Cited AI visibility for home-services pros

Local citations checklist for contractors

AI assistants and Google decide who to recommend partly by corroborating a business across trusted directories — so a complete, consistent listing on the sources they read is one of the four levers that get you named. The hard part is knowing which directories actually matter and doing them in the right order. This checklist does that for you.

Pick your trade and work down the list, foundation sources first. Check each one off as you claim it — your progress is saved in your own browser, and nothing is sent to us. When your listings are consistent, run the free audit at the bottom to see whether ChatGPT and Perplexity actually name your business today.

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Your local-citations checklist

Enable JavaScript for the interactive, trade-selectable checklist you can tick off as you go. Either way, here is the full list — the directories and data sources AI assistants and Google read, in the order to claim them.

Example — the checklist for an HVAC company. Pick your trade in the tool to get yours:

Foundation — assistants read these directly (do these first)

  • Google Business Profile

    The single most important listing. Google’s AI Overviews and Gemini ground their local answers in Google Business data, and it feeds Google Maps and the local map pack. Fill in every field — categories, service area, hours, services, and photos.

  • Bing Places for Business

    Bing powers ChatGPT Search and Microsoft Copilot, so a complete, accurate Bing Places listing is how those assistants find and confirm your business. Most contractors never claim it — an easy edge.

  • Apple Business Connect

    Controls how you appear in Apple Maps and to Siri. It’s free to claim and reaches every iPhone owner who asks Maps or Siri for a local contractor.

Core — the directories assistants and Google cross-check

  • Yelp for Business

    Assistants regularly cite Yelp when they recommend local businesses, and Yelp data also flows into Apple Maps. A claimed, consistent Yelp page is another trusted source that confirms your name, address, and reviews.

  • Facebook Business Page

    A widely-crawled public profile that gives assistants another consistent citation of your name, address, and phone — and a place customers check before they call.

  • Better Business Bureau

    A trust source both homeowners and assistants weigh. A BBB listing with details that match everywhere else reinforces that you’re an established, real business.

  • Nextdoor Business

    The neighborhood network where homeowners actually ask for contractor recommendations. A claimed business page puts you where local word-of-mouth happens.

  • Angi

    You don’t have to buy leads — a free, claimed, consistent Angi profile is still a citation assistants and Google cross-check. Claim it, keep the details accurate, and skip the paid lead upsell if it doesn’t pay off for you.

  • Thumbtack

    Another home-services marketplace with a public, crawled profile. A claimed, consistent listing adds one more corroborating source for your business details.

Your trade — the directory specific to your work

  • ACCA — Find a Contractor

    The Air Conditioning Contractors of America directory. A listing here is a trade-authoritative citation that a homeowner (or an assistant) can use to confirm you’re a real, qualified HVAC contractor.

How to do citations right

  • Keep your name, address, and phone identical everywhere. This is the whole game. Assistants and Google trust a business whose details match across sources; a shortened name, an old phone number, or a missing suite number on one listing splits your identity and weakens every citation. Pick one exact format and use it everywhere.
  • Claim the listing before you create a new one. Most of these sites already have an auto-generated page for your business. Search for yourself first and claim it — creating a duplicate leaves two conflicting listings, which is worse than none.
  • Complete every field, especially categories and service area. A half-filled listing is a weak citation. Fill in your primary and secondary categories, service area, hours, services, and photos — that detail is what lets an assistant match you to “best HVAC company near me” with confidence.
  • Consistency beats volume — skip the bulk-citation packages. Ten accurate, claimed listings outperform forty auto-submitted ones. Paid “500 citations” services often create sloppy, inconsistent listings that hurt more than they help. Work this list by hand instead.
  • Do the foundation sources first. Google Business Profile, Bing Places, and Apple Business Connect are the ones assistants and their search backends read directly. Get those complete and accurate before you spend time on the long tail.

Frequently asked questions

What is a local citation, and why does it matter for AI visibility?

A local citation is any online listing of your business’s name, address, and phone number — your Google Business Profile, Bing Places, Yelp, and so on. They matter because AI assistants and Google decide who to recommend partly by corroborating a business across trusted sources: the more consistent, complete listings confirm you exist and what you do, the more confidently an assistant can name you. Inconsistent or missing citations make you harder to recommend.

Which citations matter most?

The foundation sources first: Google Business Profile (which feeds Google AI Overviews, Gemini, and the map pack), Bing Places (which feeds ChatGPT Search and Copilot), and Apple Business Connect (Apple Maps and Siri) — assistants read these directly. Then the core directories assistants and Google cross-check (Yelp, Facebook, BBB, Nextdoor, Angi, Thumbtack), and finally the directory specific to your trade. This checklist lists them in that priority order.

Do I need to pay for a citation service?

No. Every listing on this checklist is free to claim, and doing them by hand is better than paying a bulk service — those often create sloppy, inconsistent listings that hurt more than they help. The only thing that matters is that your details are identical everywhere, which is something you control for free.

Is my checklist progress sent to Cited?

No. The checklist runs entirely in your browser — which items you’ve checked off is saved on your own device (in local storage) and never sent to us. We only know that someone used the tool, never what you entered or checked. If you then request the free audit, you give us your business name, city, and email so we can send the report; that’s the only data we collect.

Will getting listed everywhere guarantee AI recommends me?

No, and we won’t pretend it does. Consistent citations make you findable and corroborated — a barrier removed — but being recommended also depends on your reviews, your Google Business Profile, your competitors, and how each assistant samples the web. Work this checklist, then run the free audit below to see whether assistants actually name you today.

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The exact questions we’ll ask AI about you:

  • “Who are the best HVAC companies in my city?”
  • “Which plumber should I call when a pipe bursts?”
  • “Recommend a trustworthy, well-reviewed roofing company near me.”