# Florida Roofing AI Visibility Study

> BBB is the #1 citation source for roofers. No other industry depends on it this heavily.

*April 2026* · *Florida* · *Roofing*

## Study scope

- **745 AI queries tested** — Across 5 roofing specialties: roofer, roof repair, roof replacement, storm damage roofer, commercial roofer
- **10 Florida metro areas** — Miami, Tampa, Orlando, Jacksonville, Ft. Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, Naples, Sarasota, Tallahassee, St. Pete
- **5 AI platforms tested** — Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews
- **15 Queries per city/specialty** — 3 query types per specialty across 5 platforms: best in city, need a provider, top rated with reviews

## Headline numbers

- **1,981** Businesses Analyzed
- **5** AI Platforms Tested
- **10** Florida Metros
- **745** AI Queries Tested

## Key findings

- **73.6% — A-Response Rate.** AI platforms named specific local roofers 73.6% of the time when asked for recommendations.
- **97.2% — Single Platform.** Nearly every roofer appeared on just one AI platform. The worst cross-platform fragmentation of any industry studied.
- **0 — On All 5 Platforms.** Zero roofing businesses appeared on all five AI platforms. There is no dominant player.
- **272 — BBB Citations.** BBB was the #1 source cited by AI, appearing in 272 queries. Trust signals matter more for roofing than any other trade.
- **14% — Google AIO Trigger Rate.** Google AI Overviews triggers slightly more for roofing than HVAC (12%), especially for storm damage queries at 20%.
- **55.7% — Perplexity Gap.** Perplexity only names roofers 55.7% of the time, the lowest of any platform.
- **88% — Orlando Leads.** Orlando leads at 88% A-Response Rate, likely driven by hurricane and storm damage search patterns.
- **15.9% — Top Platform Overlap.** Perplexity + Claude agree 15.9% of the time, the highest overlap of any Florida study. Every other pair is near zero.

## What the data shows

- **AI names roofers 73.6% of the time.** Nearly three out of four queries returned specific local roofing business names. AI is actively recommending roofers across Florida.
- **But 97.2% appear on just one platform.** Of the 1,981 roofers named across all queries, almost none appeared on more than one AI tool. The worst fragmentation of any Florida industry we've studied.
- **Zero roofers made all five platforms.** Not a single roofing business appeared on Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews. There is no dominant player in AI roofing recommendations.
- **BBB is the #1 source, not Angi.** BBB was cited in 272 queries, far ahead of Angi (170) and Yelp (160). Roofing has more trust and scam concerns, making BBB accreditation a stronger AI signal than in other trades.
- **Storm damage roofer triggers Google AIO most.** Google AI Overviews generated answers for 20% of storm damage roofer queries, the highest of any specialty. Hurricane-related searches get more AI attention.
- **Orlando dominates at 88%.** Orlando leads all cities at 88% A-Response Rate, likely driven by hurricane and storm search patterns. Sarasota trails at 65.8%.
- **Perplexity + Claude agree most at 15.9%.** The highest platform overlap of any Florida study. Both use web search and find similar roofing businesses, but still disagree 84% of the time.
- **Independents own 95.7% of recommendations.** Franchise brands like Mighty Dog Roofing and Storm Guard barely register. Independent roofers dominate AI results across every Florida metro.

## Platform comparison

| Platform | A-Response Rate | Queries |
| --- | --- | --- |
| ChatGPT | 100% | 149/149 |
| Gemini | 100% | 149/149 |
| Claude | 98.6% | 146/148 |
| Perplexity | 55.7% | 83/149 |
| Google AIO | 14% | 21/150 |

## Results by city

| City | A-Response Rate |
| --- | --- |
| Orlando | 88% |
| Miami | 83.3% |
| Tallahassee | 74.7% |
| Tampa | 73.3% |
| Ft. Lauderdale | 72% |
| Jacksonville | 70.7% |
| West Palm Beach | 70.7% |
| St. Pete | 69.3% |
| Naples | 68% |
| Sarasota | 65.8% |

## The bottom line

> Every AI platform recommends completely different roofers. 97.2% of businesses only appear on a single platform, the worst fragmentation of any industry we've studied. BBB matters more for roofing than any other trade. And storm damage searches are where Google AI Overviews actually shows up.

AI platforms already recommend roofers by name in nearly 3 out of 4 queries. But every platform recommends different businesses, and zero roofers appear on all five. BBB is the #1 trust signal for roofing AI visibility, and storm damage queries are where Google AIO is most active. The roofing companies that build multi-platform AI visibility and strong BBB presence first will capture the most AI referrals.

## Methodology

745 queries were run across Claude (with web search), ChatGPT (GPT-4o with search), Gemini, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews during April 2026. Queries covered 10 Florida metro areas and 5 roofing 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.

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