Getting found by Google and by AI assistants as a tradesperson

Until recently, being visible online meant "ranking on Google". Today, part of your customers no longer search: they ask. They ask an AI assistant, in their own words, with their own context. The two channels do not reward exactly the same things, but they share one requirement: explicit information, not pretty pictures.

The four pieces of information that decide everything

• Your trade, spelled out. "Glazier", not "opening solutions specialist". Engines look for the word the customer types.
• Your service area, district by district. This is the number one criterion in local search. A page that does not say where you work cannot answer "glazier in Koumassi".
• Your services and prices, listed. Even as a range or a "from" price. Explicit pricing is quoted as-is by assistants; missing pricing sends them to a competitor.
• A one-tap way to reach you. On mobile that means a WhatsApp button, not a ten-field form.

What changes with AI assistants

An assistant does not rank ten results: it summarises one or two. To be that one, a page must be machine-readable: proper heading hierarchy, lists rather than long paragraphs, and structured data that explicitly states "this is a local business, here is its area, here are its services". That technical work is done for you by the platform — there is nothing magical about it, but it is not something a hand-made site improvises.

One word of honesty: nobody can guarantee that an AI will cite your business. What can be guaranteed is that your page meets the standards these systems read. Be wary of anyone promising you a spot in ChatGPT's answers.

The most expensive mistakes

A page made entirely of images — an engine cannot read a photo of a flyer. A Gmail address as your only professional contact. A phone number written inside an image. And above all: a page created once and never updated, when freshness is a strong signal for both channels.

The bare minimum

A title containing your trade and your city. A paragraph explaining what you do. Your services with price ranges. The districts you cover. Three photos of your work with captions. A WhatsApp button. If your page already has these six things, you are ahead of the vast majority of your competitors.