Google just started sending customers differently. Here is how to make sure they send them to you.

Your phone should be ringing. You have a website. You have been around for years. And still, the calls you used to get are drying up.

Not because the work is not there. Not because a competitor undercut you. Because Google changed the way it hands out customers. And most tradie websites are set up for the old way.

Let me explain what happened, and what to do about it.

The problem most trade websites have

When AI Overviews launched, Google started answering search questions directly on the results page. Someone types how much to fix a burst pipe and Google just tells them. No click needed. No visit to your site.

Tradies felt this harder than most because trade websites are usually thin. A page that says we fix hot water systems, call us gives Google nothing to cite. So Google cites a generic guide from a plumbing magazine instead. You wrote nothing useful, you get nothing back.

What changed in July 2026

Google finally started fixing this. Two changes matter for your business.

The first: citations now sit next to the text. Before, sources were buried at the bottom of the AI answer. Now if Google pulls information from your page, your business name and link sit right next to the sentence it came from. Someone reading about burst pipe costs sees your name immediately, not buried below a wall of text.

The second: follow-up questions keep people searching. Instead of one final answer, Google now suggests related topics. Someone searches hot water system leaking and Google shows should I repair or replace underneath. If you have written that second page, there is a new path for customers to find you.

These two changes mean the sites that actually answer real questions now get the traffic. The sites that just list services do not.

What this means for your trade

If you are a plumber: Write the page on what causes blocked drains in your specific area. In Brisbane, that means clay pipes and pre-1980 houses. In Melbourne, that means root intrusion and old cast iron. Google cites the page with the local detail, not the generic one.

If you are an electrician: Write the page on what a switchboard upgrade actually costs in your city, what signs to look for, and when it is not optional. That page gets cited. The page that just says we do switchboards, call us does not.

If you are a builder: Write the page on what affects the cost of a knockdown rebuild in your area. Council rules, site access, demolition timelines. That is the detail Google's AI is looking for.

Not sure what specific questions your customers are actually typing in? Run your trade and suburb through our free keyword research tool before you write a word - it shows you the real search terms, not guesses.

What a good trade page looks like now

Let me give you a real example.

A standard plumber page for locked drains might say: We fix blocked drains in Brisbane. Call us for fast service.

That page gets nothing from AI search.

A page that says: Blocked drains in Brisbane usually come from tree roots in old clay pipes, built-up grease in kitchen lines, or collapsed pipes in houses built before 1980. If water is backing up into your shower, that points to a main line blockage. Here is what to check before you call, and here is when you need a plumber same-day.

That page gets cited. Google pulls the specific detail. The link shows up next to the answer. The customer clicks through.

Local detail is the difference. Brisbane-specific. Pre-1980 houses. Clay pipes. That is the kind of specificity Google's AI looks for.

Want the full method for building pages like this, not just the one example? Our local SEO checklist walks through it step by step.

What I am doing about this for TradeAds clients

I have been watching the AI search rollout since it started. These changes are the first real fix. Here is my current approach.

I go through every page on your site and ask: would Google cite this in an AI answer? If the answer is no, I rewrite it. Not with fluff. With the depth and local detail that AI search rewards.

I restructure your pages so Google can pull clean answers. Headings that match real questions. Clear, standalone paragraphs. Local specifics that generic guides cannot match.

I check whether you are getting cited. Most reporting tools do not track AI citations yet. I look manually and add it to your monthly report.

If you want to know whether Google is citing your site in AI answers right now, reply and I will run a check for you. Happy to jump on a call if you want to talk through what this means for your business.