From “Contractors Near Me” to “Ask ChatGPT”: How Florida Homeowners Hire today

By Al Pastor · RevifAI Managing Partner

Homeowners still use Google to find contractors, but a growing share also asks AI tools like ChatGPT who to hire. 2026 survey of 1,002 U.S. adults found that 45% had used AI for local business recommendations in the past year, up from 6% a year earlier.

For Florida contractors, the shift is not simply from one search box to another. AI can put a much shorter list of businesses in front of a homeowner—and being on that list is only the start of winning the work.

Key takeaways

• AI is the third most-used source of local business recommendations in BrightLocal’s survey, behind Google and Facebook.

• SOCi’s large-scale study found a 1.2% ChatGPT recommendation rate for brand locations, compared with 35.9% visibility in Google’s local 3-Pack.

• Scorpion reports that 80% of home-service business leaders are unsure how to appear in AI-driven search results.

• Being recommended gets a business considered. A useful, timely response helps turn that interest into an estimate.

What has changed in how homeowners find contractors?

For years, the familiar journey started with “roofers near me”: scan the map, skim a few reviews and call two or three companies.

AI adds another route. A homeowner can ask a full question, receive a shortlist, check the suggested companies and then make contact.

Picture a Tampa homeowner asking: “Who’s a reliable roofer that works on tile roofs after storm damage?” Instead of browsing a page of results, they may start with just a few names. A contractor left out of that answer has missed that particular opportunity to be considered.

This is an illustrative journey, not a fixed sequence followed by every buyer.

What does the data say?

The studies below look at different audiences and different kinds of behavior. They point to broader use of AI, but their percentages should not be treated as interchangeable.

What these numbers do and do not tell us

• Trying AI during the past year does not mean abandoning Google. People can ask for a recommendation, check reviews, visit a website and search again before contacting a business.

• SOCi studied multi-location brands, not single-owner Florida contractors. Its 1.2% figure describes that study’s results; it is not your company’s probability of being recommended.

• Yext’s 44% is a global survey figure. It is not a Florida-specific adoption rate.

• These reports come from companies that sell marketing or customer-experience tools. They are useful signals, not guarantees of demand, rankings or revenue.

Why does AI recommend so few businesses?

An AI answer is designed to respond to a question, not necessarily to display a directory. That can leave a homeowner considering only a handful of businesses.

There is no public, universal formula for organic ChatGPT contractor recommendations. The evidence and practitioner observations suggest several areas worth improving:

• A credible review profile. Locations recommended by ChatGPT in SOCi’s dataset averaged 4.3 stars. That is an association, not proof that reaching a particular rating guarantees a recommendation.

• Accurate, consistent information. BLocal recommends keeping websites current, correcting listing errors and building relevant citations.

• Visibility beyond Google. Search Engine Land’s coverage of SOCi notes roughly 45% overlap in retail between highly visible local-search brands and AI-recommended brands. Strong Google visibility does not automatically carry into every AI answer.

• Pages that answer real questions. An AI-search specialist writing in Contractor magazine describes direct answers and structured data as useful parts of contractor websites. That is practitioner guidance, not a disclosed platform ranking formula.

What this means for Florida contractors

A Florida homeowner’s question may involve storm damage, tile roofs, humidity, air conditioning, pool resurfacing, impact windows or insurance. The service and the location change what a useful answer needs to cover.

A local specialist can make that fit easier to verify: describe the work you actually do, the places you actually serve and the questions customers ask before hiring.

Examples of questions to test—not measured search-volume claims:

• Who installs impact windows near Fort Lauderdale?

• How much does pool resurfacing cost in Orlando, and who should I call?

• Which HVAC company in Jacksonville handles emergency repairs?

What can you do this week?

Test real customer questions

Write ten questions your customers ask. Try them in ChatGPT, Google AI Mode and Perplexity. Record who appears, whether your business information is accurate and which sources are cited.

Fix the basics

Review your Google Business Profile, Bing Places and relevant listings. Keep your name, contact details and actual service area consistent; do not invent a local office to look closer.

Ask for useful, honest reviews

Invite customers to describe their actual experience, the service and location where relevant. Do not script praise or treat a keyword-rich review as a guaranteed AI ranking boost.

Answer hiring questions on your website

Give core services clear pages. Add useful area-specific information where it reflects real coverage. Explain price ranges where defensible, typical timelines, permit considerations and common questions—not dozens of near-identical city pages.

Track where inquiries come from

Add an optional “How did you hear about us?” question, including ChatGPT and Perplexity where relevant. Keep that answer alongside technical source data rather than replacing it.

Review your response process

Check what happens to calls and forms outside office hours. A clear acknowledgment, a responsible person and a workable next step matter more than a notification nobody acts on.

Being recommended gets you considered. Responding fast helps you compete.

Invoca’s 2026 Home Services Buyer Experience Report found that 79% of respondents would switch to a competitor that responds faster, while 66% had hung up when put on hold. The home-services sample included 134 consumers across the U.S. and U.K.; these are reported preferences and experiences, not a measured sales uplift.

Source: Invoca — Home Services Buyer Experience Report

Scorpion found that 56% of homeowners want 24/7 scheduling or a way to communicate after hours. Yet 66% of business leaders named after-hours customer service as their top challenge.

Source: Scorpion — 2026 State of Home Services Marketing Report findings.

Imagine a homeowner finding you through AI at 9 p.m. If nobody answers and there is no useful way to request a callback or appointment, the next company on the shortlist may get the opportunity.

The practical point is simple: improve discovery and the handoff together. Visibility cannot compensate for a request that never reaches your team.

Common questions

Are homeowners really using ChatGPT to find contractors?

Some are. Scorpion found that 22% of homeowners use AI tools to research home-service providers or find recommendations. That does not mean every inquiry starts with AI; Google and other channels still matter.

Is AI search replacing Google?

Not as a universal starting point. AI is now the third most-used source of local recommendations in BrightLocal’s survey, and customers can move between AI, Google, reviews and company websites.

How does ChatGPT choose which contractors to recommend?

There is no public formula that guarantees selection. Accurate business information, credible reviews and useful service content are sensible foundations, but a recommendation also depends on the question, location and search experience.

Can I pay to be recommended?

A sponsored ad and an organic recommendation are different. ChatGPT advertising is labeled separately and does not buy inclusion in the organic answer.

How long does it take to show up?

There is no reliable universal timeline. Changes to your website, listings and reputation may take time to be reflected, and answers can vary between tests. Monitor comparable searches over time; no one can guarantee a placement.

The practical takeaway

How homeowners find contractors is becoming more fragmented, not simply moving from Google to ChatGPT. Make your business easy to find, easy to verify and easy to contact across both.

Want to know whether ChatGPT recommends your business today? www.revif-ai.com/free-ai-visibility-audit

About the author

Al Pastor is Managing Partner at RevifAI.