How AI assistants decide which local businesses to recommend

1. Something written about you, by someone other than you

Your own website tells the world what you say about yourself. Assistants give extra weight to independent sources: articles, profiles and publications that describe your business. For most local businesses, this is the missing piece, and it's the hardest one to create on your own.

2. Clear, specific facts

"Quality service at great prices" tells a machine nothing. "Family-owned roofing company in Tampa since 2009, specializing in tile roofs and storm repair across Hillsborough County" tells it exactly when to mention you. The more specific the facts about what you do, where and for whom, the easier you are to recommend.

3. The same details everywhere

If your name, address and phone number are different on three sites, a machine can't be sure they're the same business. Consistency is a trust signal. Inconsistency makes you easy to skip.

4. Information that's current

Old hours, a service you stopped offering, a phone that doesn't ring: stale information makes an assistant less confident about sending people your way. Fresh, updated coverage says you're open and active.

5. Pages built to be read by machines

Behind every good page is structured data, a standard format that spells out "this is a business, here is its address, phone, hours and services." Most small-business websites don't have it. Every Chronicle page does.

What you can do yourself

• Make your business name, address and phone exactly the same everywhere.
• Say on your website what you do, in which towns, and for whom, in plain words.
• Keep your hours and services up to date.
• Claim your CheckThisBiz listing and verify it.

Where we come in

Points 1, 4 and 5 are the hard ones. A Feature Package gives you independent editorial coverage, keeps it current and publishes it on pages built for search engines and AI. It covers the part you can't do from your own website.