How AI assistants choose who to recommend for roofing work

We asked ChatGPT, Claude and Google AI Mode for roofing work recommendations 9,724 times. Here is what they looked for on a roofer’s page, across every roofing job from a leak to a new roof.

October 15, 2026Research data through October 14, 2026

By Patrick

The short answer

Across every roofing job, assistants told customers to check the Florida roofing license and ask for proof of insurance. Then the advice split by job: a tarp first for active leaks, help with the insurance claim after storms, an itemized written quote for new roofs, and a report an insurer accepts for inspections.

What people actually asked
What your roofing page has to explain
What the assistants looked for before recommending anyone
Your roofing page checklist
Questions owners ask
How we got these numbers
See it on your own website

What people actually asked

We asked 118 different questions about roofing work between September 2 and October 14, 2026. These are the six asked most, word for word, with how many of the 9,724 answers each produced:

“Looking for someone to do a roof inspection in Largo, FL sometime this month. Any recommendations?”128 answers, asked with five different timings: sometime this month, in two weeks, in the next few weeks, before the end of the month and next month
“Roofer near me — I'm in 33713. Who do you recommend?”127 answers
“I just moved to Clearwater, FL (33755) and I don't know anyone here. Who's the go-to roofer around here?”112 answers
“I need a full roof replacement in 33772. I'm looking to get this done next month. Who should I get quotes from?”112 answers, asked with five different timings: in two weeks, before the end of the month, sometime this month, next month and in the next few weeks
“My roof is leaking and there is a wet stain spreading across the ceiling. I'm in 34689 and I need someone out within the next few hours. Who should I call?”112 answers, asked with five different timings: within the next few hours, today, tomorrow morning, first thing tomorrow and tonight
“Who should I call for a roofer in Dunedin, FL?”112 answers

The other 112 questions asked for other jobs or worded the request differently. Together, the 9,724 answers covered eight towns in Pinellas County: St. Petersburg, Palm Harbor, Dunedin, Largo, Pinellas Park, Clearwater, Seminole and Tarpon Springs. Each town came up in 1,214 to 1,219 answers. By assistant: ChatGPT 4,040, Claude 3,342 and Google AI Mode 2,342.

The questions covered 32 specific jobs. Each has its own post:

The question underneath all of them

“Which roofer can I trust with this job, and can I check that they are licensed?” Across every roofing job, answers checked the Florida roofing license and insurance first, then asked different things for urgent leaks, planned new roofs, inspections and specialty roofs.

What your roofing page has to explain

The license check held for every roofing job, from gutter repair to a commercial roof. Assistants told customers to look up the roofing license on the state DBPR site and ask for liability and workers’ comp coverage. Some said to have the insurance certificate sent straight from the insurance agent. A roofing page should make each of these easy to find and check.

Urgent jobs and planned jobs drew different advice. For leaks and storm damage, assistants told customers to ask for an emergency tarp first and a firm arrival time. They also warned about door-to-door storm chasers and assignment of benefits forms. For a new roof, they wanted an itemized written quote naming the tear-off, decking, underlayment, permit and both warranties.

Specialty roofs raised a question other jobs did not: does this roofer work on my kind of roof at all? For slate, cedar shake, tile, coatings and skylights, answers often noted a company’s page listed other roof types and never mentioned this one. Inspection answers asked something else again. They wanted to know whether the visit was a paid, independent report or a free visit leading to a sales quote.

What the assistants looked for before recommending anyone

We read all 9,724 answers to see what the assistants looked for before naming a company for roofing work, 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:

Can the customer check the roofing license and insurance?

This was the most common advice in roofing answers, for every job. Assistants told customers to get the license number, confirm it on the state site and ask for proof of liability and workers’ comp insurance before anyone climbs on the roof.

38% of the answers (3,698 of 9,724) brought this up.

Confirm they're licensed with the Florida DBPR and carry liability + workers' comp insurance — ask for proof directly.
— Claude, asked “Roofer near me — I'm in 33772. Who do you recommend?”, September 3, 2026

Is the quote itemized and in writing?

Replacement, metal, flat-roof and repair answers told customers to get written quotes they could compare line by line. They wanted the tear-off, underlayment, permit and warranty named, and asked whether the price could change if rotted decking turned up.

22% of the answers (2,092 of 9,724) brought this up.

Confirm whether pricing is locked or subject to change if decking replacement turns out to be needed once they tear off the old roof.
— Claude, asked “A roofer in Palm Harbor, FL 34683 quoted me $19,500 for a full roof replacement. Is that a fair price, and who else should I be calling for a comparison in the next few days?”, September 7, 2026

Can someone tarp the roof the same day?

For leaks, wind, hail and storm damage, assistants told customers to ask for a tarp or temporary dry-in first. They said a tarp is often easier to schedule fast than a full repair, and told customers to ask what it costs.

21% of the answers (2,046 of 9,724) brought this up.

Ask whether they can do same-day tarp/leak stabilization, then a written repair estimate with photos.
— ChatGPT, asked “Roof leak repair near me — I'm in St. Petersburg, FL. Who do you recommend?”, September 11, 2026

How does the roofer handle a storm insurance claim?

After hail, wind or a storm, answers told customers to ask whether the roofer photographs the damage and writes a report for the insurer. They also warned against door-to-door storm chasers and signing an assignment of benefits form without understanding it.

15% of the answers (1,434 of 9,724) brought this up.

Ask each one whether they can provide photos and a written damage report for your insurance claim.
— ChatGPT, asked “Who should I call for wind damage roof repair in Tarpon Springs, FL 34689?”, September 12, 2026

What will the customer get from an inspection?

Inspection, certification and home-purchase answers asked what the customer would walk away with. Assistants told customers to ask for a written report with photos and the roof’s remaining life, and to check that their insurer accepts the form.

14% of the answers (1,354 of 9,724) brought this up.

Ask whether the inspection includes photos, written findings, estimated remaining roof life, and whether there’s any fee before booking.
— ChatGPT, asked “Looking for someone to do a roof inspection in Tarpon Springs, FL 34689 next month. Any recommendations?”, September 3, 2026

Does the page name this kind of roof?

For coatings, slate, tile, flat roofs and soffits, answers often said what each company specialized in. When a page listed other roof types but never this one, assistants told customers to call and ask first.

9% of the answers (905 of 9,724) brought this up.

Ask whether they have recent cedar shake repair experience, since many Florida roofers mostly handle asphalt, tile, metal, and flat roofs.
— ChatGPT, asked “Who should I call for cedar shake roof repair in 34689?”, September 12, 2026

What the assistants couldn’t find

In 1,447 of the 9,724 answers, the assistant said it couldn’t find or confirm something it needed about a company. By assistant: Claude in 1,330 of its 3,342, ChatGPT in 107 of its 4,040 and Google AI Mode in 10 of its 2,342. 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: 825 answers
Reviews it could check: 269 answers
When the company could do the work: 241 answers
A license or insurance it could check: 199 answers
Whether the company serves the customer’s town or ZIP code: 94 answers
A price or how the job is priced: 74 answers
A warranty: 23 answers
Payment or financing terms: 3 answers

Most of the times an assistant said it could not find something came from Claude, and a phone number was what it most often could not find. It also often could not verify reviews, availability or the license, so a roofing page should state each one plainly.

None of these sites listed a direct phone number in the search results, so click through to the specific page for the click-to-call number, or search each name on Google Maps for one-tap dialing.
— Claude, asked “Who should I call for storm-damage repair in 33713?”, September 6, 2026

Where the assistants sent people

Each answer linked to the pages the assistant relied on. Of the 7,382 ChatGPT and Claude answers about roofing work, this is how many linked at least once to each kind of site:

A contractor’s own website: 97% (7,139 answers)
A directory or review site such as Yelp, Angi or the BBB: 56% (4,156 answers)
An official license lookup: 12% (910 answers)
A manufacturer or home-improvement guide: 9% (668 answers)
A Google search or Maps page: under 1% (55 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 76% of its 2,342 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 roofing work

Can you come out when the customer needs you?

For leaks and storm damage, customers wanted someone out tonight or tomorrow morning, and assistants told them to ask for an arrival window. For new roofs, they asked when the job could realistically start.

241 of the 9,724 answers about roofing work, 202 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.

Can the customer reach a person?

Claude most often could not find a phone number for roofers, in every job. Some answers sent customers to a listing or a contact form instead.

825 of the 9,724 answers about roofing work, 813 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?

Claude often could not verify ratings and said a roofer’s claims on its own site were not proof. Answers pointed customers to Google and BBB reviews instead.

269 of the 9,724 answers about roofing work, 264 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.

Source: How we research what AI assistants recommend.

Your roofing page checklist

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

Use “roofing” in the page title, the main heading and the first paragraph.
Show your Florida roofing license number with a link to the DBPR lookup, and say what liability and workers’ comp coverage you carry.
Show what every written quote lists, including how rotted decking is priced and who pulls the permit.
Say whether you tarp or dry in a roof the same day, what that visit costs and how the permanent repair is booked after.
Explain what damage photos and reports you provide for a claim, and say plainly what stays between the homeowner and the insurer.
Describe the inspection report and wind-mitigation form you provide, and show a sample with personal details removed.
Name every roof type and job you take on, and link each one to a page with recent photos of that work.
Say how soon you can usually tarp or inspect a roof, and how far out new-roof jobs are booking.
Put a working phone number on every roofing page, matching your Google listing, and say whether after-hours calls are answered.
Link to your Google and BBB reviews, and point to recent ones for each kind of roofing job you do.

Going further: let assistants see real openings

For an urgent job, “open now” doesn’t answer the customer’s real question: can the right technician get to this address within the next few hours?

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 roofing company’s main page say?

Answers across roofing jobs looked for the Florida roofing license, proof of insurance, the towns served and a working phone number. They also looked for the roof types the company works on. A main page should state these plainly and link to a page for each job you do.

What do assistants tell customers to ask a roofer after a storm?

Answers about hail, wind and storm damage told customers to ask for a tarp first and a firm arrival time. They also said to ask whether the roofer photographs the damage for the insurer, and to avoid door-to-door storm chasers. A storm page should answer each of these.

Do I need to list every roof type I work on?

For slate, cedar shake, tile and coatings, answers often said a page listed other roof types but not this one. They then told customers to call and ask. If you do this work, name it on the page with photos of recent jobs.

Which AI assistants did you test?

ChatGPT, Claude and Google AI Mode. Between September 2 and October 14, 2026, they answered 9,724 questions about roofing work: ChatGPT 4,040, Claude 3,342, Google AI Mode 2,342.

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.

How we got these numbers

The questions, counts and quotes on this page come from the 9,724 answers ChatGPT, Claude and Google AI Mode gave between September 2 and October 14, 2026. We asked for roofing work in eight towns in Pinellas County, Florida. We collected them with software rather than the consumer apps, which can answer differently. We counted what each answer mentioned, what it said it couldn’t find and where it linked. Quotes never name a business.

The study figures come from an earlier set of assistant conversations in July and August 2026 across eight trades, coded for the reason each business was included or left out. Counts overlap and are never added together.

Read the full research method

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 roofing answers. You pay only if you accept it: $2,000 a month, month to month, with no build fee.

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