and where you do it, otherwise the AI has nothing to quote you for.
And finally, consistency. Your name, number and address should match everywhere you appear online, and your profile should show recent signs of life rather than looking abandoned.
None of this should be scary. Most of it is the same stuff that helps you rank on Google Maps anyway. The difference is that with AI answers, being slightly better than your competitors can mean getting recommended instead of them entirely, not just ranking one spot higher.
The Honest Bit: Word of Mouth Still Wins
Let us keep this honest, because plenty of marketing companies will happily scare you into buying things you do not need.
For most trades, the best source of work is still recommendations from happy customers. That has not changed and it probably never will. If your diary is full for the next six months from word of mouth alone, AI search is not an emergency.
But think about where your next generation of customers is coming from. Younger homeowners ask their phone for everything. The person buying their first house in your town this year is far more likely to ask an AI for a recommendation than to ask a neighbour over the fence. Word of mouth is not disappearing, it is moving online, and AI is becoming the middleman.
Three Things Worth Doing This Month
Forget grand strategies. Do these three things and you are ahead of most trades in your area.
Sort your Google Business Profile. Claim it if you have not. Fill in every section. Add recent photos of real jobs. This is the single biggest factor in whether AI tools can find and trust your business.
Get five new reviews. Text your last five happy customers and ask. Most people are glad to help but they just need a nudge and a link. Reviews are the evidence AI tools use to back up a recommendation.
Check your website says the obvious. Your trade, your services, your towns. Written as plain text on the page, not hidden in a logo or an image. If a stranger could not work out what you do within ten seconds, neither can an AI.
Rather Be on the Tools Than Doing All This?
Fair enough. Most tradesmen did not start their business to spend evenings updating Google profiles and chasing reviews.
That is exactly the work we do at JNB Marketing, every day, for trades across the UK. Google Business Profile management, websites, local SEO and social media, all handled for you. Many of our clients just send us photos from the site on WhatsApp and we do the rest.
If you want to know how your business currently looks to AI search, get in touch. We will check for free and tell you straight, even if the answer is that you are already in good shape.
AI Search FAQ for Tradesmen
Will AI take work away from tradesmen?
AI cannot fit a bathroom or rewire a house, so your actual work is safe. What AI changes is how customers choose which tradesman to call. The risk is not being replaced; it is being overlooked.
Do I need to pay to show up in AI answers?
No. There is currently no way to pay ChatGPT or Google AI Overviews to recommend your business. Recommendations are earned through reviews, a solid online presence and consistent information. That is good news for small businesses, because it cannot simply be bought by whoever has the biggest budget.
Is this just another marketing fad?
Fair question, and the honest answer is no. AI answers are now built directly into Google, the place nearly all your customers already search. This is a change to how search itself works, not a new platform you can choose to ignore.
What should I do first?
Your Google Business Profile. It feeds Google Maps, normal search and AI answers all at once, so it gives you the most return for the least effort. Start there before worrying about anything else.
