When someone types "recommend a plumber in Dublin" into ChatGPT, the AI draws on structured data from sources like your Google Business Profile to decide which businesses to surface. If your profile is incomplete or vague about where you work and what you do, you are likely being skipped entirely. The good news is that the signals AI assistants rely on are largely within your control.

The signals AI can infer from your Google Business Profile

A Google Business Profile (GBP) is the free listing that appears when your business shows up on Google Maps or in the local panel of Google Search — it is also one of the primary structured sources that AI assistants like ChatGPT draw on when answering local service queries.

AI systems read GBP the way a careful human would skim a CV: they look for consistency, completeness and specificity. A profile that clearly states "emergency plumber serving Dublin 1 to Dublin 15 and surrounding counties" gives an AI far more to work with than one that just lists a Tallaght address and a phone number.

The key signals include:

  • Business name and category — the primary category tells the AI what kind of business you are before it reads anything else. Choosing "Plumber" rather than a generic "Home Services" category matters enormously. See why your business category in Google Business Profile changes what AI recommends for a deeper look at this.
  • Business description — this 750-character field is where you can explicitly state your service area, specialisms (boiler servicing, burst pipes, bathroom fitting) and any relevant certifications such as RGI (Registered Gas Installer) status.
  • Service-area settings — a dedicated field within GBP that lets you list the counties, cities or postcodes you cover.
  • Reviews — the volume, recency and content of reviews signal credibility. Reviews that mention specific areas ("great plumber in Swords") reinforce geographic coverage.

Service-area vs physical location: what assistants look for

Many plumbers in Ireland operate from a van rather than a shopfront. This creates a specific challenge: your registered address might be a home in Clondalkin, but you serve customers across Dublin, Kildare and Meath. AI assistants are increasingly able to distinguish between a business's physical location and its service area, but only if you make that distinction explicit.

In GBP, you can hide your physical address and instead list service areas. This is the correct setup for most mobile tradespeople. If you leave your home address visible without configuring service areas, AI tools may assume you only serve customers who can visit you — which is rarely the case for a plumber.

Practical steps:

  1. Go to your GBP dashboard and select "Edit profile."
  2. Under "Location," choose whether to show your address or keep it hidden.
  3. Under "Service area," add every county, city or specific area you genuinely cover. Be honest — listing all of Leinster when you only cover Dublin and Wicklow can hurt your relevance scores.

AI assistants typically give more weight to businesses whose service-area settings align with the location mentioned in the query. If someone asks about a plumber in Dún Laoghaire, a profile that lists "Dún Laoghaire" explicitly in its service area is more likely to be cited than one that vaguely says "South Dublin."

How 'services' and 'planning' fields affect quote likelihood

The Services section of GBP — separate from the business description — lets you list individual offerings with optional descriptions and prices. For a plumber, this might include entries like "Boiler service," "Emergency call-out," "Bathroom installation" or "Leak detection."

AI assistants can read these structured service entries and use them to match your business against specific query types. When someone asks ChatGPT for a plumber who does "boiler servicing in Drumcondra," an AI is more likely to surface a business that has "Boiler service" listed as a specific service than one that only mentions it in passing in the description.

A few things worth doing in the Services section:

  • Write a one-sentence description for each service. "Annual boiler service including flue check and pressure test" is far more useful to an AI than just "Boiler service."
  • Add indicative pricing where you can. You do not have to commit to a fixed price, but a range like "from €80" gives the AI something concrete to quote. Read more about services and pricing signals on Google Business Profile.
  • Use the Attributes section to flag things like "RGI registered," "24-hour emergency service" or "Free quotes" — these are exactly the kinds of reassurances a homeowner in a panic will ask ChatGPT about.

The "planning" angle matters too. When someone asks ChatGPT for help planning a bathroom renovation or a new heating system, the AI is looking for businesses that signal capability across a project, not just a single call-out. A profile that lists design consultation, supply and installation as separate services reads as more capable.

What to add to hours, photos and Q&A for plumber searches

Hours are a trust signal that AI assistants take seriously. If your hours say "Monday–Friday, 9am–5pm" but you offer emergency call-outs at weekends, you are almost certainly missing queries for "emergency plumber Dublin Saturday night." Update your hours to reflect your actual availability, and use the Special Hours feature for bank holidays — something Irish businesses often overlook. There is a dedicated guide on handling Irish public holiday variations in your GBP hours.

Photos serve two purposes: they build trust with the human who eventually clicks through, and they signal to AI systems that your profile is actively maintained. For a plumber, useful photos include:

  • Before-and-after shots of completed jobs (with customer permission)
  • Your van or equipment with your business name visible
  • Any certifications or registration cards (RGI, RGII)
  • A photo of you or your team — people trust people

A full breakdown of what to shoot is available in this photo checklist for local AI recommendations.

Q&A is an underused section that can directly influence AI answers. The Q&A feature on GBP lets anyone post a question, but you can also post and answer your own questions. Think about what homeowners actually ask:

  • "Do you cover emergency call-outs in North Dublin?"
  • "Are you RGI registered for gas work?"
  • "Do you provide a written quote before starting work?"

Answering these pre-emptively means an AI assistant scanning your profile finds clear, structured answers rather than silence. See when GBP posts and Q&A change AI answers for more on this.

Beyond Google: other platforms that add weight

While GBP is the most important single source, AI assistants also draw on other directories and review platforms. In Ireland, the most relevant for tradespeople are:

Platform Why it matters for plumbers
Golden Pages A long-established Irish directory that AI tools recognise as a credible local source
Trustpilot Review volume here can supplement GBP reviews
Checkatrade Popular with homeowners researching tradespeople
Done Deal / Adverts.ie Less structured, but signals local presence

Having consistent information — same business name, same phone number, same service area — across these platforms strengthens the overall signal. Inconsistency (different phone numbers, old addresses) creates doubt in AI systems the same way it would for a human researcher.

A quick suggestedby.ai-style checklist to confirm your coverage

Before you close your GBP dashboard, run through this list:

  • Primary category is set to "Plumber" (not a broader category)
  • Service areas list every county or area you genuinely cover
  • Business description mentions your key services and any certifications
  • At least five individual services are listed with short descriptions
  • Pricing ranges are added where possible
  • Hours reflect your actual availability, including emergency cover
  • Special hours are set for upcoming Irish bank holidays
  • At least ten photos are uploaded, including job photos and your van
  • You have posted and answered at least three Q&A entries covering common queries
  • Your business name, address/area and phone number match across GBP, Golden Pages and any other directories you use

Once you have worked through this, you can use the free check on suggestedby.ai to see whether ChatGPT, Gemini and other AI assistants are actually naming your business when someone asks for a plumber in your area. It takes less than a minute and gives you a clear picture of where you stand right now.

The underlying principle is straightforward: AI assistants recommend businesses they can describe confidently. Every field you fill in, every photo you add, every Q&A you answer makes it easier for the AI to say "yes, this plumber covers your area and does what you need." Leaving fields blank is the same as telling the AI you are not sure either.