AEO for tradespeople and local services

Tradespeople and other local services get recommended by AI models when their name, address and services are identical everywhere they're listed, when their Google Business profile is fully filled out, and when genuine customer reviews exist across multiple channels. Local AEO is less about your website and more about how consistent and credible you appear outside it.

Why local search works differently

A question like "best plumber in Kristiansand" or "electrician who takes emergency jobs in Bergen" has a clear local need the model has to satisfy. Because many local websites have thin content, models often lean more heavily on other sources than the website itself: the Google Business profile, industry directories and review platforms. As we mention in GEO vs SEO, Gemini in particular is tightly linked to Google Search, which makes your Google Business profile almost as important as your website for local visibility.

The Google Business profile may matter more than your website

Fill in every single section: categories, opening hours, service area, photos and a short, concrete description of what you actually do. A half-finished profile signals that the business isn't well maintained, and that applies to both customers and the models reading it.

Consistency is the foundation

• Name, address and phone number must be identical on your website, in your Google Business profile and in industry directories like Gulesider and 1881.
• Opening hours need to be kept up to date, especially around holidays, since errors here directly damage credibility.
• Your service list should say the same thing everywhere, so the model doesn't have to guess whether you still offer something you stopped doing two years ago.

Reviews are the currency of local AEO

For a local service, customer reviews are often the strongest trust signal a model has access to. Ask satisfied customers for a review right after a job is finished, while the experience is still fresh. Respond professionally to both good and bad reviews. That's visible to everyone, including models reading the page.

Structured data for local businesses

LocalBusiness markup (schema.org) with address, geographic coordinates and opening hours makes the facts explicit for both search engines and AI crawlers. Our schema generator sets this up without you having to write the code yourself, which is especially useful for smaller businesses without their own developer.

A four-week plan for local visibility

1. Week 1: Run a free check, fill out the Google Business profile completely, and note every place the business is listed.
2. Week 2: Correct name, address and opening hours so they're identical everywhere.
3. Week 3: Ask the last five satisfied customers for a review, and respond to any existing reviews you haven't answered.
4. Week 4: Add LocalBusiness markup to the website, and run a new check to see if anything has changed.

These are the same core principles as in What is AEO, just adapted to the fact that the sources models trust for local services often sit outside your own website.