Google trusts businesses that share information it can only get from that specific business -- their own prices, their own observations, their own results from real jobs. Writing this down in a clear, structured way on your website, and telling Google it is your original knowledge (using structured labels called schema markup), makes you a primary source. Primary sources get cited in AI answers far more often than businesses that only share general information.
Why Google Treats Original Knowledge Differently
When Google builds an AI answer, it is looking for the most trustworthy, specific information it can find on a topic. There is a big difference between a website that says "boiler servicing costs between £80 and £150" (which every plumbing website says) and a website that says "based on 340 boiler services we completed in the York area in 2025, the average cost was £95 for a combi boiler and £115 for a system boiler" (which only that plumbing company could say).
The second type of content is what researchers call a primary source -- information that comes from direct experience or original data, not from summarising what others have said. Google's AI systems are specifically designed to prefer primary sources, because they are more likely to be accurate and harder to fake. When you share your own real knowledge, you become a primary source for your topic in your area. And businesses that are primary sources get named in AI answers far more often than those that are not.
What Does "Your Own Knowledge" Actually Mean?
You do not need to be a scientist or run formal studies. Your own knowledge is anything that comes from actually doing the work -- observations, results, prices, patterns you have noticed over years of doing your job. Here are examples of what this looks like for different types of businesses:
A plumber might share the most common boiler problems they see in houses built in their area between certain years, or the typical cost range for emergency callouts versus planned repairs, based on their own jobs. An electrician might write about the most frequent safety issues they find in older properties, with the percentage of jobs where they have encountered each one. An accountant might share the most common expenses their small business clients miss when filing returns, based on the clients they have worked with. A decorator might publish typical lead times for different types of jobs in their area, so customers know how far ahead to book.
None of this requires a research team. It just requires writing down what you already know from experience, in a structured way that Google can read and use.
How to Share Your Knowledge So Google Can Trust and Use It
Decide what specific knowledge only your business has
Think about what you know that is specific to your area, your trade, and your experience that nobody else could have written without having done what you do. Typical examples: price ranges for common jobs based on your actual quotes, the most frequently asked questions you get in person or by phone, common problems you find in your trade in your specific area, and results or outcomes from real jobs (with customer permission where relevant).
Write it up as its own proper page
Do not bury this knowledge in a blog post that also covers six other topics. Give it its own page with a clear, descriptive title -- something like "Boiler Service Costs in York: What We Charged in 2025" or "The Most Common Electrical Problems We Find in Victorian Terraces." Start with a one-sentence summary of the key finding. Then explain the detail. Use clear headings and short paragraphs so Google can read it easily.
Add a label that tells Google this is your original content
There is a type of structured label (called schema markup) specifically designed for pages that contain original data or research. Here is what the relevant part of it looks like:
{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Dataset",
"name": "Boiler Service Costs York 2025",
"description": "Average costs for boiler servicing jobs completed by [Your Business] in York during 2025.",
"url": "https://www.yourdomain.co.uk/boiler-service-costs-york-2025",
"datePublished": "2026-01-10",
"creator": {
"@type": "Organization",
"name": "Your Business Name",
"url": "https://www.yourdomain.co.uk"
},
"license": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"
}
Ask your web developer to add this to any page where you are sharing your own prices, observations or data. The "license" line tells Google and others that they are allowed to use and share your information as long as they credit you. This is called an open licence, and it makes Google significantly more likely to include your information in its AI answers -- because giving credit is exactly what AI citation does.
Add a FAQ section with real questions customers ask you
At the bottom of your knowledge page, add a section with five to eight questions that customers genuinely ask you -- by phone, email or in person. Write the questions as they would ask them, not as a formal survey. Answer each one directly, in two to four sentences. This combination of original knowledge plus FAQ content is exactly the type of content Google's AI systems look for when building answers about local services and trades.
Link to your knowledge page from other pages on your site
A knowledge page sitting on its own, unlinked from the rest of your website, will be found but will have less weight. Link to it from your main service pages -- "For typical costs in our area, see our 2025 price guide" -- and mention it in your FAQ sections. The more your own website refers to this page as an authoritative source, the more Google treats it as one.
What Happens When You Allow Others to Share Your Knowledge
One of the most effective things you can do is explicitly allow other websites, journalists, and local publications to share your knowledge -- as long as they credit you. This is what the open licence mentioned above does. Every time another website links to your knowledge page as its source, Google sees that as an independent endorsement of your credibility. The more endorsements of this type you collect, the more confidently Google names your business when answering related questions.
For most local businesses, this means making it easy for local press or trade publications to reference your data. A simple "feel free to share these figures -- just link back to us as the source" note at the bottom of your knowledge page is often enough to get the attribution you need.
| How you share your knowledge | What this tells Google | Effect on being named in AI answers |
|---|---|---|
| Open -- anyone can share with credit | You are confident in your information and want it used | Highest -- every share credits you back |
| Open with restrictions -- no commercial use | You are transparent but cautious | High for editorial and local press use |
| Private -- not shared, used only on your site | Information is harder to verify independently | Lower -- but still better than nothing |
"The businesses Google trusts most are the ones whose knowledge exists nowhere else. Your ten years of experience in your trade, in your area, is exactly that."
How to Measure Whether It Is Working
After publishing a knowledge page, check the following over the next 30 to 60 days. In Google Search Console, look for new search terms appearing that are more specific than before -- search terms that include your location and specific details rather than just your trade name are a sign Google is indexing your specific knowledge. Run the searches your customers use in a private browser window and check whether your knowledge page is being cited in any AI answer boxes. Count any enquiries that mention something specific from your knowledge page -- customers who say "I saw your price guide" are evidence the page is working.
Frequently Asked Questions
Not Sure What to Share or How?
Get a plain-English snapshot showing how Google currently sees your business -- and what specific information would help it trust and name you more often.