Who AI assistants recommend for new ductwork installation

1. What people actually asked
2. What your duct installation page has to explain
3. What the assistants looked for before recommending anyone
4. Your duct installation 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 new ductwork installation in three different ways. Here is each one, word for word, with how many of the 523 answers it produced between September 4 and October 11, 2026:

• “Duct installation near me — I'm in St. Petersburg, FL. Who do you recommend?”177 answers
• “I'm looking to get duct installation done in 33781 in the next few weeks. Who should I get quotes from?”177 answers, asked with five different timings: in the next few weeks, in two weeks, sometime this month, next month and before the end of the month
• “Who should I call for duct installation in Tarpon Springs, FL 34689?”169 answers

Together, the 523 answers covered 45 towns in Hillsborough County, Pasco County and Pinellas County: including Clearwater, Largo, Palm Harbor, Pinellas Park and Seminole. Each town came up in 5 to 38 answers. By assistant: ChatGPT 230, Claude 230 and Google AI Mode 63.

Customers also call it “new ductwork installation” or “ductwork replacement”, so use those words on the page as well.

The question underneath all of them

“What ductwork is included in a new installation?” New construction, an addition and replacement of existing ducts are different project contexts.

What your duct installation page has to explain

Many companies that came up for this job were AC firms whose pages barely mentioned ducts. Assistants often could not tell whether a company installs ductwork on its own or only as part of a new system. Answers told customers to ask before booking a visit. A page that shows real duct projects, with the rooms or areas they serve, answers that first question.

New construction, an addition and replacing old ducts are different jobs. Answers told customers to ask whether a quote covers new runs, a full replacement or only a swap of the existing layout. They also asked about removal of the old ducts and work in tight attic space. The page should explain how the company plans routing and access for each kind of project, and what other trades handle.

Duct quotes are hard to compare because the important details are easy to leave out. Answers kept listing the same items: duct sizing, insulation rating, mastic sealing, supports, permits, airflow testing and disposal. Assistants told customers to get every item in writing. A page that names what its installs include gives customers that list before they ask.

What the assistants looked for before recommending anyone

We read all 523 answers to see what the assistants looked for before naming a company for new ductwork installation, 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:

How does the company size and design the ducts?

Most answers told customers to ask whether a company sizes the ducts to the home with a load calculation or duct design, rather than copying the old layout. Customers wanted ducts that fit their system and rooms. Sizing was the first item on most quote checklists.

52% of the answers (273 of 523) brought this up.

Ask whether the quote includes a load calculation and sizing the ducts to match your system.

Who pulls the permit?

Assistants often told customers to ask who pulls the permit and whether it is in the price. Several said duct replacement usually needs one and called a contractor who skips it a red flag. Customers wanted this settled before work began.

43% of the answers (225 of 523) brought this up.

Ask whether the quote includes the permit, since duct replacement usually needs one.

Which insulation and sealing does the install use?

Many answers told customers to ask for the insulation rating of the new ducts and whether joints are sealed with mastic rather than tape. They tied both to attic heat and humidity. Customers used these details to compare quotes that looked alike.

34% of the answers (180 of 523) brought this up.

Ask for a written estimate that specifies duct material, insulation, sizing, permits, and whether balancing/testing is included.

Does the company test airflow or leakage after the install?

Answers told customers to ask whether the quote includes a duct leakage test, an airflow or static pressure check, and balancing after install. Some said many jurisdictions require a leakage test for new ducts. Customers wanted proof the new system works as designed.

32% of the answers (169 of 523) brought this up.

Ask whether they'll do a duct leakage test after installation, and what insulation rating the new ducts have.

Is it new construction, an addition or a replacement?

Answers told customers to ask whether a company handles new duct runs, a full replacement or only sealing. A new build, an addition and a swap of old ducts need different plans and prices. Customers wanted a company that does their kind of project.

24% of the answers (124 of 523) brought this up.

Ask whether each quote covers new duct installation, replacement or just sealing, and whether it includes a permit.

Does the company install ductwork on its own?

Many answers found AC or furnace companies whose pages did not mention ducts. Assistants told customers to ask whether a company does ductwork on its own before booking. Without that, a company stayed a lead rather than a match.

17% of the answers (91 of 523) brought this up.

Ask whether they install ductwork before relying on them.

What the assistants couldn’t find

In 140 of the 523 answers, the assistant said it couldn’t find or confirm something it needed about a company. By assistant: Claude in 138 of its 230, ChatGPT in 2 of its 230 and Google AI Mode in 0 of its 63. 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: 99 answers
• Reviews it could check: 44 answers
• Whether the company serves the customer’s town or ZIP code: 25 answers
• A license or insurance it could check: 11 answers
• A price or how the job is priced: 8 answers
• When the company could do the work: 6 answers

Assistants most often could not find a phone number, then could not find reviews about duct work rather than general AC service. A duct installation page with a working number and reviews from duct customers answers what they kept sending people to check.

I found some options, but I couldn't confirm direct phone numbers for most of them.

Where the assistants sent people

Each answer linked to the pages the assistant relied on. Of the 460 ChatGPT and Claude answers about new ductwork installation, this is how many linked at least once to each kind of site:

• A contractor’s own website: 95% (436 answers)
• A directory or review site such as Yelp, Angi or the BBB: 60% (275 answers)
• A manufacturer or home-improvement guide: 17% (77 answers)
• An official license lookup: 13% (62 answers)
• A Google search or Maps page: under 1% (2 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 54% of its 63 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 new ductwork installation

Can the customer reach a person?

Phone numbers were what assistants most often could not find for this job. Some warned about lead-generation pages that pass the request to whoever pays.

99 of the 523 answers about new ductwork installation, 99 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 found reviews about AC replacement or duct cleaning, not new ductwork. Some told customers to ask for references from recent duct jobs.

44 of the 523 answers about new ductwork installation, 44 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.

Do you serve the customer’s town or ZIP code?

For a duct install, coverage means a company will visit to measure and then return for a multi-day job. Answers often found companies far from the customer's town and could not confirm they served that ZIP code.

25 of the 523 answers about new ductwork installation, 25 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 350 of the 554 conversations where it came up.

Source: How we research what AI assistants recommend.

Your duct installation page checklist

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

1. Use “duct installation”, “new ductwork installation” or “ductwork replacement” in the page title, the main heading and the first paragraph.
2. Explain how you size and lay out new ducts, and whether a design or load calculation is part of every quote.
3. Say that you pull the permit for duct jobs, whether it is in the quote, and who schedules the inspection.
4. Name the duct materials, insulation rating and sealing method you use on a standard install.
5. Say which tests you run after installing ducts, whether they are in the price, and whether the customer gets the results.
6. List the kinds of duct projects you take on, and show an example of each with the spaces it served.
7. Give duct installation its own page, separate from equipment installs, and describe recent duct-only projects.
8. Put your own working phone number, company name and address on the duct installation page.
9. Link to your recent reviews, point to ones from duct installs and offer references on request.
10. List the towns and ZIP codes where you install ductwork.

Going further: let assistants see real openings

For planned work like new ductwork installation, 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 should a new ductwork quote include?

Answers about this job listed duct sizing or design, materials and insulation rating, sealing method, permits, removal of old ducts, airflow or leakage testing and warranty. A company's page should list which of these its quotes include and which cost extra.

Do I need a permit to replace ductwork?

Answers about this job said duct replacement usually needs a permit and told customers to ask who pulls it. Rules depend on the county or city. The installer's page should say whether it handles the permit and the inspection.

Should new ducts be sized differently from the old ones?

Assistants told customers to ask whether a company sizes ducts to the home and system with a load calculation, rather than matching the old layout. The installer's page should explain how it decides the size and routing.

Which AI assistants did you test?

ChatGPT, Claude and Google AI Mode. Between September 4 and October 11, 2026, they answered 523 questions about new ductwork installation: ChatGPT 230, Claude 230, Google AI Mode 63.

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 duct installation 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

• AI search optimization and websites for HVAC companies.
• Which services need their own page on a contractor website?