Google now builds its own answers to many search questions using information it finds across the web. These AI summaries appear before any website links. When someone searches "how much does a boiler service cost" or "best plumber near me," Google often answers for them. If your business gets named in that answer, you still might get the call. If it does not, the customer has their answer and may never look further.
Why Your Phone Gets Fewer Calls Even Though People Are Searching
Until recently, the path from "customer has a problem" to "customer calls your business" went like this: they search, they find your website, they call. Google sent people to websites. Websites converted those visitors into enquiries.
That path has shortened. For a large and growing number of searches, Google now answers the question itself. The customer types "how much does it cost to rewire a house?" and Google gives them a price range, an explanation of what affects the cost, and a note about needing a qualified electrician -- all before they have clicked anything. Some of those customers click through to get a specific quote. Many do not. They have what they came for.
The businesses that stay busy in this new environment are the ones Google names when it builds those answers -- not just the ones that appear in the links below.
What Still Gets Customers to Click Through and Call
Even with Google answering more questions itself, people still click through to websites for specific things. Understanding what those things are tells you exactly what your website needs to offer.
Customers still visit websites when they want a quote for their specific job -- Google might give a price range, but only your website can quote for their actual bathroom or roof. They click through to book an appointment when Google cannot do that for them. They check reviews and qualifications when they want to feel confident before calling a stranger into their home. They use a calculator or estimator on your site when they want personalised numbers rather than a general range. And they click through to find your phone number directly when Google's answer has convinced them you are the right business to call.
These are the opportunities. Google's AI answers can actually work in your favour if they name your business and the customer then visits your site to book or call. The goal is to be named first, then give them a reason to click.
Four Things to Do to Stay Visible When Google Changes How It Answers
Make it easy for Google to summarise what you do
Every important page on your website should start with a clear, one-sentence description of what that page covers. A boiler repair page should start: "We repair all types of boilers in [town] -- emergency callouts available seven days a week." That sentence gives Google something it can pull into an AI answer and attribute to you. Without it, Google guesses, or uses a competitor's clearer description instead.
Add FAQ sections with the questions your customers actually search
Think about the questions you get asked most -- by phone, email, or in person. "How much does it cost?" "How long does it take?" "Do you cover my area?" "Are you qualified?" Write those out as proper questions on your website, with a clear direct answer under each one. Google specifically looks for this type of content when building its AI answers, and being the source of a clear answer to a common question is one of the most reliable ways to get named.
Make your business information complete and consistent
Google relies on your business information -- your address or service area, your phone number, your opening hours, your services -- being clear and consistent across your website, Google Business Profile, and any other directories you are listed in. If your phone number is different on your website than it is on Google Business, or your services are vague, Google is less confident about including you in its AI answers. Check all of these and bring them into line.
Give customers a reason to visit your website that Google cannot replace
A quote calculator, an availability checker, a booking form, a gallery of your own completed work -- these are things Google cannot replicate in an AI summary. Having at least one of these on your website gives the customer who has read Google's AI answer a reason to click through to you specifically rather than stop at the summary and call whoever they can find most easily.
A Real-World Example: The Plumber and the Blocked Drain Search
A homeowner has a blocked drain. They search "how to unblock a drain." A couple of years ago they would have clicked a plumber's website, read the advice, seen the contact number, and called. Today, Google summarises the unblocking steps itself at the top of the page. The homeowner reads it and tries the steps. When that does not work, they search "emergency drain unblocking near me." This time Google shows an AI answer naming two or three local plumbers it considers well-described and trustworthy. The plumber with a complete profile and a clear website gets named. The one without gets the link below -- which the homeowner may or may not scroll to.
The same pattern plays out for boiler repairs, hair appointments, accountancy, tree surgery, and hundreds of other local services. The business that gets named in the AI answer gets the call. The business that only appears in the links below has to hope the customer keeps looking.
Want to Know Where You Stand?
Find out how Google's AI search currently sees your business -- and what to fix first to start getting named in the answers that matter.