How AI assistants choose who to recommend for skylight repair

1. What people actually asked
2. What your skylight repair page has to explain
3. What the assistants looked for before recommending anyone
4. Your skylight repair 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 skylight repair in three different ways. Here is each one, word for word, with how many of the 283 answers it produced between September 4 and October 13, 2026:

• “Skylight repair near me — I'm in Seminole, FL 33772. Who do you recommend?”103 answers
• “Who should I call for skylight repair in 33713?”96 answers
• “I need skylight repair tomorrow morning — I'm in Largo, FL 33770. Who can actually come out?”84 answers, asked with five different timings: first thing tomorrow, tonight, today, tomorrow morning and within the next few hours

Together, the 283 answers covered eight towns in Pinellas County: Clearwater, Dunedin, Tarpon Springs, Largo, Palm Harbor, Pinellas Park, Seminole and St. Petersburg. Each town came up in 35 to 36 answers. By assistant: ChatGPT 112, Claude 107 and Google AI Mode 64.

Customers also call it “skylight leak repair” or “skylight flashing repair”, so use those words on the page as well.

The question underneath all of them

“Is the problem with the skylight, its surrounding roof details or something else?” A visible leak does not establish the remedy; diagnosis and any replacement need a separate explanation.

What your skylight repair page has to explain

A leak around a skylight does not say what failed. Assistants kept telling customers to ask whether the problem is the skylight itself, the flashing and curb around it, or the roof nearby. They warned that a quick reseal of the glass may miss the real cause. A page that explains what the inspection looks at, and how the roofer decides on the fix, answers the first question customers were told to ask.

Customers were also wary of being sold a new skylight they did not need. Answers told them to get a written estimate that says whether the job is a reseal, new flashing or a full replacement, since the price gap is large. A real repair example, linking what the roofer found to the work agreed, shows a customer how that decision gets made.

Many roofers list skylight installation or general leak repair, and assistants could not tell whether they take skylight repairs. Many answers ended by telling the customer to call and ask. When the skylight was actively leaking, answers also asked who could come the same day or tarp it overnight. The page should say both things plainly: that skylight repairs are taken, and how urgent leaks are handled.

What the assistants looked for before recommending anyone

We read all 283 answers to see what the assistants looked for before naming a company for skylight repair, 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 someone tarp an active leak today?

When a skylight was leaking now, assistants told customers to ask who could come the same day or tarp it until the real repair. Many could not confirm any company would come that night.

42% of the answers (119 of 283) brought this up.

Ask whether they can tarp the area or come out the same day.

Does the company actually repair skylights?

Assistants often found roofers whose pages mentioned leak repair or skylight installation but not skylight repair. They told customers to ask whether the company had repaired skylights before, not just roofs.

38% of the answers (108 of 283) brought this up.

Ask whether they have repaired skylights specifically, not just roofs.

Is it the skylight, the flashing or the roof around it?

Most answers told customers to ask whether the leak comes from the skylight unit, the flashing around it or the roof nearby. Answers said these need different repairs, so the diagnosis decides what the customer pays for.

25% of the answers (70 of 283) brought this up.

Ask whether the issue is the skylight itself, flashing, or surrounding roofing.

Will the roofer repair it or push a replacement?

Answers told customers to ask whether a company will repair the skylight or only replace it. They asked for a written estimate that names the fix, because a reseal, new flashing and a new unit differ greatly in price.

17% of the answers (47 of 283) brought this up.

Ask for a written estimate that says whether they're resealing or re-flashing the skylight, or replacing it.

Is the repair covered by a written warranty?

Assistants told customers to ask for a written warranty on the leak repair and the labor. Customers wanted to know who comes back if the same skylight leaks again.

12% of the answers (34 of 283) brought this up.

Ask whether the repair comes with a written warranty on the labor.

Will the roofer check the flashing and curb, not just reseal?

Assistants warned that many skylight leaks come from failed flashing or the curb, not the glass. They told customers to ask for a roof and flashing inspection rather than a fresh bead of caulk.

5% of the answers (14 of 283) brought this up.

Ask whether they’ll inspect the flashing/curb, not just reseal the glass, since many skylight leaks come from failed flashing rather than the skylight itself.

What the assistants couldn’t find

In 49 of the 283 answers, the assistant said it couldn’t find or confirm something it needed about a company. By assistant: Claude in 47 of its 107, ChatGPT in 2 of its 112 and Google AI Mode in 0 of its 64. 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: 32 answers
• Reviews it could check: 13 answers
• When the company could do the work: 7 answers
• Whether the company serves the customer’s town or ZIP code: 5 answers
• A license or insurance it could check: 3 answers

Assistants most often could not find a phone number for skylight repair, and often could not confirm a roofer did skylight work or could come soon. A page that names the service and gives a working number answers both.

Most are general roofers, and I couldn't confirm that any of them does skylight repair.

Where the assistants sent people

Each answer linked to the pages the assistant relied on. Of the 219 ChatGPT and Claude answers about skylight repair, this is how many linked at least once to each kind of site:

• A contractor’s own website: 98% (215 answers)
• A directory or review site such as Yelp, Angi or the BBB: 62% (136 answers)
• An official license lookup: 1% (3 answers)
• A Google search or Maps page: 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 80% of its 64 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 repair

Can the customer reach a person?

Phone numbers were what assistants most often could not find for this job. Some warned that numbers in search results traced back to lead sites rather than a local roofer.

32 of the 283 answers about skylight repair, 30 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 verified reviews for skylight work near the customer. Some noted that a rating shown only on a company's own site was not independent.

13 of the 283 answers about skylight repair, 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 139 of the 569 conversations where it came up.

Can you schedule the job when the customer needs it?

Customers often asked for a visit today or tomorrow morning. Assistants could rarely confirm that any company would come in time, and told customers to call and ask for an arrival window.

7 of the 283 answers about skylight repair, 7 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 skylight repair page checklist

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

1. Use “skylight repair”, “skylight leak repair” or “skylight flashing repair” in the page title, the main heading and the first paragraph.
2. Say whether you offer same-day visits or temporary tarping for leaking skylights, and how to request it after hours.
3. Name skylight repair as its own service and show real skylight repairs you have done.
4. Explain what your skylight inspection checks, inside and out, and how you report the cause to the customer.
5. Say when you repair and when you recommend replacement, and put the chosen fix in writing before work starts.
6. State the warranty on skylight repairs, how long it lasts and what it covers.
7. Say that you inspect and repair the flashing and curb, and describe what a lasting flashing repair includes.
8. Put a working local phone number on the skylight repair page, and say who answers it.
9. Link to recent independent reviews, and point to ones that mention skylight repairs.
10. Say how soon you can inspect a leaking skylight, and whether you take after-hours calls.

Going further: let assistants see real openings

For planned work like skylight repair, 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

Why does a skylight leak?

Assistants often said skylight leaks come from failed flashing or seals around the frame rather than the glass. Damage to the roof nearby can also be the cause. They told customers to ask for a diagnosis first. A page should explain what the roofer checks before naming the fix.

Should a leaking skylight be repaired or replaced?

The answers said it depends on what failed. A reseal or new flashing can be enough, while a cracked or fogged unit may need replacing. Assistants told customers to get the chosen fix in writing, because the price difference is large.

Should I call a roofer or a window company for a skylight leak?

Assistants often pointed customers to a licensed roofer, since most skylight leaks involve the roof and flashing. They suggested other options when the unit itself is cracked. A roofer's page should say whether it repairs skylights, so customers know they have the right call.

Which AI assistants did you test?

ChatGPT, Claude and Google AI Mode. Between September 4 and October 13, 2026, they answered 283 questions about skylight repair: ChatGPT 112, Claude 107, Google AI Mode 64.

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 skylight repair 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?