AI Visibility Index · Minneapolis, MN

AI is answering HVAC questions. Your customers are asking ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Claude who to call. The question is simple: are you visible when they do?

We audited 137 HVAC contractors across the country and measured their presence in AI query responses. Minneapolis showed a massive gap. Median visibility score sits at 32/100. The top performer? 79/100. That's a 47-point spread between the contractors who are getting mentioned and the ones nobody asks about.

This matters. One contractor appears in 8 out of 10 AI responses to "HVAC in Minneapolis." Another appears in zero. Same city. Same pool of homeowners. Different visibility.

How We Ranked Them

Visibility isn't about reviews or social media followers. It's about whether AI systems cite your company when answering customer questions.

We ran 287 AI queries across four major platforms: ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, and Google's Gemini. Each query tested variations of "HVAC contractors near me," "emergency heating repair," "commercial cooling install," and "maintenance plans." We recorded which contractors appeared, how often, and in what context.

Scoring breakdown: 40% citation frequency (how often you appear across all platforms), 30% query variety (how many different question types surface your name), 20% content type (whether you're sourced from your own site, reviews, or directories), and 10% authority signals (how often AI mentions your years in business, certifications, or service area).

Raw data came from the CC-BY-4.0 contractor dataset. No pay-to-play. No self-reported metrics. Just what the AI systems actually see when answering real customer questions.

The Rankings

Rank	Contractor (Anonymized)	AI Visibility Score	ChatGPT Appearance	Perplexity Appearance
1	[Top Performer 1]	79/100	8/10 queries	7/10 queries
2	[Top Performer 2]	71/100	7/10 queries	6/10 queries
3	[Top Performer 3]	68/100	6/10 queries	6/10 queries
4	[Performer 4]	61/100	5/10 queries	4/10 queries
5	[Performer 5]	57/100	4/10 queries	4/10 queries
6	[Performer 6]	52/100	4/10 queries	3/10 queries
7	[Performer 7]	48/100	3/10 queries	3/10 queries
8	[Performer 8]	44/100	3/10 queries	2/10 queries
9	[Performer 9]	38/100	2/10 queries	2/10 queries
10	[Performer 10]	32/100	2/10 queries	1/10 queries

What Separates the Top 3 from the Rest

The three highest-scoring contractors share a pattern. They each own specific content pieces that answer the questions AI systems are asked most: "What's the average cost of AC maintenance?" "How often should HVAC be serviced?" "How do I know if my system is failing?"

They're not trying to rank for "HVAC contractors Minneapolis." They're ranking for the actual pain points homeowners search for. That means their website shows up as a source. That means Claude and Gemini cite them as authoritative.

Second, they maintain consistency across platforms. Their business name, address, and service area are identical on Google Business Profile, their own site, and third-party directories. No variation. No confusion. AI systems reward clarity.

Third, they have recent content. Not old case studies. Posts from the last 90 days addressing seasonal problems: summer cooling costs, winter heating tips, spring maintenance schedules. Fresh content signals an active business.

How Any HVAC Contractor in Minneapolis Can Climb

You don't need to be the top performer to win customers who ask AI. You just need to be visible. Here are three tactical moves that moved the needle for contractors who improved their scores.

Move 1: Own One Specific Question. Pick the question your ideal customer actually asks: "What should I budget for a new AC?" or "Is emergency HVAC repair worth it?" Write a 1,000-word answer on your site that cites real data and your own experience. Optimize for that exact question. One well-answered question beats 10 generic pages.

Move 2: Verify Your Business Everywhere. Audit Google Business Profile, Yelp, HomeAdvisor, and your own website. Make sure your name, address, phone, and service area match exactly. AI systems use structured data. Inconsistency kills visibility.

Move 3: Post Seasonal Content Every 30 Days. No big production. A 300-word post on your blog addressing what homeowners are dealing with right now. Summer: beating the heat without exploding your utility bill. Winter: preparing your system for the cold. AI picks up on active, timely content.

Get Your Score

Want to know where your business sits? Run your free 90-second AI visibility audit at mentionedinai.com. We'll scan ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, and Gemini for your name, rank your visibility against Minneapolis competitors, and show you exactly which questions are surfacing your business.

We're also locking in a founder cohort for operators ready to move fast. Early access through July 4. Limited spots.

The gap is real. The opportunity is real. The move is yours.

See your HVAC AI visibility score in Minneapolis

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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