How AI assistants choose who to recommend for drain cleaning

1. What people actually asked
2. What your drain cleaning page has to explain
3. What the assistants looked for before recommending anyone
4. Your drain cleaning page checklist
5. Questions owners ask
6. How we got these numbers
7. See it on your own website

What people actually asked

We asked for drain cleaning in four different ways. Here is each one, word for word, with how many of the 416 answers it produced between September 4 and October 12, 2026:

• “Drain cleaning near me — I'm in St. Petersburg, FL. Who do you recommend?”104 answers
• “I need drain cleaning tonight — I'm in Seminole, FL. Who can actually come out?”104 answers, asked with five different timings: within the next few hours, today, tomorrow morning, tonight and first thing tomorrow
• “Looking for someone to do drain cleaning in 33755 in two weeks. Any recommendations?”104 answers, asked with five different timings: in two weeks, in the next few weeks, before the end of the month, sometime this month and next month
• “Who should I call for drain cleaning in 34689?”104 answers

Together, the 416 answers covered eight towns in Pinellas County: Clearwater, Dunedin, Largo, Palm Harbor, Pinellas Park, Seminole, St. Petersburg and Tarpon Springs. Each town came up in 52 answers. By assistant: ChatGPT 160, Claude 160 and Google AI Mode 96.

Customers also call it “clogged drain”, “drain clearing”, “drain unclogging”, “unclog drain” or “sink drain cleaning”, so use those words on the page as well.

The question underneath all of them

“Is this service for one blocked fixture or a wider drainage problem?” A fixture blockage, a main-line issue and damaged pipework may need different assessments and scopes.

What your drain cleaning page has to explain

Drain cleaning sounds like one job, but the answers treated it as several. A slow sink, a tub that will not drain and several drains backing up at once were handled differently. Assistants told customers to say which drain was clogged and to ask whether the plumber was clearing a fixture or the main sewer line. A page that separates those cases helps a customer book the right visit.

Price questions filled these answers. Customers were told to ask for the trip or service-call fee, whether the price is flat or hourly, and what costs extra. Camera inspection and hydro-jetting were the add-ons named most. The page should say what the first visit covers and when a camera or jetting would be suggested, so the price does not grow without warning.

Answers also wanted to know what happens if the clog comes back. Some told customers to ask how long the clearing is guaranteed and whether a camera would be run on a repeat visit. A real example of a drain call, showing the reported problem and the work confirmed, gives customers a clear picture of the service.

What the assistants looked for before recommending anyone

We read all 416 answers to see what the assistants looked for before naming a company for drain cleaning, what they told the customer to ask, and what they said they couldn’t find.

What the assistants told customers to ask

Most common first:

Will the plumber snake the drain or use hydro-jetting?

Answers regularly told customers to ask whether the price covers basic snaking or hydro-jetting. Several noted that jetting usually costs more. Customers were told to ask which method the plumber recommends and why.

59% of the answers (246 of 416) brought this up.

Ask whether they're recommending snaking or hydro-jetting, and why.

Is a camera inspection included, and when is it used?

Camera inspection was the add-on assistants mentioned most. They told customers to ask for one when a clog keeps coming back or several drains back up. They also told customers to ask whether it is included or extra.

50% of the answers (206 of 416) brought this up.

Ask whether they will camera-inspect the line if the clog keeps coming back.

Is it one clogged fixture or the main line?

Assistants told customers that several drains backing up at once points to the main line. They asked customers which drain was clogged and told them to confirm whether the plumber was clearing a fixture drain or the main sewer line. Some warned the price can change if it turns out to be the main line.

48% of the answers (200 of 416) brought this up.

Ask for the total service-call fee, whether camera inspection is included, and whether they’re clearing a fixture drain or the main sewer line.

What is the trip or service-call fee?

Many answers told customers to ask for the trip, dispatch or service-call fee before booking. Some asked whether the fee is credited toward the job. Customers wanted to know what they owe just for the visit.

29% of the answers (120 of 416) brought this up.

Ask whether there's a diagnostic or trip fee and whether it's credited toward the job.

Is the price flat or by the hour?

Assistants often told customers to ask for a flat price up front and whether the job is billed hourly. They wanted the price before work begins, ideally in writing. Some noted an advertised price was likely a starting rate.

20% of the answers (84 of 416) brought this up.

Ask for the price up front, and whether it's a flat rate or hourly.

When can someone come?

Many customers needed a drain cleared today or first thing tomorrow. Assistants could not see any plumber's schedule, so they told customers to call and ask for a specific arrival window.

12% of the answers (49 of 416) brought this up.

Ask for a specific arrival window tomorrow morning.

What the assistants couldn’t find

In 65 of the 416 answers, the assistant said it couldn’t find or confirm something it needed about a company. By assistant: Claude in 58 of its 160, ChatGPT in 7 of its 160 and Google AI Mode in 0 of its 96. As we asked it, Claude usually says what it couldn’t confirm; ChatGPT and Google AI Mode seldom do, so these counts mostly show what Claude couldn’t find. Most often:

• A phone number or other way to reach the company: 37 answers
• Reviews it could check: 15 answers
• When the company could do the work: 14 answers
• A price or how the job is priced: 12 answers
• A license or insurance it could check: 4 answers

Assistants most often could not find a phone number, and many could not confirm anyone was free soon. A page with a working number, your hours and what the first visit costs would answer what they kept sending customers to ask.

I didn't pull phone numbers because I couldn't confirm them from these results.

Where the assistants sent people

Each answer linked to the pages the assistant relied on. Of the 320 ChatGPT and Claude answers about drain cleaning, this is how many linked at least once to each kind of site:

• A contractor’s own website: 98% (312 answers)
• A directory or review site such as Yelp, Angi or the BBB: 59% (188 answers)
• A manufacturer or home-improvement guide: 5% (17 answers)
• An official license lookup: 2% (7 answers)

A contractor’s own website was the page linked most often, so your site is usually what the customer is sent to read.

Google AI Mode works differently. In 79% of its 96 answers, the links opened Google’s own listing for a business rather than a website. There, your Google Business Profile is the page the customer sees, so it needs the same facts as your site.

The checks behind every recommendation, applied to drain cleaning

Can the customer reach a person?

Phone numbers were what assistants most often could not find for this job. Some sent customers through a booking site because no direct number appeared.

37 of the 416 answers about drain cleaning, 37 of them from Claude, said the assistant couldn’t confirm this. In our July–August study across eight trades, it cost a business its place in 147 of the 290 conversations where it came up.

What do recent customers say?

Assistants often could not find independent reviews and relied on company pages. They told customers to check current reviews before booking.

15 of the 416 answers about drain cleaning, 15 of them from Claude, said the assistant couldn’t confirm this. In our July–August study across eight trades, it cost a business its place in 139 of the 569 conversations where it came up.

Can you schedule the job when the customer needs it?

Customers often wanted someone within hours. Assistants could not confirm live availability and told customers to call several plumbers for an arrival window.

14 of the 416 answers about drain cleaning, 13 of them from Claude, said the assistant couldn’t confirm this. In our July–August study across eight trades, it cost a business its place in 185 of the 657 conversations where it came up.

Source: How we research what AI assistants recommend.

Your drain cleaning page checklist

Work through this list on your drain cleaning page. Each item answers something the assistants looked for above.

1. Use “drain cleaning”, “clogged drain” or “drain clearing” in the page title, the main heading and the first paragraph.
2. Explain the difference between snaking and hydro-jetting in plain words, and say how you decide which one a drain needs.
3. Say when you recommend a camera inspection, whether it is part of the standard visit, and what it costs if not.
4. Describe how a single-fixture clog and a main-line backup are handled and priced differently.
5. State your service-call fee and whether it is applied to the drain cleaning price.
6. Say whether drain cleaning is flat-rate or hourly, and give a starting price for a common clog.
7. Say how soon you can usually reach a clogged drain, and whether same-day or after-hours visits cost more.
8. Put a working phone number at the top of the drain cleaning page.
9. Link to recent reviews and point to ones from customers whose drain you cleared.
10. State your hours for drain calls and whether evenings or weekends are offered.

Going further: let assistants see real openings

For planned work like drain cleaning, a useful opening says whether it is for an assessment or the job itself, and whether the customer’s address is covered.

Merchant Context builds custom integrations with scheduling software so customers and AI assistants can read your current availability. Where your system records the job type, service area, duration and crew capacity, the integration can show those details with each opening, so an assistant can match it to the request instead of guessing.

We scope each connection to the software and data you actually have. A displayed opening is not a confirmed booking: the customer still confirms through your normal booking process, and the information is only useful while it is fresh.

Source: Merchant Context: custom integrations in the AEO service · checked 2026-10-14.

Questions owners ask

What does a drain cleaning visit usually include?

Answers about this job asked whether the price covers basic snaking, a camera inspection or hydro-jetting, and whether a trip fee applies. Visits differ between plumbers, so the page should list what the standard visit includes and what costs extra.

When is a camera inspection needed for a drain?

Assistants told customers to ask for a camera inspection when a clog keeps coming back, several drains back up, or there is a sewage smell. A page should say when the plumber recommends one and how it is priced.

Is hydro-jetting better than snaking a drain?

Answers described snaking as the basic method and hydro-jetting as a more thorough option that usually costs more. They told customers to ask which one the plumber recommends and why. A page should explain how that choice is made.

Which AI assistants did you test?

ChatGPT, Claude and Google AI Mode. Between September 4 and October 12, 2026, they answered 416 questions about drain cleaning: ChatGPT 160, Claude 160, Google AI Mode 96.

Will these changes guarantee a recommendation?

No. Nobody can promise that. These changes supply what the assistants were looking for in our research. Whether they move recommendations for your business is something to measure after they go live.

See it on your own website

Send us your website address and we’ll make a free preview of your homepage, rewritten so customers and assistants can find your drain cleaning answers. You pay only if you accept it: $2,000 a month, month to month, with no build fee.

Get your free homepage preview

Source: Merchant Context: the current website offer · checked 2026-10-14.

Keep reading

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• Which services need their own page on a contractor website?