We measured 100 trade contractors across HVAC, plumbing, electrical, and roofing for how often AI search engines name them when homeowners ask for recommendations. Most are invisible.
The companies above 50 are getting calls AI search routes to them. The companies below 25 are not. The gap between the two groups is almost entirely mechanical: schema markup, citation density, structured content.
This isn't a one-year snapshot. Median AI Visibility Score across the trades has moved from 4 in 2024 to 14 in 2026. Triple the score in 24 months. The pace is accelerating, and the gap between the top 10% and the bottom 90% is widening.
| Year | Median Score | % Invisible (below 25) | What changed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 4/100 | 96% | Pre-ChatGPT-Search era. Citation surface limited to brand-name queries. |
| 2025 | 7/100 | 92% | ChatGPT Search launches. Early adopters with schema markup begin appearing. |
| 2026 | 14/100 | 87% | Perplexity + Gemini reach scale. Median doubles but 87% of trade contractors are still invisible. |
2024 + 2025 baselines reconstructed from public archive snapshots and standardized re-runs of the same query set. Methodology details below.
Full table publishes 2026-06-03. Subscribe below for the live data.
Full table publishes 2026-06-03. Subscribe below for the live data.
Full table publishes 2026-06-03. Subscribe below for the live data.
Full table publishes 2026-06-03. Subscribe below for the live data.
We also ran the audit on the companies selling software to trade contractors. Median: 18/100. Top: 42/100 (ServiceTitan).
Full table publishes 2026-06-03. Subscribe below for the live data.
We analyzed the correlation between AI Visibility Score and 12 site/citation factors. The strongest predictors:
30 standard homeowner queries per company. Each query run across ChatGPT (GPT-5), Perplexity, and Gemini.
Score: 1 point per engine for being named. 2 points per engine for being named first. Normalized to 0-100 across 90 query-engine combinations.
The 2026 Index methodology was reviewed by three independent practitioners with no equity in Mentioned. Each reviewer received the full query set, scoring formula, and raw audit output for spot-check.
Reviewers were compensated a flat fee for their time. None hold equity or revenue share in Mentioned or its parent. Full reviewer notes available on request to trade publications and academic researchers.
The full quarterly dataset (all 100+ companies, raw query-by-query scores, time-series back to 2024) is available as a monthly subscription for software vendors, trade associations, and academic researchers.
This report refreshes every quarter. Subscribe and we will send the next index update plus the playbook to move your score, free.
The full dataset is available for licensing, embedding, or co-branded reports. Trade publications can request early access to the next quarterly update.
Data licensing → Trade pub early access →
Next refresh: 2026-09-03.