What does AI search say about your Florida business?

Suppose a customer asks an AI assistant for an electrician near Winter Park. Does the answer give the right phone number? Does it say the business serves a town it no longer covers? Does it link to the company’s website or an old directory listing?

Before worrying about how often your name appears, check what customers can find out about you. Start with the information you control, then compare it with what AI search says.

Make the basics easy to find

Look at your contact page and your most important service page. Check the business name, phone number, hours, and places you serve. Ask someone unfamiliar with the business to read them: what would they still need to know before calling?

If the name on your invoices differs from the name customers know, explain the connection in plain English. You can look up the relevant business record on Sunbiz. The state’s fictitious-name guidance explains what that registration establishes; it doesn’t give exclusive ownership of a name.

If you have a Google Business Profile, update its details as well. A current website won’t help a customer who calls an old number shown elsewhere.

Answer the questions people ask before calling

Think about your recent inquiries. What did people need to know?

“We serve Central Florida” may leave someone wondering whether you’ll come to their address. A more useful description might be: “We serve Orange and Seminole counties. Call us about projects elsewhere.” That’s sample wording to adapt to your actual service area. Eligible service businesses can also set their service areas in Google Business Profile.

Explain what the service includes, what affects an estimate, and how to check availability. If a professional license matters, show customers how to verify it. Florida’s DBPR license lookup covers businesses and professions that department regulates; other work may have a different regulator.

A question for whoever maintains your website

Can search services reach the pages you want customers to find?

Google’s guidance for AI search says the familiar search basics still matter. Special AI files or special schema—extra code describing a page—aren’t required.

For ChatGPT search, ask whether your site allows OAI-SearchBot. OpenAI distinguishes its search crawler from GPTBot, which relates to possible use in model training. Those permissions can be set separately.

These checks don’t promise a recommendation. They help you make accurate information available to customers and search services.

Read the answer, not just your name

Ask a question a customer might use, such as “Who repairs pool pumps in [your town]?” Then ask a factual question about your business by name, such as which counties it serves.

Save the question, answer, date, product, and any links. Check the facts, then open the links to see what they actually support. A mention can contain an error; a link can lead to an outdated page.

Try again in a new conversation and on another day. “Our business appeared in two of three replies” tells you more than one screenshot, while still describing only that small sample. If you edit a page and later get a different answer, record both events. Other sources and the AI system may have changed, too.

Our business information checklist includes a worksheet for these checks. Pick one page, fix one confusing detail, and keep a record of what you find.