Field notes

How AI picks who to recommend.

Honest write-ups from the Locally Visible team — what we've tried, what's working, and what we've killed. No 800-word recycled "10 SEO tips" — just the stuff we actually use on client accounts.

Illustration of ChatGPT answering a local-service query with three business recommendations, highlighting the five ranking signals behind each citation

            FeaturedApr 20269 min read
          

How ChatGPT picks who to recommend (and why most local businesses don't get named)

We tested 400 local-service prompts across ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google AI Overviews, and reverse-engineered the five signals that actually determine who gets cited. Spoiler: it's not just "more backlinks."

Read the breakdown →

Code diagram showing JSON-LD schema blocks for LocalBusiness, Service, FAQPage, and HowTo — the four schema types that drive AI citation rates for local service businesses

PlaybookMar 20267 min

The JSON-LD schema every local business should ship this week

LocalBusiness + Service + FAQ + HowTo schema, tuned for AI citation. Copy-paste ready templates for HVAC, plumbing, dental, legal, and real estate.

Illustration of how Reddit comments flow into ChatGPT and Perplexity training data, building AI-visibility authority for local service businesses

TacticsMar 20266 min

Why Reddit is the most underpriced AI visibility channel in 2026

ChatGPT and Perplexity both index Reddit heavily. A few dozen authentic mentions in the right subreddits moves the needle faster than 40 guest posts. Here's how we do it without looking like a bot.

Diagram showing the three customer prompts every trades business must win in ChatGPT — the emergency prompt, the comparison prompt, and the service-area prompt

TacticsNov 20266 min

The three prompts every trades business must win

If you're cited on these three prompts, customers call. Everything else is vanity. A prompt-prioritization framework for HVAC, plumbing, electrical, and every local service trade.

S-curve chart showing how AI citations compound over 90 days — flat in month 1, trickle in month 2, steep growth from month 3 onward

StrategyNov 20268 min

Why AI citations compound — and why month 1 looks like nothing's happening

The S-curve every founding client sees. Why month 1 looks flat, month 2 is a trickle, and month 3 is inevitable. Plus the pattern that makes impatient clients quit right before the inflection.

Conceptual illustration of Reddit as a defensive moat around a local business — competitors standing outside an orange castle wall built of upvoted threads

ChannelsOct 20265 min

Why Reddit is the new moat for AI visibility

ChatGPT reads Reddit. Most of your competitors don't touch it. The math is obvious — but so is why they'll keep ignoring it. Here's how that hands you a compounding advantage.

Case studyComing soon

From 0 to 47 AI citations in 90 days: a Burlington HVAC case study

The actual prompt list, the actual content schedule, the actual backlink mix, and what we'd do differently. First founding-client results, publishing mid-2026.

From the library

Practical guides

Working references for Canadian local service businesses — reputation, content, schema, local search. Updated regularly.

GuideApr 202611 min

Business reputation management guide: boost local trust online

Learn how Canadian local service businesses can build online trust, earn authentic reviews, stay legally compliant, and attract more customers through smart reputation management.

GuideApr 202610 min

How AI transforms content for Canadian local businesses

Learn how Canadian local service businesses use AI content tools to boost local SEO, rank in Google map packs, and generate more leads with a hybrid content strategy.