The article explains that AI answer engines repeatedly cite a small set of authoritative sources, and that visibility is driven more by comprehensive keyword coverage than by backlinks. It lists universal authorities like Reddit, Wikipedia, and YouTube, and notes sector-specific authorities such as Amazon, NerdWallet, and PMC. Citation patterns vary by industry, with some sectors concentrated among a few authorities and others more diverse, allowing newcomers to gain visibility through breadth of coverage. Using Semrush data and rank-based correlations, it shows AI visibility correlates most strongly with AI mentions and organic keywords, and advises contractors to build definitive, safety- and code-focused reference content to earn citations and customer calls.

AI Is Handing Out Trust Badges. Here’s How Local Contractors Get Cited (And Called)

TL;DR AI answer engines are citing a small set of “authorities” over and over. Visibility correlates more with keyword coverage than backlinks. If you’re HVAC/plumbing/electrical, stop chasing vanity links and build reference assets that answer code, safety, troubleshooting, and cost questions. That’s how you earn citations—and calls.

Who AI Trusts Today (and How Often)

Across 11 industries, AI systems lean on a few universal authorities. Think scale and breadth:

• reddit.com: ~66,000 AI mentions
• en.wikipedia.org: ~25,000
• youtube.com: ~19,000
• forbes.com: ~10,000
• linkedin.com: ~9,000 (appears in 10 sectors)
• quora.com: ~8,000 (appears in 10 sectors)

Sector-specific sources also show up consistently:

• amazon.com: ecommerce and beyond
• nerdwallet.com: finance-heavy authority
• pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov: peer-reviewed health and academic content

Concentration vs. Diversity: Where Citations Cluster

Some sectors rely on a few dominant authorities; others spread trust around:

• Most concentrated: Computers & electronics, entertainment, education
• Most diverse: Telecom, food & beverage, healthcare, finance, travel & tourism

Translation: in concentrated sectors, it’s winner-take-most. In diverse ones, you can break in with the right reference coverage—even without huge link profiles.

The Math: What Actually Drives AI Visibility

• AI visibility ↔ AI mentions: Strong correlation at 0.87. If you’re cited more, you’re seen more.
• Organic keywords ↔ AI visibility: 0.41 correlation—stronger than backlinks.
• Backlinks ↔ AI visibility: 0.37 correlation—matters, but less than keyword breadth.
• Keywords ↔ backlinks: 0.79 correlation—big sites tend to have both, but coverage wins the tie.

Methodologically, this was built on Semrush data with Spearman correlation (rank-based) and HHI (to gauge citation concentration inside each sector). In plain English: more comprehensive coverage across relevant terms gets you cited—and seen—by AI systems.

Sector Notes (Why This Matters for Contractors)

• Finance: Forbes, Business Insider dominate. Backlink scale still ties closely to visibility.
• Healthcare: Peer-reviewed and official (PMC, CDC) rule. Trust = citations.
• Travel/Tourism: Diverse—no single king.
• Entertainment: User-generated platforms lead (Reddit, YouTube).
• Computers/Electronics: Visibility closely tracks backlinks.
• Automotive: Mix of consumer guides and publishers.
• Beauty: Influencer/community content heavily cited.
• Food & Beverage: Breadth beats backlinks.
• Telecoms: Diverse, user-directed content.
• Real Estate: Listings and financial services dominate.

Contractors sit closer to healthcare/food/telecom behavior than you think: practical, safety-focused, and user-directed content earns trust. You don’t need to be Reddit; you just need to be definitive for local intent.

What To Do

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