If you’ve spent any time reading about AI search optimization, you’ve probably seen the advice to optimize for AI Overviews — the AI-generated answer blocks that appear at the top of some Google results. For home service contractors, that advice may be getting ahead of reality.
In June 2026, 1-FIND SERVICES ran 135 standardized Google searches for contractors across five home service categories in the Tri-Cities market. The result: Google generated zero AI Overviews for any of them. Every query returned the local pack, local service ads, or standard organic results.
That finding has a shelf life. Google is actively testing AI Overviews in more categories and local contractor queries are a plausible next target. But right now, in this market, Google is not using AI to answer “who should I hire” questions. Understanding what it is doing — and why — is more useful than optimizing for a feature that hasn’t arrived yet.
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What Google Actually Showed for Contractor Queries
Across 135 queries covering HVAC, plumbing, electrical, roofing, and tree service in Johnson City, Kingsport, and Bristol TN, Google served one of three result types:
| Query | Google Result Type |
| Who are the best HVAC companies in Johnson City TN? | Local Service Ads pack + organic results |
| I need a plumber in Kingsport Tennessee, who do you recommend? | Local pack (map + 3 listings) + organic results |
| What is the top-rated roofing contractor in Bristol TN? | Local pack + People Also Ask + organic results |
| Who are the best tree service companies in Johnson City TN? | Organic results + local pack |
| I need an electrician in Bristol Tennessee | Local Service Ads + local pack |
No AI-generated answer blocks. No “According to multiple sources” summaries. No business recommendations from Google’s own AI. Just the local pack doing what it’s done for years.
| For every home service query we tested, Google sent users to the local pack or local service ads — not an AI-generated recommendation. |
Why Google Holds Back AI for Commercial Local Queries
Google has been cautious about deploying AI Overviews for queries with high commercial intent and real-world consequences. Contractor queries fit both descriptions. If Google’s AI confidently recommends an unlicensed electrician and someone gets hurt, that’s a liability Google doesn’t want. The local pack, by contrast, surfaces verified GBP listings with reviews, ratings, and license information that users can evaluate themselves.
There’s also a revenue consideration. Local Service Ads, which appear at the top of contractor queries, are a significant source of Google’s local advertising revenue. Replacing those ad positions with an AI-generated answer that names specific businesses for free would disrupt that model. Google has commercial reasons to keep the local pack and LSA format intact for high-intent service queries.
None of this means AI Overviews won’t come to contractor searches. Google has been expanding AI Overview coverage steadily since 2024 and has publicly stated it intends to bring AI-generated answers to more query types over time. The more likely scenario is a hybrid: AI Overviews appearing for some contractor queries in some markets while the local pack remains dominant for others.
What ChatGPT and Perplexity Are Already Doing
While Google held back, the other two platforms in the study did not. ChatGPT with web search and Perplexity both generated specific local business recommendations for contractor queries, with Perplexity citing sources for each recommendation.
| From the 2026 Tri-Cities AI Search Visibility Study ChatGPT and Perplexity: 270 queries run, local businesses named in the majority of responses Google AI Overviews: 135 queries run, zero AI-generated answers returned 50% of the 68 businesses audited were mentioned by at least one AI platform Businesses with 100+ Google reviews were mentioned 69–79% of the time |
Perplexity in particular gave detailed, citation-backed answers that named specific local businesses, their review counts, and their service areas. For a homeowner doing research before making a call, Perplexity’s response synthesizes information in a way Google’s local pack does not, presenting a named recommendation rather than a list of listings to evaluate.
This is the gap Google is likely watching. If users start going to Perplexity or ChatGPT for contractor recommendations instead of Google, the incentive to deploy AI Overviews for these queries increases. The current hold is strategic, not permanent.
What This Means for Your Strategy Right Now
The practical implication splits across two time horizons.
Right now: Google local SEO is still the primary channel
For Google visibility in home service categories, the local pack and LSAs are what matter. That means:
- GBP completeness and category accuracy — the profile Google uses to populate the local pack
- Review count and velocity — the 2026 study found this to be the strongest predictor of visibility across all AI platforms, and it directly affects local pack ranking as well
- On-page geo signals — city and service area references that tell Google where you operate
- Local citation consistency — NAP accuracy across directories that Google cross-references to validate GBP data
None of this is new advice. The study finding is that it’s the right advice for Google specifically right now, even as AI search evolves around it.
Over the next 12–24 months: build for AI Overviews before they arrive
When Google does extend AI Overviews to contractor queries, the businesses that will appear in them are the ones with strong GBP profiles, high review counts, and well-structured websites. The preparation is the same as traditional local SEO, with two additions:
- Answer-formatted content on your website — clear, direct answers to common service questions (what does an HVAC tune-up include, how long does a roof replacement take) give Google material to cite in an AI Overview
- FAQPage schema on service pages — structured data that signals to Google’s AI which content on your site is question-and-answer formatted and citable
These additions take a day or two to implement and don’t require rebuilding anything. They’re the minimal prep work that positions you for AI Overviews without assuming they’re coming on any particular timeline.
| The businesses that appear in AI Overviews when they arrive will be the ones that built strong GBP profiles and review counts before they did. |
How to Know When This Changes
You don’t need a tool to monitor this. Once a month, run two or three contractor queries in incognito Chrome for your market and check whether an AI-generated answer block appears above the local pack. If it does, note what it says and which businesses it names.
When AI Overviews do start appearing for contractor queries in your market, the businesses appearing in them will almost certainly be the same ones already ranking well in the local pack. The transition, when it comes, will reward the businesses that treated the current period as preparation time.
| See the Full Study The 2026 Tri-Cities AI Search Visibility Study covers 270 queries across ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews, with business-level data for 68 home service companies in Johnson City, Kingsport, and Bristol TN. Read the full research at 1-find.agency/resources |
Before launching 1-FIND Services, Casey spent over a decade living and working in Japan, running a web hosting business and doing high-level corporate translation work. That experience shaped a methodical, detail-first approach to marketing that you don't often find at agencies his size.
His work spans local SEO, AI-driven automation, and conversion-focused web design, areas where technical know-how and strategic thinking have to work together. That combination has made him a go-to resource for business owners trying to compete in an increasingly crowded digital landscape, and has helped establish 1-FIND Services as a recognized agency across the Tri-Cities region, including Johnson City, Kingsport, Bristol, Elizabethton, and Abingdon, VA.
What that looks like in practice:
Local & Organic SEO, getting businesses in front of the people already searching for them
Web Design, building fast, mobile-friendly websites that actually convert visitors into leads
Business Automation, helping companies work smarter with AI-powered tools and CRM integration
Google Business Profile Optimization, boosting local visibility and map presence where it counts
Casey keeps a close eye on search algorithm updates, AI developments, and how user behavior is shifting — because his clients' results depend on it. It's that combination of staying current and keeping things straightforward that defines the way 1-FIND Services operates: honest, results-driven marketing with no fluff.
