Homerankr Study: 78% of AI-Cited Contractors Use Direct-Answer Page Format

Posted Friday, September 11, 2026 1:50 pm

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Homerankr Finds 78% of Contractors Cited by AI Tools Use Direct-Answer Content in First 200 Words

Littleton, United States - September 11, 2026 /Homerankr/

Proprietary analysis of 847 AI-generated contractor recommendations across ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, and Perplexity finds that trade type, GBP signal quality, and content format are the three dominant citation predictors

CAPE CORAL, FL -- August 18, 2026 -- Homerankr, an AI-first local SEO agency serving US home service contractors, has released findings from its Contractor AI Visibility Study -- a proprietary analysis of 847 AI-generated responses across ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, and Perplexity for home service contractor queries spanning 14 US markets.

The study was conducted using Homerankr's Voodoo data platform in combination with manual query testing across six contractor trades. It identifies the specific content formats, Google Business Profile signals, and trade categories that determine whether a contractor is cited in AI-generated recommendations or bypassed entirely.

Key Findings

Finding 1: Content format is the strongest predictor of AI citation

Contractors whose websites feature structured, question-answering content -- defined in the study as pages containing direct answer blocks, FAQPage schema, and named service areas -- were cited in AI-generated responses at a rate 4.2x higher than contractors relying on traditional service page copy.

Among contractors cited at least once across the 847 responses analyzed, 78% had at least one page that placed a direct answer to a "who does [service] in [city]" query within the first 200 words of the page.

"AI models don't browse websites the way Google does," said Nitin Bhardwaj, founder of Homerankr. "They extract. If your content isn't structured so a language model can pull a direct answer from it, you don't exist in AI search. It's that simple."

Finding 2: Trade type determines baseline AI visibility -- and the gap is wide

Contractor trades are not equally represented in AI-generated responses. The study found significant variance by trade category:

HVAC contractors appeared in AI responses for relevant queries in 61% of cases analyzed
Plumbing contractors: 54%
Roofing contractors: 49%
Remodeling contractors: 31%
Pool builders: 24%
Electrical contractors: 22%

Remodeling, pool building, and electrical contractors are substantially underrepresented in AI search relative to query volume. The study attributes this gap to lower rates of structured content, fewer third-party citations, and weaker GBP signal profiles in those trades compared to HVAC and plumbing.

Finding 3: GBP signal quality predicts AI Overview inclusion at the local level

For Google AI Overview citations specifically, the study identified three GBP signals that correlated most strongly with inclusion: a review count above 40, primary category accuracy, and active photo uploads within the prior 90 days.

Contractors with all three signals present were included in Google AI Overviews for relevant local queries in 67% of cases. Contractors missing two or more of those signals were included in fewer than 11% of cases.

Homerankr's client data supports this finding. Summit Air and Heating in Austin, TX saw GBP calls increase from 14 to 47 per month within 60 days of a primary category correction alone. Aquacade Pools on Long Island achieved the number one ChatGPT citation in Nassau County after growing its review profile from 40 to 120 verified reviews.

Methodology

The Contractor AI Visibility Study was conducted between May and August 2026. Homerankr researchers submitted 847 contractor-intent queries across six trade categories and 14 US metro markets to ChatGPT (GPT-4o), Google AI Overviews, and Perplexity. Each response was coded for contractor citation presence, citation source type (GBP, website, third-party directory), and content format characteristics of cited contractor websites. GBP signal data was collected via Homerankr's Voodoo platform. Manual verification was performed on all cited contractor web properties.

About Homerankr

Homerankr is an AI-first local SEO agency serving US home service contractors across six trades: HVAC, plumbing, roofing, remodeling, pool building, and electrical. The agency's Six-Lever Methodology combines Map Pack Engineering, Service and City Architecture, AI Overview Optimization, LLM Citation Building, Review Velocity Engine, and Lead Capture Automation into a single monthly retainer system built for the AI search era. Homerankr offers a 90-day call guarantee across all service tiers.

Learn more at homerankr.co or contact found@homerankr.co.

Supporting Data Table

Trade | AI Response Inclusion Rate | Primary Citation Barrier

HVAC | 61% | Lowest barrier -- strong content maturity
Plumbing | 54% | Moderate -- review volume gaps
Roofing | 49% | Seasonal content thin spots
Remodeling | 31% | Weak structured content, low schema adoption
Pool Building | 24% | Low third-party citation volume
Electrical | 22% | Lowest -- minimal AEO-formatted content

Recommended Boilerplate for Editors

Homerankr (homerankr.co) is an AI-first local SEO agency exclusively serving US home service contractors. Founded by Nitin Bhardwaj, the agency applies a proprietary Six-Lever Methodology to help contractors appear in Google Maps, organic search, and AI-generated recommendations across ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews.

For interview requests, data appendix, or full methodology documentation, contactfound@homerankr.co.

###