How To Rank Your Plumbing Business in AI Search Results

There’s a lot to think about when marketing a plumbing business. Marketing can often become an afterthought for this universally needed service because of its demand, but it is increasingly important to prioritize search engine rankings to ensure visibility online. Now, with the popularity of AI-generated search results, plumbing companies must rethink their current SEO strategies to keep up. 

Many companies wonder how to rank in AI overviews to boost their online presence. Is this process automatic, at the whim of the algorithms, or is it something one can shape through a more proactive approach?

The best way to incorporate AI-generated content optimization is with the assistance of a specialized HVAC SEO company. These experienced professionals can create custom SEO strategies that simplify the transition to AI-based optimization, ensuring plumbing and HVAC companies can stay relevant online and reach more potential customers. Working with an expert SEO company also makes it easier to keep up with the ever-developing world of AI searches, as the techniques required to maintain these rankings will likely change over time. 

What Does AI SEO Involve for Plumbers? 

When learning how to rank in AI overviews, it is important to understand what these technologies involve.

AI search engines and summaries of search results are becoming increasingly common. They often feature links to popular or trusted websites. Landing in these AI summaries or AI-powered search engines can enhance credibility and visibility for businesses. These results are often the first thing interested parties see when searching for a specific service online, so smaller businesses need to cultivate their rankings to land new customers. 

Plumbing companies should understand that generative search engine optimization requires a different approach than other SEO strategies. Some of the same basic techniques can improve AI-generated rankings, but these tools use mechanisms different from traditional search engines to rank results. AI tools do not rely solely on semantic keyword clustering to deliver website results; instead, they use the frequency of a website’s mentions across training data. 

AI-powered search results are also generally less consistent than traditional search engines, making it more difficult for smaller companies to nail down the best strategy. To get started, it is important to understand where AI is becoming prevalent across search engines and learn more about how to meet the growing demand for high rankings in these domains. 

What Kind of AI Search Engines Are There? 

Businesses should be aware of a few different AI-powered search engines and search summary tools. It is important to remember that tools such as ChatGPT are large language models, not search engines (even though users can ask questions as they would with a search engine). 

Major search engines like Bing use OpenAI’s tools to cultivate search engine results. Others, like Google, offer AI overviews that quickly summarize a search’s results, often citing source websites. 

Other AI-only search engines, such as Perplexity, cite sources in order of relevance to searches, and businesses that appear in this list receive greater exposure. 

How Are AI Search Engines Trained? 

Because developers train these models with web content, it is essential for business pages to adjust their approach to content creation. AI tools learn by latching on to small sections of specific information online. These snippets are often detailed sections of content about specific topics. 

The training process considers user intent to provide relevant results, learning from interactions to determine the most relevant information to a given query. The process follows several key steps to prepare the model for use: 

• Data collection: Large datasets of web content are gathered alongside user interaction data (clicks, for instance). Developers must then clean and prepare the data for AI interactions. 
• Model selection: Depending on the search engine’s demands, developers will choose between different AI models, including neural networks and large language models. For example, Bing’s AI assistant relies on OpenAI’s GPT tools. 
• Model training: The selected model uses the prepared data to learn, usually through a supervised process of associating search terms with relevant websites. 
• Model evaluation: Developers then test the models using a different dataset to determine whether their precision, accuracy, and other qualities are up to speed and capable of finding relevant information. 
• Deployment: The final stage of development is deployment to users once the model passes evaluations and reliably provides relevant responses to queries. 

Web pages that provide more detailed content are more useful to AI learning and will generally rank higher through AI-powered search engines as a result. 

What Strategies Can Businesses Implement To Improve AI SEO Rankings? 

Because these tools highlight specific, informative content, it is important for businesses to create web pages that provide relevant information relating to common searches. There are a few essential strategies for plumbing businesses to be aware of when crafting AI SEO content. 

Featured Snippet Strategy 

Given that AI tools rely on informative content sections, businesses should prioritize including concise educational snippets on their web pages for the AI to pick up on. This is also a great opportunity to incorporate targeted keywords to simultaneously improve traditional search engine results and AI-driven summaries. 

This content should provide value to users and be as educational as possible, or it is unlikely to become a featured snippet. For plumbing topics, content relating to specific issues homeowners face may be best. For example, an article about preventing frozen pipes could include sections that specify the steps to prepare for freezing temperatures or a brief guide to containing the flooding damage caused by burst pipes. 

Entity-Based SEO 

Beyond simply incorporating keywords and increasing the amount of informative content, businesses should consider entity-based SEO. This strategy optimizes content around specific entities (locations, services, or common concerns) to provide greater context for the content. By going beyond abstract keywords, this kind of content helps AI tools and search engines to better “understand” the relationships between certain terms. 

The added context also makes it more likely that AI overview tools will select part of a business’s content to cite as a source. This adds broader search appeal and will direct more potential customers to a business without requiring them to explicitly search for exact services. 

These entity-based SEO phrases often incorporate semantic keywords to build longer strings of relevant text. For example, a plumber based in St. Augustine, Florida, should take care to incorporate relevant entity-based SEO phrases such as: 

• Drain cleaning experts in Florida 
• St. Augustine pipe repair professionals 
• Septic tank maintenance services in Florida 
• Get plumbing help in St. Augustine 
• Affordable toilet replacement for Florida residents 

As users search for phrases mimicking the entry-based SEO phrases on a business’s page, the AI search engine results will start favoring the business page. 

Zero-Click Search Tactics 

A zero-click search refers to a searcher finding the answer they want right on the search engine results page (SERP) instead of having to navigate to any specific links. These occurrences are becoming more common with AI-powered search tools such as Google’s AI overview, allowing users to find the information they need at a glance. 

Businesses should aim to provide clear, concise information that AI search tools can pick up on to increase the likelihood that a potential customer might see the information and the business providing it. 

To adapt to the rising prevalence of zero-click searches, plumbing companies should consider the following techniques for optimizing their content: 

• Target high-intent questions: Tailor content to prioritize questions with direct answers. Vague or complex questions tend not to have zero-click results, so ranking on these queries depends on content that targets straightforward queries. 
• Keep it clear: Write cogent, well-structured content that provides authoritative answers to those making quick searches online. The information should be concise and accurate, and reputable sources should support any claims. 
• Use structured data markup: Brands can use this coding technique to make it easier for search engines to “understand” content with better accuracy and speed. By using this markup technique, brands can improve how their pages look on SERPs and encourage the search engine to display richer information. 

By ranking higher and appearing in zero-click searches (including those that use an AI overview), plumbing businesses can appeal to a wider audience and present themselves as a trusted authority on topics relevant to their services. 

Understanding Targeted Traffic 

While attracting as many people as possible to a business page may seem like the right call, it is far more efficient and effective to intentionally draw users who are actively seeking plumbing services. By homing in on the needs and concerns of a specific customer base, plumbing companies can create content that encourages those in need of a service to go through with scheduling it (rather than simply trying to appeal to every casual browser). 

High-quality traffic that generates leads is more important than general traffic in AI rankings as well, because the algorithms will learn that a given web page is a relevant and popular choice for specific plumbing queries. 

For example, a page on the topic “How to handle a leaking pipe” will serve two key purposes. First, it attracts customers who are already in need of pipe repair and leak damage control services. Additionally, it answers a high-intent query that satisfies AI-powered search engine requirements. 

Creating these targeted pages is more useful to customers and makes it easier for an AI algorithm to associate a business with specific plumbing concerns. 

Local SEO 

Plumbing businesses should also incorporate locally relevant keywords in their content to position themselves as an authority in the region. Tailored content should mention the cities and states where a service is available, and businesses can consider creating separate pages for every location to maximize relevant local content. 

Additionally, it is essential for plumbing companies to update their Google Business Profile to ensure accuracy and completeness. Using local keywords on the official business page and encouraging customer reviews can help improve visibility for local search results. Since plumbing relies on regional clientele, it is vital not to overlook local SEO rankings to improve overall SERP appearances. 

Sustaining Success Through Continuous Updates and Optimization 

Plumbing companies ramping up their AI SEO game should be aware that none of these strategies are entirely hands-off. The key to success with search engine rankings is the same for both traditional and AI-enhanced search engines: continual adjustments and optimization. 

It is essential for plumbing companies to regularly monitor their website’s traffic to assess key performance indicators (KPIs) such as click-throughs, keyword rankings, and traffic sources to best understand what kind of content is working. When certain KPIs dip, the content strategy must change to reflect that and keep a business’s pages on track and visible to local customers. 

Content may also need to change seasonally to reflect plumbing conditions, such as frozen pipes that users might search for more frequently during certain parts of the year. Posting frequently with relevant, timely content tailored to match well-performing pages is the best way to stay on top of shifts in the AI SEO landscape. 

As this field develops and AI summaries become increasingly common, new strategies will also emerge that aim to keep up with changing trends. The constant adaptation can be difficult to manage alone, which is why many plumbing and HVAC contractors choose to work with an SEO company capable of streamlining the marketing process. 

How Can an SEO Company Help With AI Rankings? 

Plumbers may find it easier to boost their online rankings with the help of an SEO company that specializes in marketing for contractors. These agencies take over the complexities of SEO ranking management to allow contractors to focus more on providing a top-quality service instead of learning how to rank in AI overviews. Digital marketing services can handle everything from content creation and scheduling to automated lead follow-up and booking procedures. 

Working with a digital marketing agency allows plumbers to benefit from a customized marketing plan without spending precious resources on extensive market research and lead generation. These experts are familiar with the services offered by plumbing and HVAC contractors and know how to market them successfully. With the power of an agency’s wide-reaching research team and efficient systems for lead generation, contractors can look forward to revolutionizing their online marketing. 

A comprehensive digital marketing plan can increase search engine rankings and visibility, convert leads into loyal customers, and drive revenue. The convenience of outsourcing marketing efforts is hard to beat, especially for smaller companies without a dedicated marketing professional. 

These agencies also typically offer ongoing support after the initial content audit and overhaul. Plumbers will not be left to flounder after the first changes and will not have to pay attention to their website’s performance and constantly update content. Hiring a marketing agency often means contractors can rely on field experts to continuously boost their webpage rankings without deep diving into SEO techniques.