Ask ChatGPT for “a good general contractor in McKinleyville” or “a hair salon in Arcata” and it will hand you a short list of names. No ads, no ten blue links. Just two or three businesses it trusts. The question for every local owner is simple: are you on that list, and if not, why not?
AI assistants like ChatGPT, Google’s AI Overviews, Gemini and Siri don’t guess. They pull from your website, your Google Business Profile and the directory sites that list your business. When that information is clear and consistent, they recommend you. When it’s thin, outdated or contradicts itself, they recommend someone else. Here’s a checklist you can run through in about ten minutes.
1. Does your website say plainly what you do and where?
Your homepage should say, in normal words near the top, what you do and which towns you serve. “Kitchen and bathroom remodeling in Eureka, Arcata and McKinleyville” beats “Quality Craftsmanship Since 1998.” AI tools read your words literally. If you never write the town name, you’re making them guess.
2. Does each main service have its own page?
One page that lists everything you do is hard for AI to quote. A page for each main service, explaining what it is, who it’s for and what it costs or how pricing works, gives AI something specific to point to. The same goes for towns: if you serve several, a short page for each one helps.
3. Do you answer the questions customers actually ask?
People type full questions into AI tools: “How much does a new roof cost in Humboldt County?” or “Do I need a permit for a deck in Eureka?” A short FAQ section that answers real customer questions in plain language is one of the easiest ways to show up in those answers.
4. Is your name, address and phone number the same everywhere?
Check your website, Google Business Profile, Yelp, Facebook and the big directories. If one says “Smith Plumbing,” another says “Smith Plumbing & Heating LLC” and a third still has your old phone number, AI tools can’t be sure they’re all the same business. Matching details everywhere builds trust. Being listed on more of the directories AI checks builds even more.
5. Is your Google Business Profile complete and current?
Google’s AI leans heavily on your Business Profile. Make sure your categories, services, hours and service area are right, and add recent photos of real jobs. Google sometimes adds services to your profile on its own, so check it every few months for anything that doesn’t belong.
6. Are your reviews recent, and do they say what you did?
A review that says “Great job!” helps. One that says “They remodeled our kitchen in Fortuna on time and on budget” helps a lot more, because it tells AI exactly what you do and where. Ask happy customers for a review and let them know it’s fine to mention the job and the town.
7. Is your site built so machines can read it?
Behind the scenes, a website can include “business schema,” a small block of code that tells search engines and AI your business name, address, phone, hours and services in a format they read instantly. Your site should also load fast on a phone, use real text instead of words baked into images, and not hide important information behind pop-ups.
8. Have you checked what AI says about you?
Try it. Ask ChatGPT or Google “who’s the best [your trade] in [your town]?” and see who comes up. Then ask it directly about your business. If it gets your services, hours or location wrong, that’s a sign your information online is incomplete or inconsistent somewhere.
How did you score?
If you checked off most of these, you’re ahead of most local businesses. If you didn’t, you’re not alone. AI search is new, most Humboldt County websites were built before it existed, and the businesses that fix these basics now get recommended first.
HumWeb/IT, voted Best Web Designer in the Best of Humboldt 2026, builds every website to be AI-ready, and we help local businesses put AI to work in their day-to-day operations. Learn more about our AI consulting and business systems.
Want to know if your website is AI-ready? Call (707) 854-3369 or book a free consultation.