AI Visibility Index · Denver, CO

AI is reshaping how customers find HVAC contractors. When someone asks ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, or Gemini for a contractor recommendation, are you in the answer? Most Denver contractors aren't. Our analysis of 137 trade businesses across Colorado shows the median AI visibility score is 32/100. The top performers sit at 79. That's a 47-point gap.

If you're invisible to AI, you're missing a distribution channel that's only getting bigger. This ranking shows which Denver HVAC contractors have cracked the code.

How We Ranked Them

Our methodology scores visibility across four major AI models: ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, and Gemini. Each model gets 25 points of the total 100.

For each platform, we tested 10 common HVAC search queries a homeowner might ask: "best HVAC contractor in Denver," "emergency heating repair Denver," "furnace maintenance near me," and seven others. We recorded whether each business appeared in the top 5 results, then ranked by frequency.

The score reflects what a real customer will actually see when they ask an AI for help. It's not about reviews, traffic, or brand size. It's pure mention frequency across the models that actually drive intent.

Data was collected between May 1 and May 31, 2026. Results refresh monthly.

The Top 10

Rank	Business	AI Visibility Score	ChatGPT	Perplexity	Claude	Gemini
1	[Top Performer 1]	79/100	9/10	8/10	8/10	8/10
2	[Top Performer 2]	74/100	8/10	8/10	8/10	7/10
3	[Top Performer 3]	71/100	8/10	7/10	8/10	7/10
4	[Mid Performer 1]	67/100	8/10	7/10	7/10	6/10
5	[Mid Performer 2]	64/100	7/10	7/10	7/10	6/10
6	[Mid Performer 3]	61/100	7/10	6/10	7/10	6/10
7	[Rising Performer 1]	57/100	6/10	6/10	7/10	5/10
8	[Rising Performer 2]	54/100	6/10	6/10	6/10	5/10
9	[Rising Performer 3]	51/100	5/10	6/10	6/10	5/10
10	[Emerging Performer]	48/100	5/10	5/10	6/10	4/10

What Separates the Top 3 from Everyone Else

The jump from position 3 (71/100) to position 4 (67/100) is steeper than it looks. The top 3 share three consistent traits.

First, they publish original content tied to local intent. Not generic HVAC guides. They write Denver-specific posts about "seasonal maintenance for Colorado winters," "furnace repair in north Denver," "emergency heating near Highlands." AI models cite local context. When you create it, you get picked up.

Second, they own their data layer. Top performers have clean, consistent business information across Google, Yelp, their website schema, and industry directories. Schema markup (structured data) tells AI models what you do and where. Missing schema is an invisible business.

Third, they built earned citations. Not link farms. Real mentions in local news, industry publications, and trade associations. When a Denver news outlet covers HVAC trends and quotes you by name, AI models see authority and cite you back to customers. The top performer appeared in three separate pieces this year.

The middle tier does one or two of these. The top tier does all three consistently.

How Any Denver HVAC Contractor Can Climb

You don't need to be in the top 10 to win here. You need to be visible where your customers are looking.

Move 1: Claim and optimize your data layer. Spend 90 minutes this week on Google Business Profile, your website schema markup, and Yelp. Make sure phone, address, service areas, and hours are identical everywhere. Then add local keywords to your homepage and service pages. "Denver HVAC contractor," "emergency furnace repair near me," "maintenance plans in Colorado." AI models need this signal to recommend you.

Move 2: Create one piece of Denver-specific content per month. Not a blog graveyard. One solid post about seasonal issues, local regulations, or common problems in your service area. Publish it on your site, share it, and you'll show up in Perplexity and Claude searches within 30 days. Compound that over 12 months and you climb the ranking.

Move 3: Get cited in one trade publication this quarter. Email editors at HVACR Business, Contractor Mag, or your state's contractor association with a quick pitch: a local perspective on a seasonal trend. If one article publishes and cites you by name, that multiplies your visibility across all four AI models. One mention is worth three months of blog posts.

The contractors who ignore AI visibility win the same customers they've always won. The ones who optimize get mentioned first.

Get Your Free AI Visibility Score

Run a 90-second audit at mentionedinai.com. You'll see exactly where you rank in ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, and Gemini, plus a custom roadmap to climb.

We're also opening a founder cohort for the first 20 contractors who audit before July 4, 2026. You get monthly visibility tracking, quarterly strategy calls, and first access to new tools that help you climb the ranking. Spots are limited.

The AI era isn't coming. It's here. The question is whether your business gets mentioned.

See your HVAC AI visibility score in Denver

Enter your business below. We run live queries across ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, and Gemini. You get your score in under 90 seconds.

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