The recommended read
Why does AI recommend your competitor?
Understand the sources behind local recommendations and where to focus your next improvement.
Read the guide
GEO Academy
Learn how local businesses get found and recommended by AI.
Start with the essentials
Three guides. A clear place to begin.
Understand GEO
Start with what generative engine optimization means for a local business.
Read guideLearn where AI gets its answers
Understand the websites, directories, and other sources behind local recommendations.
Read guideBuild your visibility plan
Put the fundamentals to work across your website, profiles, and reviews.
Read guide
Original Cheers research
Your website is part of the recommendation.
Business websites were a major source of citations across all four engines in our home-services sample. The mix varied by engine, so your website and your directory profiles both deserve attention.
Gemini80.7%
Perplexity72.3%
Google AI¹70.3%
ChatGPT48.8%
Cheers Market Baseline · 28 days ending September 2, 2026. 356,019 citations across 32 home-services prompts, 100 metro areas, and four engines. Citation share measures linked sources, not leads or recommendation rate. ¹Google AI Overviews and AI Mode.
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Practical guidance for your next step.
Explore the library
Guides, research, and practical answers for your business.
120 articles · Page 1 of 10
Strategy9 min read
Should Multi-Location Brands Opt Out of Google AI Overviews?
Learn what Google's AI Search control excludes, what stays in classic Search, and how multi-location brands should test the decision.
Comparisons7 min read
Birdeye vs Podium for Home Services: How to Choose
Compare Birdeye and Podium for home services by field-service fit, reviews, integration proof, and total cost before choosing a platform.
AI Search News10 min read
ChatGPT Ads for Home Services: Is It Ready to Test?
OpenAI offers ChatGPT Ads in over 40 countries. Plan a local-services test with eligible markets, conversion tracking, and a separate organic baseline.
Playbooks10 min read
Video SEO for Home Services: Google's Requirements
Learn how video SEO for home service companies works with indexable pages, useful text, thumbnails, VideoObject markup, and location-level measurement.
Research10 min read
Why Did Reddit AI Citations Fall? 6.3M-Source Analysis
Reddit citations fell from 2.57% to 1.05% in Cheers' six-week analysis. See what changed and how local brands should respond.
Google Business Profile7 min read
How to Monitor Business Profile Changes by Location
Learn how to monitor Google Business Profile changes across multiple locations with the Notifications API, branch-level routing, and public readback.
Google Business Profile8 min read
Should Each Google Business Profile Link to a Location Page?
Learn when each Google Business Profile should link to a location page, how to map branch URLs, preserve attribution, and verify the customer handoff.
Playbooks10 min read
How Do I Get My Business Recommended by Gemini?
Learn how Gemini Apps, Ask Maps, and Maps grounding use local business information, then build a location-level evidence and testing plan.
Reviews10 min read
Why Are My Google Reviews Missing Across Locations?
Learn why Google reviews can be delayed or removed, how to reconcile counts across locations, and when to contact support.
Put what you learn into practice.
See how your business appears in AI recommendations.