Who AI assistants recommend for skylight installation
We asked ChatGPT, Claude and Google AI Mode for skylight installation recommendations 176 times. Here is what they needed to see on a company's page before naming it to install a skylight.
The short answer
Before naming a company to install a skylight, assistants first needed to know it does new installations, not only repairs. Then they looked for how the roof opening is flashed and who finishes the ceiling inside. They also checked who pulls the permit, whether the unit is rated for Florida wind, and what the leak warranty covers.
- What people actually asked
- What your skylight installation page has to explain
- What the assistants looked for before recommending anyone
- Your skylight installation page checklist
- Questions owners ask
- How we got these numbers
- See it on your own website
What people actually asked
We asked for skylight installation in two different ways. Here is each one, word for word, with how many of the 176 answers it produced between September 9 and October 14, 2026:
- “Skylight installation near me — I'm in 33755. Who do you recommend?”88 answers
- “Who should I call for skylight installation in Pinellas Park, FL 33781?”88 answers
Together, the 176 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 22 answers. By assistant: ChatGPT 72, Claude 64 and Google AI Mode 40.
Customers also call it “new skylight”, “curb-mounted skylight” or “solar tube installation”, so use those words on the page as well.
The question underneath all of them
“Who handles the roof opening, skylight and interior finish?” The roofing, product and interior construction work can have different owners.
What your skylight installation page has to explain
A skylight installation crosses three kinds of work: the roof opening, the skylight itself and the ceiling inside. Assistants warned that some roofers do only the outside and leave the drywall and light shaft to someone else. They told customers to ask who handles each part. A page that draws that line, and shows a finished project with each part named, answers the question customers were told to call about.
Many companies list skylight repair or replacement, and assistants could not tell whether they cut new openings. Some answers sent customers to the manufacturer's installer locator to find a match. Customers were also choosing between framed skylights and tubular ones, sometimes by brand. The page should say whether the company installs new skylights, which types and brands it installs, and which roof types it works on.
In Florida, the answers kept returning to the permit and the storm rating. Assistants told customers to ask who pulls the permit and whether the unit is impact or wind rated for the area. They paired that with the warranty, asking who covers a leak around the opening: the installer, the manufacturer or both. The page has to separate the product warranty from the installation warranty in plain words.
What the assistants looked for before recommending anyone
We read all 176 answers to see what the assistants looked for before naming a company for skylight 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:
Which skylight types and brands does the company install?
Answers told customers to ask which brands a company installs and whether it fits framed skylights, tubular skylights or both. Some noted a factory-certified installer can matter for the manufacturer's warranty.
50% of the answers (88 of 176) brought this up.
Their site doesn't say which skylight brands they install.
Is the skylight rated for Florida wind and storms?
Assistants regularly told Florida customers to ask whether the skylight is impact or wind rated and approved for the local code. Several put this on the short list of questions to ask every company.
33% of the answers (58 of 176) brought this up.
Ask whether they pull the permit and whether the skylight is rated for Florida's wind and hurricane requirements.
How is the roof opening flashed and sealed?
Most answers told customers to ask how the flashing around the new opening is handled, and whether a manufacturer flashing kit matched to the roof type is used. Answers described flashing as where leaks usually start, so it is the part customers were told to get in writing.
26% of the answers (46 of 176) brought this up.
Ask each one how they handle flashing and leak-proofing around the roof opening.
Who covers a leak: the installer or the manufacturer?
Answers told customers to ask for a leak or workmanship warranty on the installation, separate from the manufacturer's warranty on the skylight. Customers wanted to know who to call if water came in around the opening later.
24% of the answers (43 of 176) brought this up.
Ask what warranty they give on the installation itself, separate from the manufacturer's warranty on the skylight.
Who pulls the permit?
Many answers told customers to ask who pulls the permit, since cutting a new opening in a roof usually needs one. Customers were told to confirm this before signing, not after the work began.
19% of the answers (34 of 176) brought this up.
Ask who pulls the permit, and ask for a written warranty covering leaks as well as the product.
Who finishes the ceiling and light shaft inside?
Assistants warned that some roofers only do the exterior portion of a skylight job. They told customers to ask whether the quote includes the drywall, trim and light shaft, so the ceiling is not left open for another trade.
18% of the answers (32 of 176) brought this up.
Ask whether they handle both the roof flashing and the interior drywall/trim, since some roofers only do the exterior portion.
What the assistants couldn’t find
In 22 of the 176 answers, the assistant said it couldn’t find or confirm something it needed about a company. By assistant: Claude in 22 of its 64, ChatGPT in 0 of its 72 and Google AI Mode in 0 of its 40. 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: 13 answers
- Whether the company serves the customer’s town or ZIP code: 9 answers
- Reviews it could check: 3 answers
Assistants most often could not find a phone number for skylight installers, and often could not confirm a company served the customer's town. A page with a working number and a list of towns served answers both.
I couldn't confirm a working phone number for any of them.
Where the assistants sent people
Each answer linked to the pages the assistant relied on. Of the 136 ChatGPT and Claude answers about skylight installation, this is how many linked at least once to each kind of site:
- A contractor’s own website: 96% (131 answers)
- A directory or review site such as Yelp, Angi or the BBB: 62% (84 answers)
- An official license lookup: 4% (5 answers)
- A manufacturer or home-improvement guide: under 1% (1 answer)
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 90% of its 40 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 skylight installation
Can the customer reach a person?
Phone numbers were what assistants most often could not find for this job. Some flagged a number that looked wrong for the area and told customers to check it before calling.
13 of the 176 answers about skylight installation, 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 147 of the 290 conversations where it came up.
Do you serve the customer’s town or ZIP code?
Assistants often found skylight specialists in another city and could not confirm they would come to the customer's town or ZIP code. Several said no installer was based in the customer's town at all.
9 of the 176 answers about skylight installation, 9 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.
What do recent customers say?
Assistants often could not find verified reviews for skylight work in the customer's town. One noted that a company's review was for a repair, not a new installation.
3 of the 176 answers about skylight installation, 3 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 skylight installation page checklist
Work through this list on your skylight installation page. Each item answers something the assistants looked for above.
- Use “skylight installation”, “new skylight” or “curb-mounted skylight” in the page title, the main heading and the first paragraph.
- List the skylight types and brands you install, and say whether you hold any manufacturer certification.
- Name the storm-rated skylights you install and explain how you match the product to the home's code requirements.
- Explain how you flash and seal a new opening on each roof type you work on, and name the flashing you use.
- State the installation warranty and the product warranty separately, how long each lasts, and what each covers.
- Say that you pull the permit for skylight installations, and that its cost is included or listed in the quote.
- Say plainly whether the interior drywall and light shaft are part of your job, and show a finished project with both sides.
- Put a working local phone number and an estimate request on the skylight page itself.
- List the towns and ZIP codes where you install skylights.
- Link to recent reviews and point to ones from skylight installation customers.
Going further: let assistants see real openings
For planned work like skylight 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
Does a roofer finish the ceiling when installing a skylight?
Not always. Assistants warned that some roofers only do the roof opening and flashing, and leave the drywall and light shaft to someone else. They told customers to ask. A page should say which parts of the job the company does, inside and out.
What should a skylight installation quote include?
Answers about this job told customers to look for the exact product, the flashing, the permit, any framing or roof deck repair, the interior finish and a written warranty. In Florida they also asked for an impact or wind-rated unit. A page that lists these makes quotes easy to compare.
What is the difference between a skylight and a sun tunnel?
A framed skylight is a window in the roof. A sun tunnel, or tubular skylight, brings light through a narrow tube. Assistants told customers to ask which types a company installs, since prices and the work involved differ. The page should list each type offered.
Which AI assistants did you test?
ChatGPT, Claude and Google AI Mode. Between September 9 and October 14, 2026, they answered 176 questions about skylight installation: ChatGPT 72, Claude 64, Google AI Mode 40.
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 176 answers ChatGPT, Claude and Google AI Mode gave between September 9 and October 14, 2026. We asked for skylight installation 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.
See it on your own website
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Source: Merchant Context: the current website offer · checked 2026-10-14.
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