"Best [service] in [city]" is one of the most profitable queries there is. And it is no longer settled on a map alone.
Where an assistant gets local recommendations
- Business listings and local directories with consistent data.
- Local media roundups: "the 10 best X in [city]".
- Public reviews with volume and freshness.
- Your own site, if it makes clear where you are, who you serve and what you do.
The non-negotiable base: NAP consistency
Name, address and phone identical everywhere, character by character. "St." in one place and "Street" in another looks harmless yet fragments your entity. Add opening hours, service areas and languages.
Pages that work especially well
- One page per service and area (not a single generic page): "[service] in [neighbourhood/city]" with real content, not cloned templates.
- A team page with verifiable credentials: in regulated sectors, AI prioritises what it can check.
- A local FAQ: parking, emergencies, lead times, coverage, starting prices.
Reviews: volume, cadence and replies
Two hundred reviews from three years ago is not enough. A steady flow of recent reviews with owner responses is a strong activity signal. Ask for reviews systematically after every job.
Local press and roundups
Appearing in two local media articles usually beats twenty social posts. Identify the five roundups AI already cites in your category and work to get into them.
How to check it
Run the same ten local questions weekly ("best [service] in [city]", "[service] near [area]", "how much does [service] cost in [city]") and record whether you are named and who is named instead. That recurring competitor list is, in practice, your to-do list.