Buyer’s guide · Contractors
ChatGPT ads and AI search for contractors: every option compared (2026)
Start with the free basics: a complete Google Business Profile, matching Bing and Yelp listings, and clear service pages on your website are what ChatGPT and Google’s AI read most. If you want to pay, ChatGPT ads are open in the US as a self-serve beta with a $25 daily minimum, and Google and Microsoft already place regular search ads in AI answers. Tracking tools start around $30 a month and GEO agencies at $200. This guide compares 18 options using each company’s own pages.
The short answer: what fits your shop
You haven’t done the free basics
Start there, not with ads or tools. Fill out your Google Business Profile, import it into Bing Places, claim your Yelp page, and make sure your website names every service and town. That’s most of GEO, and it’s free.
You want to buy a spot in ChatGPT today
OpenAI’s Ads Manager is open in the US as a self-serve beta: pay per click, ZIP-code targeting, and a $25 minimum daily budget. The ad shows under the answer, not in it.
You already run Google or Microsoft ads
You may already be in AI answers. Google puts eligible search ads in AI Overviews automatically, and Microsoft does the same in Copilot if your ads carry a logo. There’s nothing extra to buy.
You want to know if AI mentions you
Ask it yourself once a month (it’s free), or pay for tracking: BrightLocal ($41 a month, built for local) or Otterly.AI ($29 a month for 15 questions).
You want someone else to do the GEO work
Jumpstart GEO starts at $200 a month plus a $400 setup fee. Contractor agencies Built-Right Digital ($2,999) and Hook Agency ($4,000) sell it as a premium add-on.
You want ChatGPT ads run for you
That’s what Outfitter’s ChatGPT ads will do: we write them and aim them at your ZIP codes, at ad spend plus 30%. They’re coming in November, so they aren’t available yet.
Homeowners really are asking. In BrightLocal’s 2026 survey of 1,002 US adults, 45% said they’d used an AI tool for local business recommendations in the past year, up from 6% the year before; 31% had used ChatGPT and 23% Google’s AI Mode [1]. That makes AI the third most used place for local recommendations, behind Google and Facebook. It’s still early, and nobody can promise you a spot in the answer, but the free work that gets you there is the same work that helps you on Google Maps.
GEO in plain words: SEO for AI answers
GEO stands for generative engine optimization. You’ll also hear AEO (answer engine optimization) and “AI SEO.” They all mean the same thing: making it easy for ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Perplexity and Google’s AI Overviews to find your business, understand what you do and where, and trust you enough to name you when a homeowner asks “who fixes furnaces near me?”
It works a lot like regular local SEO, because the AI tools read the same places Google does. BrightLocal checked about 200,000 local questions across ChatGPT, Google AI Mode and AI Overviews over 60 days and counted 1.9 million citations [2]. What they found:
- Business websites were 42% of all citations, and nearly every answer used one. Your own site is the main thing AI reads about you.
- Google Business Profile was 28.6%, and it showed up for 94% of businesses. Google’s AI Mode and AI Overviews lean on it heavily; ChatGPT rarely does.
- Yelp was 9.5% and was used by all three. Facebook, BBB and Angi showed up too, in much smaller amounts.
Google says plainly that there are “no additional requirements” or “special optimizations” needed to appear in AI Overviews or AI Mode, and no special AI files or schema markup either [17]. For ChatGPT, the one technical step is letting OpenAI’s search crawler (OAI-SearchBot) into your site; sites that block it don’t appear in ChatGPT’s search answers [18]. So if someone sells you GEO as a secret technique, ask what they’ll do that isn’t on the free checklist below.
What you can actually buy (October 2026)
A lot of what’s written about “AI ads” is ahead of the facts. Here’s what each company’s own pages say today:
- ChatGPT: launched, self-serve beta. OpenAI began testing ads in the US on February 9, 2026 [3], and in May 2026 opened Ads Manager so businesses of any size can buy directly, “gradually” letting more in [5]. The US is on its list of available countries [6]. Ads show below the answer for Free and Go users only, and OpenAI says “ads do not influence ChatGPT’s answers” [3]. You bid per click or per 1,000 views, OpenAI suggests a $3 to $5 maximum per click to start [4], and the minimum daily budget is $25 [7]. Your business is verified and every ad is reviewed before it runs [8].
- Google AI Overviews: launched, but not sold separately. Ads from your normal Search, Shopping and Performance Max campaigns can appear in AI Overviews in the US. You can’t target that spot, can’t opt out, and can’t see it in a separate report [10].
- Google AI Mode: testing. Google says it is “testing ads in AI Mode in the US” [11], and in May 2026 announced new AI Mode ad formats that are still in testing [12].
- Microsoft Copilot: launched, automatic. Bing-eligible ads can serve in Copilot with no opt-out; search ads need a logo to qualify [14].
- Claude: no ads. Anthropic said in February 2026 that Claude users “won’t see ‘sponsored’ links” [16]. The only way into Claude’s answers is organic.
- Gemini app and Perplexity: we couldn’t verify a self-serve ad program a contractor can sign up for on their own pages, so they’re not in the table as paid options. Several of the tracking tools below cover Gemini, Perplexity and Claude.
- Outfitter’s ChatGPT ads: coming in November. Not live yet; see our row.
What to check before you pay for anything
- Is it an ad or an answer? A ChatGPT ad sits under the answer with a sponsored label. It’s useful, but it isn’t ChatGPT recommending you. Organic GEO work is the only route into the answer itself, and nobody controls that.
- Is it available now? Some options are live, some are tests, and ours is coming in November. Don’t prepay for something that hasn’t launched.
- The real monthly floor. ChatGPT’s $25 minimum daily budget is about $750 a month if it runs every day. Google and Microsoft list no minimum. Agency fees come on top of any ad spend.
- Who does the work. Tracking tools only measure. You (or someone) still has to fix your listings and pages. Agencies do the work, but ask for a list of what gets done each month.
- Which engines. Your customers mostly use ChatGPT and Google. A tool that skips one of those is missing half the picture; one that adds DeepSeek doesn’t matter to a roofer in Ohio.
- Local or national. AI answers change by location. BrightLocal checks from points around your service area; many tools check from one place.
- Contracts and setup fees. Jumpstart GEO charges a one-time initiation fee; Semrush’s price is billed yearly; Yext is usually annual. Check before you sign.
- How they’ll prove it worked. Ask for a before-and-after on the same questions from the same town, plus calls or form fills you can trace.
All 18 compared
| Option | What it is | Listed price | Who does the work | Available now? | Best fit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google Business Profile | Free basic | Free | You, 1 to 2 hours a month | Yes | Every contractor, first |
| Bing Places for Business | Free basic | Free | You, about an hour once | Yes | Everyone, especially if you want Copilot to know you |
| Yelp Business Page | Free basic | Free to claim (ads extra) | You, an hour to claim, then replies | Yes | Shops that already get Yelp reviews |
| Your own website | Free basic | No extra cost if you have one | You or your web person | Yes | Every contractor with a site |
| llms.txt file | Free basic | Free | You or your web person, 15 minutes | Yes, but it’s a proposal | Optional extra after the basics |
| ChatGPT Ads (OpenAI Ads Manager) | Paid ad | Pay per click or per 1,000 views; $25/day minimum budget | You (self-serve beta) or an agency | Yes in the US (beta, opening gradually) | Owners ready to run and watch a new ad platform |
| Google Ads in AI Overviews and AI Mode | Paid ad | Pay per click; no minimum stated | You or an agency | AI Overviews: yes (US, English). AI Mode: testing in the US | Shops already running Google Search ads |
| Microsoft Advertising in Copilot | Paid ad | Pay per click; no minimum stated | You or an agency | Yes, automatically for eligible ads | Shops already on Microsoft (Bing) ads |
| Outfitter ChatGPT ads | Outfitter (ours) | Ad spend + 30% | Done for you by Emma, our AI agent | No, coming in November | Owner-operators who want ChatGPT ads run for them |
| Otterly.AI | Tracking tool | $29/mo for 15 prompts | You read the reports and do the fixes | Yes | Cheapest way to watch ChatGPT and Google AI |
| Semrush AI Visibility Toolkit | Tracking tool | $99/mo per domain (billed yearly) | You or your SEO person | Yes | Shops that already use Semrush for SEO |
| Ahrefs Brand Radar | Tracking tool | Lite plan $129/mo includes 5 prompts; Brand Radar AI from $199/mo | You or your SEO person | Yes | Shops already paying for Ahrefs |
| BrightLocal | Tracking tool | $41/mo for 1 location ($31/mo yearly) | You read the reports and do the fixes | Yes | Local contractors who want local-search and AI tracking in one |
| Profound | Tracking tool | Free 7-day trial; paid plans by quote | Your marketing team | Yes | Large brands and agencies |
| Yext Scout | Tracking tool | Not published (custom, usually annual) | Your marketing team | Yes | Multi-location brands and franchises |
| Jumpstart GEO | GEO agency | $200/mo + $400 setup | The agency | Yes | Cheapest published done-for-you GEO |
| Built-Right Digital | GEO agency | AEO/AIO $2,999/mo | The agency | Yes | Contractors already spending on an agency |
| Hook Agency | GEO agency | AEO $4,000/mo ($2,000 with SEO) | The agency | Yes | Established contractors with big budgets |
Prices are what each company lists on its own pages, checked October 11, 2026, before taxes. Ad prices exclude what you spend on the ads themselves, except where noted. “Not published” means we couldn’t find it on the company’s own pages. Free basics cost your time, not money.
Each option, in plain terms
Free basics (do these first)
These cost nothing but an afternoon, and they’re what the AI tools actually read. In BrightLocal’s study of about 200,000 local prompts, business websites and Google Business Profiles made up about 70% of what ChatGPT and Google’s AI cited about local businesses, with Yelp next. Most of what agencies call GEO starts here.
Google Business Profile Free basic
Price: Google says: “creating a Business Profile and listing your business on Google is free.” source
Your listing on Google Search and Maps, and the single biggest outside source Google’s own AI answers use for local businesses. In BrightLocal’s September 2026 study of about 200,000 local prompts, Google Business Profile made up 28.6% of all citations and showed up for 94% of the businesses checked; AI Mode and AI Overviews lean on it heavily, while ChatGPT rarely uses it. Fill in every service, your service area, hours and photos, and keep reviews coming.
Good fit: Any shop. If you do one thing from this guide, do this. Not ideal: Nobody, but it won’t move ChatGPT much on its own; ChatGPT leans on your website and directories.
Bing Places for Business Free basic
Price: Microsoft calls Bing Places “a free online platform where businesses can create and manage their listings to appear in Bing search results.” Listings can be imported from Google. source
Bing’s version of a Google Business Profile. Microsoft says it improved importing listings from Google in October 2025, so if your Google profile is in good shape this takes minutes, and it lists “deeper integrations with Bing Maps and Copilot” as future work. Few contractors bother, which is the reason to do it.
Good fit: Any shop with a Google profile already set up; import it and check the details. Not ideal: Nobody. It’s free and quick.
Yelp Business Page Free basic
Price: Yelp’s FAQ says “Claiming is free,” and a claimed page doesn’t make you a paid advertiser. Free features include responding to reviews, photos, hours, and receiving quote requests. source
In BrightLocal’s study, Yelp was cited by all three AI platforms it checked (ChatGPT, AI Mode and AI Overviews): 9.5% of all citations, and it appeared for 85% of businesses. That makes a claimed, accurate Yelp page worth an hour even if you never buy a Yelp ad. Make sure the name, phone, address and services match your website and Google profile.
Good fit: Any shop; claim it so the facts AI reads about you are right. Not ideal: Don’t buy Yelp ads just hoping to show up in AI answers; nothing we found says ads change that.
Your own website Free basic
Price: No fee. Google says there are “no additional requirements” or “special optimizations” to appear in AI Overviews or AI Mode. OpenAI says to allow its OAI-SearchBot crawler in robots.txt to appear in ChatGPT search answers. source
The source AI tools quote most. BrightLocal found business websites were 42% of all citations about local businesses, and “nearly all” AI answers used a website. What helps is plain: one page per service, the towns you serve, your license number, real job photos, prices or price ranges if you’re comfortable, and text that a robot can read (not just images). Check that your robots.txt doesn’t block OAI-SearchBot; blocking GPTBot (training) is a separate setting.
Good fit: Every shop with a website. This is most of what “GEO” means. Not ideal: Shops with no website at all; start with a simple one before paying for any AI tool.
llms.txt file Free basic
Price: Free. It’s a plain text file at yoursite.com/llms.txt. The site that defines it calls it “a proposal,” first published September 3, 2024. source
A short Markdown file that summarizes your business and links your key pages for AI tools to read. It was proposed by Jeremy Howard in 2024 and isn’t an official standard; AI companies publish their own llms.txt files for their developer docs, but we found no promise from any of them to use yours when answering homeowners. Google says you don’t need “AI text files” to appear in its AI features. It costs nothing, and we publish one ourselves, but don’t pay anyone extra for it.
Good fit: Shops that have done the basics and can add a file to their site in minutes. Not ideal: Anyone being sold it as the main reason to hire a GEO agency.
Paid ads inside AI answers
You can now pay to appear next to AI answers, but not inside them. ChatGPT’s ads sit below the answer and OpenAI says they don’t change it; Google and Microsoft put existing search ads into AI Overviews, AI Mode and Copilot automatically, with no separate buy and no separate report. Anthropic says Claude won’t carry ads at all.
ChatGPT Ads (OpenAI Ads Manager) Paid ad
Price: You bid a maximum cost per click (Clicks objective) or per 1,000 impressions (Views objective); a Conversions objective still bills by click or impression. OpenAI recommends starting at a $3 to $5 maximum bid per click. Minimum daily budget is $25 for US-dollar accounts. You pay by credit card; no setup fee or minimum contract is listed. source
OpenAI started testing ads in the US on February 9, 2026, and opened its self-serve Ads Manager in beta in May 2026; its availability page lists the United States among 63 countries. Ads appear below ChatGPT’s answer, labeled sponsored, and only for users on the Free and Go plans (not Plus, Pro or Business). OpenAI says ads don’t influence ChatGPT’s answers. You can target by country and, for most campaigns, by state, city or ZIP code, and you give “context hints” rather than exact keywords. Your business is verified and every ad is reviewed before it runs. OpenAI says it is opening Ads Manager to more businesses gradually.
Good fit: A shop with at least $750 a month to test (the $25 daily minimum, every day) and time to watch the results. Not ideal: Tight budgets, or owners expecting the ad to make ChatGPT recommend them in the answer itself.
Google Ads in AI Overviews and AI Mode Paid ad
Price: No separate price: ads in AI Overviews go through the normal Google Ads auction, and search ads are paid per click with a daily budget you set. Google lists no flat fee or monthly subscription. source
There’s nothing separate to buy. Text ads from your existing Search, Shopping and Performance Max campaigns can show inside AI Overviews in the US (English) and a few other countries, and Google says it is testing ads in AI Mode in the US. You can’t target AI Overviews on their own, you can’t opt out, and Google doesn’t report them separately (they count as top ads). Google recommends broad match or keywordless targeting with smart bidding to be eligible.
Good fit: Shops already spending on Google Search ads; you may already be showing there. Not ideal: Anyone hoping to buy AI Overview placements on their own; Google doesn’t sell them that way.
Microsoft Advertising in Copilot Paid ad
Price: Microsoft says “you only pay when someone clicks your ad” and you can start with a small daily budget. No separate Copilot price or minimum is published. source
Ads that can run on Bing can also run in Copilot, automatically and with no opt-out. Search ads qualify only if they carry a logo extension (responsive and dynamic search ads, and Performance Max in search placements), along with multimedia, product and some vertical ads. Microsoft doesn’t report Copilot results separately yet.
Good fit: Shops already running Microsoft ads; add your logo so they qualify. Not ideal: Anyone who wants to buy Copilot placements alone or see Copilot-only numbers.
Outfitter ChatGPT ads Outfitter (ours)
Price: ChatGPT ads are coming in November. They’ll be paid from the same prepaid token balance as everything else (1 token = 1 cent), at 130 tokens per $1 of ads: your ad spend plus 30%. No contract, no setup fee. source
Our product, so weigh this one accordingly. It isn’t live yet: ChatGPT ads are coming in November. When it launches, we write your ads (you can change any word before they run), aim them at the ZIP codes you serve, and cover three kinds of homeowner questions: cost, planning and finding a pro. You pay per click and never more than your budget. Ads run from our accounts, so you don’t need a ChatGPT or ad account. Like any ChatGPT ad, it’s a sponsored card under the answer; it doesn’t change what ChatGPT recommends. We don’t sell AI-visibility tracking or GEO work, and we don’t run Google or Microsoft ads.
Good fit: A 1 to 10 person shop that wants a ChatGPT ad running without learning a new ad platform, and can wait until November. Not ideal: Shops that want ChatGPT ads today (OpenAI’s self-serve beta is open now) or want their organic AI visibility tracked.
AI-visibility tracking tools
These ask ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google’s AI your questions every day and report whether you’re mentioned. They measure; they don’t fix. Otterly.AI and BrightLocal start around $30 to $40 a month; the rest are SEO suites or enterprise platforms.
Otterly.AI Tracking tool
Price: Lite $29 a month for 15 prompts, Standard $189 for 100, Premium $489 for 400, Enterprise custom; the page also shows lower prices ($25, $160, $422) and says yearly billing is 15% off. All plans track ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Perplexity and Microsoft Copilot. Google AI Mode and Gemini are $9 a month add-ons on Lite; Claude is $29. Free trial offered (length not stated). source
A tool that asks the AI engines your questions (“prompts”) on a schedule and shows whether your business is mentioned or linked. Fifteen prompts is enough for a small shop: your main services times your main towns. It tells you where you stand; it doesn’t fix anything.
Good fit: An owner who wants a cheap monthly check on whether ChatGPT and Google AI mention them. Not ideal: Owners who won’t act on the reports; a free manual check each month does the same job.
Semrush AI Visibility Toolkit Tracking tool
Price: Base plan $99 a month per domain, billed annually (no month-to-month price shown): 25 custom prompts tracked daily, AI visibility reports, competitor analysis and an AI-readiness site audit. Tracks ChatGPT, Google AI, Gemini and Perplexity. Seven-day free trial. Enterprise is custom. source
A full SEO company’s AI add-on. More than most small shops need, but the site audit for AI readiness and competitor comparisons are useful if you or a web person already work in Semrush.
Good fit: A shop with an in-house marketer or SEO person already on Semrush. Not ideal: Owner-operators; a $1,188 yearly commitment is a lot for a dashboard.
Ahrefs Brand Radar Tracking tool
Price: Ahrefs Lite is $129 a month; the Brand Radar page says custom prompt tracking is free on Lite and above (Lite: 5 prompts, 150 checks a month). The Brand Radar AI add-on starts at $199 a month, and extra prompt packages start at $50 a month for 2,500 checks. Annual billing is cheaper. source
Covers AI Overviews, AI Mode, ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini and Copilot, plus Claude for custom prompts. Built for SEO teams and big brands, it’s strongest at comparing your mentions with competitors’. A small shop would only buy it as part of Ahrefs’ SEO toolset.
Good fit: A shop or web person already on Ahrefs for SEO. Not ideal: Anyone buying it only to check a few local questions.
BrightLocal Tracking tool
Price: Track plan $41 a month for 1 location billed monthly, or $369 a year ($31 a month); Manage $54, Grow $65. The Local AI Visibility tracker is included in every plan. 14-day free trial, no card needed. source
The only tool here built for local businesses. Its Local AI Visibility tracker checks ChatGPT, Google AI Mode and AI Overviews for up to 20 prompts per location, from points around your service area, and gives each location a 0 to 100 score. The same plans include Google map rank tracking and citation tools, which are the fixes the AI tools reward.
Good fit: A one-location contractor who wants one tool for Google Maps rank and AI answers. Not ideal: Shops that need Gemini, Perplexity or Copilot tracked; it covers ChatGPT and Google’s AI for now.
Profound Tracking tool
Price: Free trial: 50 prompts run daily for 7 days on ChatGPT, Gemini and Google AI Overviews. Enterprise is custom-priced and tracks up to 9 answer engines. A self-serve Agency Growth plan is mentioned without a price. source
A well-known AI-visibility platform aimed at big brands and agencies, tracking ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Mode and AI Overviews, Gemini, Copilot, DeepSeek, Claude and Exa. The free week is a decent one-time snapshot; ongoing pricing isn’t published.
Good fit: A multi-location company with a marketing team. Not ideal: Owner-operators; you’ll pay for features built for national brands.
Yext Scout Tracking tool
Price: Yext says its pricing is custom, based on locations, solution and contract length, usually billed yearly. Scout can be bought alone or in a package. No free tier or standard free trial. source
Yext manages business listings for large multi-location companies, and Scout is its AI-search and competitor tracking agent. Yext says it is aimed at large enterprises and points smaller businesses to its reseller partners.
Good fit: Franchises and multi-location brands that need listings managed everywhere. Not ideal: A single-location contractor; Yext itself says to go through a reseller.
Agencies that sell GEO for contractors
Someone else does the listings, schema, content and tracking each month. Published prices run from $200 to $4,000 a month, which tells you how loosely “GEO” is defined. Ask exactly what gets done each month and how they’ll show you it worked.
Jumpstart GEO GEO agency
Price: Foundations $200 a month plus a $400 initiation fee (10 tracked terms; ChatGPT, AI Overviews and Claude monitored). Authority $500 a month plus $750 (50 terms, adds Perplexity). Market Leader $1,000 a month plus $1,500 (100 terms, adds Gemini and Copilot, one trade per metro). Month to month. source
A GEO agency with a home-services page and published prices. The $200 plan covers schema on up to 5 pages, cleanup of your top 10 directory listings, 2 new citations and 1 content page a month, Google Business Profile optimization and a monthly report. Every plan starts with a free AI visibility audit.
Good fit: An owner who wants someone else doing the basics each month for a small, fixed fee. Not ideal: Owners who’ll do the free checklist themselves; most of the $200 plan is on it.
Built-Right Digital GEO agency
Price: AEO/AIO (answer-engine optimization, schema, AI search placements) is a standalone $2,999 a month service. Standalone SEO is $999 a month. Full-service plans are month to month, but the page shows two sets of prices ($1,199 to $4,999 and $1,499 to $4,999) and none of them mentions AI search. source
A contractor marketing agency that sells AI-search work as its own line item. Contract terms for the standalone services aren’t listed, so ask before signing, and confirm which full-service price is current.
Good fit: Larger shops that already pay an agency for SEO and ads. Not ideal: Small shops; $2,999 a month is more than most spend on all marketing.
Hook Agency GEO agency
Price: AEO $4,000 a month, or $2,000 a month when added to an SEO package. Local SEO starts at $2,800 a month. Contract length and setup fees aren’t listed. source
A well-known contractor marketing agency (roofing, HVAC, plumbing and other trades) that describes AEO as getting found in “Google’s AI-driven results and AI search tools.” It’s the highest published price here, and it makes the most sense bundled with its SEO work.
Good fit: Multi-crew contractors with $5,000+ a month for SEO and AI search together. Not ideal: Owner-operators and anyone not already investing in SEO.
The free GEO checklist for contractors
- Finish your Google Business Profile. Every service you do, every town you serve, hours, photos of real jobs, and a steady flow of reviews. It’s free [20], and it’s the main source for Google’s AI answers [2]. Our Google Business Profile guide walks through it.
- Copy it to Bing Places and Yelp. Bing Places is free and imports from Google [21]; claiming Yelp is free [22]. Use the exact same business name, phone and address everywhere.
- Write one page per service on your website. “Water heater replacement,” not “Services.” Say what it is, which towns you cover, roughly what it costs or what drives the price, and show your own job photos. AI tools quote plain sentences, so write the answer a homeowner is looking for. See how to write service pages.
- Put the trust facts in text. License number, insurance, years in business, warranty terms and your review count, written out on the page, not only in a badge image.
- Check your robots.txt. Make sure it doesn’t block OAI-SearchBot (ChatGPT search) or Googlebot. Blocking GPTBot only opts you out of AI training and is a separate choice [18].
- Keep reviews coming. In BrightLocal’s 2026 survey, 50% of consumers trusted AI to summarize online reviews accurately [1], so what your reviews say is what AI will say about you. Our review guide has request templates.
- Optional: add an llms.txt file. It’s a free, short summary of your business for AI tools, but it’s only a proposal [19] and Google says you don’t need it [17]. Ten minutes, not ten dollars.
Pitfalls: what to watch for
- “We’ll get you recommended by ChatGPT.” No one can promise that. OpenAI says ads don’t change answers [3], and answers vary by person, place and wording. Ask what they’ll do and how they’ll measure it.
- Daily budgets can run hot. OpenAI says a campaign can spend up to twice its daily budget on a given day, though no more than seven times it over a Sunday-to-Saturday week [9]. Google works the same way on single days [13]. Set a total you’re comfortable losing while you test.
- Context hints aren’t keywords. ChatGPT ads match the conversation, not exact words, and OpenAI says hints don’t make sure your ad shows [4]. Expect to learn what works over a few weeks.
- No separate reports from Google or Microsoft. AI Overview ads are counted as top ads [10] and Copilot ads aren’t broken out [14]. If someone shows you “AI Overview results,” ask where the numbers came from.
- Tracking numbers move around. AI tools answer the same question differently from day to day. Watch the trend over months, not one week’s score.
- Paying twice for the basics. Schema, listing cleanup and a profile tune-up are real work, but they’re mostly one-time. If the plan is the same small tasks every month, compare it with doing them yourself.
How to test it in a month
- Ask the robots yourself. On your phone, in ChatGPT, Gemini and Google (look at the AI Overview), ask five questions a homeowner in your town would ask: “who’s a good plumber in [town]?”, “how much does a new furnace cost in [town]?” Write down who gets named and which sites get linked. That list is your free baseline.
- Fix what the answers use. If competitors’ websites, Google profiles or Yelp pages are linked and yours aren’t, work through the free checklist above.
- If you want a paid test, keep it small and short. One ChatGPT campaign aimed at your best ZIP codes, a total budget you can afford to lose, two weeks. Send clicks to a page about that service with your phone number at the top.
- Answer what comes in. An ad click that hits voicemail is wasted money. Our speed-to-lead guide covers how fast to call back.
- Re-ask the same questions after 30 days. Same questions, same town. Count calls and quote requests that mention ChatGPT or “AI,” and judge the ads by cost per booked job, the same as any other marketing.
Common questions
Want ChatGPT ads run for you?
Outfitter’s ChatGPT ads are coming in November: we write the ads, aim them at the ZIP codes you serve, and you pay per click at ad spend plus 30%, from one prepaid token balance (1 token = 1 cent). No contract and no ad account to learn. Until then, the free checklist above is the best place to start.
See how marketing worksSources and how we compared
We compared the options a 1 to 25 person home-service company would realistically consider for showing up in AI answers: paid placements, AI-visibility tracking tools, agencies that publish GEO prices, and free basics. Prices, availability and features come from each company’s own pricing, help or product pages, opened October 11, 2026; we didn’t use third-party price lists. Where a company doesn’t publish something we say “not published”. We left out ad programs on Perplexity and in the Gemini app because we couldn’t verify a self-serve program on their own pages, and agencies that don’t publish GEO prices.
- BrightLocal: Half of consumers are asking AI for business recommendations (Local Consumer Review Survey 2026) — March 2026, 1,002 US adults; vendor research
- BrightLocal: Local AI visibility study — September 2026; vendor research
- OpenAI Help: Ads in ChatGPT
- OpenAI Help: Ads in ChatGPT, the basics
- OpenAI: New ways to buy ChatGPT ads — May 5, 2026
- OpenAI Help: Ads Manager availability
- OpenAI Help: Create campaigns for ChatGPT Ads
- OpenAI Help: Ads Manager beta account setup
- OpenAI Help: ChatGPT Ads frequently asked questions
- Google Ads Help: About ads and AI Overviews
- Google Ads Help: Google Ads highlights of 2025 — December 2025
- Google: A new generation of ads for the AI era of Search — May 20, 2026
- Google: How much does Google Ads cost?
- Microsoft Advertising: About ads in Copilot
- Microsoft Advertising: FAQs for new advertisers
- Anthropic: Claude is a space to think — February 4, 2026
- Google Search Central: AI features and your website
- OpenAI: Overview of OpenAI crawlers
- llmstxt.org: The /llms.txt file — Proposal by Jeremy Howard, September 2024
- Google Business Profile
- Bing: Introducing the new Bing Places for Business — October 3, 2025
- Yelp: Why claim your business page
- Otterly.AI pricing
- Semrush AI Visibility Toolkit pricing
- Ahrefs plans and pricing
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Last updated October 11, 2026. Prices change; if something here is out of date, call or text (507) 628-0400 and we’ll fix it.