If you search for studies on what ChatGPT reads about local contractors, Expertise.com keeps coming up. It publishes "best of" lists of local businesses, and in one large study ChatGPT cited it more than any other site for home services.
So owners ask: how do I get on it? Honest answer: you can't apply or pay your way in, as far as we can find. The site says it selects businesses itself. This guide explains how the site describes its process, how often it showed up in our data, what you can do to be a business it can verify, and what to avoid.
How often it shows up
- Cheers (September 2026): across 34,742 answers in 100 metros, ChatGPT cited Expertise.com in about 32% of home-services answers, ahead of Angi/HomeAdvisor (about 29%) and BBB (about 15%). Perplexity cited it around 31% (Cheers). Cheers sells AI-visibility services.
- A plumber study (Relentless Digital via Roundhouse, August 2026): about 14,000 queries; Expertise.com was cited 674 times, 460 of them by ChatGPT and 214 by Perplexity (Roundhouse).
- Our Texas study (November 2026): ChatGPT cited Expertise.com in 31.3% of the 390 markets. It varied by trade: plumbers 52%, roofing 43%, HVAC 35%, pest control 39%, general contractors 9%, foundation repair 0%. Fence and tree-service markets (7 each) were higher, but those are small samples.
A citation shows ChatGPT read a page. It doesn't show that the page decided who was named.
How Expertise.com says it selects businesses
On its selection process page, Expertise.com describes five steps:
- Identify: build a list of local businesses from public databases and customer referrals.
- Analyze: judge reputation using algorithms over a business's online presence.
- Verify: check qualifications such as accreditations, certifications and licenses.
- Screen: narrow finalists by expertise, services and background checks.
- Mystery shop: call each company to judge knowledgeability, friendliness and professionalism.
We read its public pages. We didn't find an application form, a fee, or any paid placement, but its pages don't say much about money either way. The site links to a provider portal (expertise.com/update) for updating a listing, and the contact details on its site are (877) 769-7769 and info@expertise.com. If you're asked to pay for a "guaranteed" listing, be skeptical and ask for the details in writing.
What you can do
You can't control the selection, but you can make sure a business like yours is easy to find, verify and call.
1. Make your public footprint complete and consistent
The site says it analyzes your online presence. That means:
- A claimed, complete Google Business Profile.
- A website that names your services, cities, license numbers and years in business.
- The same name, address and phone everywhere.
- Reviews that are recent and genuine. See how many reviews and how recent.
2. Have your credentials ready to verify
The "verify" step checks licenses and certifications, so:
- Put your license numbers on your website and listings. In Texas that may be TDLR (A/C and electrical), TSBPE (plumbing) or another state board.
- List certifications and manufacturer programs you really hold.
- Keep your insurance current.
3. Prepare for the mystery-shop call
This one is simple and underrated:
- Make sure your published phone number is answered during stated hours, by a person.
- Give whoever answers a short script of facts: services, service area, license number, how estimates work, typical timelines, warranty.
- Be polite and clear, and don't oversell. A caller who is a shopper and a caller who is a customer should get the same experience.
4. Use the provider portal if you're already listed
If you appear on the site, check your listing at expertise.com/update and correct anything that's wrong: phone, website, hours, services.
5. Ask them directly
Contact the site and ask how businesses get considered. Whatever they say, get it in writing.
What to avoid
- Paying someone who promises a listing. We can't verify any such promise, and the site says it chooses.
- Fake reviews to look more established. They break platform rules, and the FTC's 2024 fake-review rule bans them.
- Treating one site as the goal. Expertise.com is one of many. In our study the largest group of citations went to other "best of" sites and marketplaces. See the best-of sites and Angi, Thumbtack and HomeAdvisor.
A one-page checklist
Before you worry about Expertise.com specifically, check that a stranger doing research on your company would find a consistent, credible picture:
- Google Business Profile claimed, complete and verified
- Website with each service, the cities you serve, and your license number on it
- Phone number identical on the site, Google, Bing, Apple Maps, Yelp, Facebook and BBB
- At least a few reviews from the last three months, with replies
- License and insurance current and findable
- Phone answered by someone who can describe your services and how estimates work
- No duplicate or abandoned listings
A realistic expectation
Most businesses that do all of the above will not be listed, because the site chooses a small number of businesses per category and city. If you are listed, great. If not, the same work still pays off with customers and with the other sites ChatGPT reads. Think of Expertise.com as one of many doors, and don't pay anyone who says they have the key.
Is it worth the effort?
Everything above (complete profile, visible licenses, a well-answered phone) helps with customers and regular search whether or not Expertise.com ever lists you. Think of getting onto the site as a possible side effect of doing the basics well.
FAQ
Is Expertise.com pay-to-play? We couldn't find any paid placement described on its pages. We can't see how the site makes its money, so ask them directly.
How long does it take? Unknown. There's no application, so there's no timeline.
Does being listed make ChatGPT recommend me? Nobody can promise that. Being listed gives ChatGPT one more page that names you.
See which sites ChatGPT reads for your trade. Run a free scan at localpickai.com. You'll see whether ChatGPT names you, who it names instead, the exact websites it read, and what to fix first. Free, no signup, about a minute.
