Aaron Husak of Sequoia GEO and ChatGPT kick off A Chat with Chat with a practical conversation about AI search and generative engine optimization (GEO) for local home-service businesses.

What does GEO add to traditional SEO? How can an HVAC, plumbing, roofing, electrical, landscaping, pest control, or garage door company become easier to find and recommend? And how should owners measure visibility without mistaking mentions for leads or booked jobs?

In this introductory episode:
• How AI recommendations and traditional search overlap
• Tracking mentions, citations, referral traffic, leads, and jobs booked
• What to investigate when competitors appear in AI answers
• Why service pages, business information, reviews, and credible proof matter
• What BrightLocal’s consumer research says about local business discovery

Research note: BrightLocal’s 2026 Local Consumer Review Survey surveyed 1,002 US adults. Its 45% figure concerns using AI for local business recommendations broadly, not specifically hiring contractors. The 88% figure concerns AI users checking reviews cited by AI for legitimacy or source, not all consumers verifying every AI answer. These findings do not establish booking rates or prove zero-click behavior.

Sources:
https://www.brightlocal.com/research/local-consumer-review-survey/
https://www.brightlocal.com/research/lcrs-ai-trust/

Hosted by Aaron Husak with ChatGPT as an AI co-host.
Learn more: https://www.sequoiageo.com/