# Florida Plumber AI Visibility Study

> We tested 600 AI queries. 88% named a plumber. Zero appeared on all four platforms.

*April 2026* · *Florida* · *Plumbing*

## Study scope

- **600 AI queries tested** — Across 5 plumbing specialties: general plumber, emergency plumber, drain cleaning, water heater repair, sewer line
- **10 Florida metro areas** — Miami, Tampa, Orlando, Jacksonville, Ft. Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, Naples, Sarasota, Tallahassee, St. Pete
- **4 AI platforms tested** — Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity
- **12 Queries per city/specialty** — 3 query types per specialty: best in city, who to call, find a reliable provider

## Headline numbers

- **1,760** Businesses Analyzed
- **4** AI Platforms Tested
- **10** Florida Metros
- **600** AI Queries Tested

## Key findings

- **88.2% — A-Response Rate.** AI platforms named specific local plumbers 88.2% of the time when asked for recommendations.
- **95.4% — Single Platform.** Nearly every plumber appeared on just one AI platform. Cross-platform visibility is almost nonexistent.
- **0 — On All 4 Platforms.** Zero plumbing businesses appeared on all four AI platforms. There is no dominant player.
- **0% — ChatGPT Agreement.** ChatGPT agreed with zero other platforms. It recommends completely different plumbers than Claude, Gemini, or Perplexity.
- **53.3% — Perplexity Gap.** Perplexity only names plumbers 53.3% of the time, far below Claude and Gemini at 100%.
- **12.2% — Franchise Share.** Roto-Rooter and Mr. Rooter show up in AI results 4x more than dental chains. National brands have stronger plumbing presence.
- **90% — Miami Leads.** Miami and Orlando lead at 90% A-Response Rate. Jacksonville, St. Pete, and West Palm Beach trail at 86.7%.
- **185 — Angi Citations.** Angi was the #1 source cited by AI platforms, appearing in 185 of 600 queries. Yelp had 135, BBB had 70.

## What the data shows

- **AI does recommend plumbers by name.** 88.2% of queries returned specific local plumbing business names with details. AI is not generic for plumbing.
- **But 95.4% appear on just one platform.** Of the 1,760 plumbers named across all queries, almost none appeared on more than one AI tool. Worse fragmentation than dental (94.7%).
- **Zero plumbers made all four platforms.** Not a single plumbing business appeared on Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity. There is no dominant player in AI plumber recommendations.
- **Perplexity is the weak link at 53.3%.** Perplexity only named specific plumbers in 80 of 150 queries, far below Claude and Gemini at 100%. It often provides directory links instead of naming businesses.
- **Franchise share is 4x higher than dental.** Roto-Rooter and Mr. Rooter account for 12.2% of AI recommendations vs. just 3% for dental chains. National brands have stronger AI presence in plumbing.
- **ChatGPT agrees with nobody.** ChatGPT had 0% overlap with every other platform. It recommends completely different plumbers than Claude, Gemini, or Perplexity.
- **Miami and Orlando lead at 90%.** A-Response Rates range from 90% in Miami and Orlando to 86.7% in Jacksonville, St. Pete, and West Palm Beach. Geography matters less than specialty.
- **Angi is the #1 source AI cites for plumbers.** Angi was cited in 185 of 600 queries (30%). Yelp had 135, BBB had 70. These directories are now AI inputs for plumber recommendations.

## Platform comparison

| Platform | A-Response Rate | Queries |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Claude | 100% | 150/150 |
| Gemini | 100% | 150/150 |
| ChatGPT | 99.3% | 149/150 |
| Perplexity | 53.3% | 80/150 |

## Results by city

| City | A-Response Rate |
| --- | --- |
| Miami | 90% |
| Orlando | 90% |
| Tampa | 88.3% |
| Naples | 88.3% |
| Ft. Lauderdale | 88.3% |
| Sarasota | 88.3% |
| Tallahassee | 88.3% |
| Jacksonville | 86.7% |
| St. Pete | 86.7% |
| West Palm Beach | 86.7% |

## The bottom line

> Every AI platform recommends completely different plumbers. ChatGPT has zero overlap with any other platform. If you only optimize for one AI tool, you are invisible on the other three where customers are already searching.

AI platforms already recommend plumbers by name in nearly 9 out of 10 queries. But every platform recommends different businesses, and zero plumbers appear on all four. The plumbing companies that figure out multi-platform AI visibility first will have a significant competitive advantage.

## Methodology

600 queries were run across Claude (with web search), ChatGPT (GPT-4o with search), Gemini, and Perplexity during April 2026. Queries covered 10 Florida metro areas and 5 plumbing specialties. Every response was coded by type (local business named, general advice, franchise only, platform referral, or not triggered). No sponsored placements or paid tools were used. Full methodology is included in the report.

---
Source: https://getlocalvitals.com/research/florida-plumber-ai-visibility
Published by Local Vitals · https://getlocalvitals.com