How AI assistants choose who to recommend for slab leak detection

1. What people actually asked
2. What your slab leak detection page has to explain
3. What the assistants looked for before recommending anyone
4. Your slab leak detection 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 slab leak detection in three different ways. Here is each one, word for word, with how many of the 272 answers it produced between September 4 and October 10, 2026:

• “I need slab leak detection today — I'm in Palm Harbor, FL. Who can actually come out?”96 answers, asked with five different timings: tomorrow morning, tonight, within the next few hours, today and first thing tomorrow
• “Slab leak detection near me — I'm in Dunedin, FL 34698. Who do you recommend?”96 answers
• “Who should I call for slab leak detection in Pinellas Park, FL 33781?”80 answers

Together, the 272 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 34 answers. By assistant: ChatGPT 112, Claude 88 and Google AI Mode 72.

Customers also call it “slab leak” or “foundation leak detection”, so use those words on the page as well.

The question underneath all of them

“Does the visit locate a suspected slab leak or include repairing it?” Detection findings should be separated from the choice of repair and any surface restoration.

What your slab leak detection page has to explain

Finding a slab leak and fixing it are separate jobs, and the answers kept them apart. Assistants told customers to ask whether the detection fee is separate from the repair and whether it is credited if the same company does both. Some companies only locate leaks. A page that says whether you detect only or also repair, and how the fee works either way, answers one of the questions customers asked most.

Customers were afraid of floors being broken open on a guess. Assistants told them to ask for non-invasive detection, such as acoustic listening, thermal imaging or pressure testing, before anyone cuts concrete. They also asked to be shown the leak location first. The page should describe the methods used and what the customer sees before any digging is approved.

The written report is what the customer keeps. Answers tied it to insurance claims and to utility leak credits on a high water bill. A sample report with the customer's details removed, showing the marked location and the next decision, such as a spot repair or a reroute, shows what the visit delivers.

What the assistants looked for before recommending anyone

We read all 272 answers to see what the assistants looked for before naming a company for slab leak detection, 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:

Is the leak found without breaking the floor?

Many answers told customers to ask for non-invasive methods, such as acoustic listening, thermal imaging or pressure testing, before anyone cuts into the slab. Customers wanted the leak pinpointed before any damage.

58% of the answers (159 of 272) brought this up.

Ask whether they use acoustic listening and thermal imaging to pinpoint the leak before anyone cuts into the slab.

Is the detection fee credited toward the repair?

Assistants regularly told customers to ask what detection costs and whether that fee is credited if the same company does the repair. Many said detection and repair are priced separately.

39% of the answers (107 of 272) brought this up.

Ask whether the detection fee is credited toward the repair.

Does the customer get a written report with the location?

Assistants regularly told customers to ask for a written report marking where the leak is. Answers tied that report to insurance claims and utility leak credits.

18% of the answers (49 of 272) brought this up.

Ask for a written report with the leak location marked.

Does a weekend or after-hours visit cost more?

Many customers needed someone quickly, sometimes on a weekend. Assistants told them to ask whether the price is flat or hourly and whether weekend or emergency fees apply.

15% of the answers (42 of 272) brought this up.

Ask whether the quoted price is flat or hourly, and whether weekend or emergency fees apply.

Will the findings help with insurance?

Some answers told customers to check whether their homeowner's insurance covers detection or damage, and said an insurer will likely want a written report. Others mentioned utility credits for leaked water.

15% of the answers (42 of 272) brought this up.

Ask whoever you call whether they provide a written leak-location report, since that can help with insurance or utility leak-credit paperwork.

Does the company only find the leak, or fix it too?

Assistants told customers to ask whether a company only finds leaks or also repairs them. Some customers wanted detection alone before choosing a plumber for the fix.

14% of the answers (38 of 272) brought this up.

Ask whether the company only finds leaks or also repairs them.

What the assistants couldn’t find

In 43 of the 272 answers, the assistant said it couldn’t find or confirm something it needed about a company. By assistant: Claude in 42 of its 88, ChatGPT in 0 of its 112 and Google AI Mode in 1 of its 72. 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: 18 answers
• When the company could do the work: 16 answers
• Reviews it could check: 13 answers
• Whether the company serves the customer’s town or ZIP code: 7 answers
• A license or insurance it could check: 6 answers
• A price or how the job is priced: 3 answers

Assistants often could not confirm that anyone could come out soon, and many could not find a phone number or reviews. A page that states your hours, your detection fee and a working number answers what they kept sending customers to call about.

Their pages don't say whether they hold a plumbing contractor license, so ask whether they do the repair or only locate the leak.

Where the assistants sent people

Each answer linked to the pages the assistant relied on. Of the 200 ChatGPT and Claude answers about slab leak detection, this is how many linked at least once to each kind of site:

• A contractor’s own website: 100% (200 answers)
• A directory or review site such as Yelp, Angi or the BBB: 24% (49 answers)
• An official license lookup: 1% (2 answers)
• A Google search or Maps page: under 1% (1 answer)
• 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 65% of its 72 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 slab leak detection

Can the customer reach a person?

Phone numbers were what assistants most often could not find, and some listings showed two different numbers. Customers were told to confirm which one was current.

18 of the 272 answers about slab leak detection, 18 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.

Can you schedule the job when the customer needs it?

Availability was a major gap for this job. Customers asked for help today or first thing tomorrow, and answers could not confirm anyone's schedule.

16 of the 272 answers about slab leak detection, 16 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.

What do recent customers say?

Assistants often could not find independent reviews for detection companies. Reviews that mention a leak found quickly and accurately speak to this job directly.

13 of the 272 answers about slab leak detection, 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.

Source: How we research what AI assistants recommend.

Your slab leak detection page checklist

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

1. Use “slab leak detection”, “slab leak” or “foundation leak detection” in the page title, the main heading and the first paragraph.
2. Name the detection methods you use and say that the leak is located before any concrete or flooring is opened.
3. State the detection fee and whether it is credited toward the repair when the customer hires you for it.
4. Describe what your detection report contains, and show a real example with the customer's details removed.
5. State when you do slab leak detection and what, if anything, changes in the price at nights and weekends.
6. Say what your report includes that customers can use with an insurer or utility, without promising coverage.
7. Say plainly whether you detect only or detect and repair, and how the repair is quoted separately.
8. Put one working phone number on the slab leak page, matching every listing.
9. State your hours for leak detection, whether you come out on weekends, and how soon you usually arrive.
10. Link to your recent reviews and point to ones about slab leaks you located.

Going further: let assistants see real openings

For planned work like slab leak detection, 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

Is slab leak detection separate from the repair?

Yes. Answers about this job said detection and repair are priced separately, and some companies only locate leaks. Assistants told customers to ask whether the detection fee is credited toward the repair. The page should explain both.

How do plumbers find a slab leak without breaking the floor?

Answers mentioned acoustic listening, thermal imaging and pressure testing as non-invasive methods used before any concrete is cut. A plumber's page should name the methods it uses and say the customer sees the marked location before any opening.

Should I get a written slab leak report?

Assistants told customers to ask for one, marking where the leak is. Answers said an insurer will likely want it, and it can help with a utility leak credit. A page that shows a sample report sets that expectation.

Which AI assistants did you test?

ChatGPT, Claude and Google AI Mode. Between September 4 and October 10, 2026, they answered 272 questions about slab leak detection: ChatGPT 112, Claude 88, Google AI Mode 72.

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 slab leak detection 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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