Expert Answer
There are six major AI search engines that HVAC companies and contractors should optimize for:
- ChatGPT (OpenAI) — 200M+ weekly users. Very strong for recommendation queries.
- Gemini (Google) — Integrated into Google Search as AI Overviews. Draws from Google's index and GBP data. Highest volume for local queries.
- Perplexity — AI search engine with cited, sourced answers. Growing rapidly. Strong for "best of" queries.
- Claude (Anthropic) — Known for detailed responses. Growing in professional contexts.
- Copilot (Microsoft) — Integrated into Bing, Edge, and Windows. Important for enterprise users.
- Grok (xAI) — Integrated into X platform. Growing rapidly.
Where to focus first:
- Google/Gemini — Highest volume, most local queries
- ChatGPT — Largest user base, strongest recommendation influence
- Perplexity — Growing fast, highly citation-friendly
- The rest — Important but lower volume for local queries
The good news: most AI visibility signals (schema, entity presence, content citability) work across all engines. Optimizing for one largely optimizes for all.
ClickRadius monitors all six engines and tracks citation frequency across each one.