GBP category strategy is the fastest way to increase Map Pack clicks in 2026 because it improves eligibility, relevance, and on-profile conversion actions like calls and bookings.

AI ads can amplify a business that already clears trust thresholds, but they cannot create credibility from nothing. In AI-mediated discovery, authority is the access layer.

Reviews get you shortlisted. They rarely get you chosen. Once most providers sit between 4.5 and 4.9 stars, homeowners decide based on who feels clearer, faster, safer, and easier to book.

AI tools recommend businesses only when they can verify them with low risk. This page explains the safety logic behind inclusion, the credibility layers that matter, the red flags that trigger filtering, and what to build if you want your business to be referenceable.