Real scores from 11 Houston service industry audits — the highest average of the three cities audited and the only cohort with a Top-tier business. 15 query-engine combinations per business (5 queries × ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Perplexity). Actual scores, not modeled estimates.
Scores are composite across 6 components. AI citation status reflects whether the audited business was cited in responses to 5 standard service queries per engine (15 total). Score tier: Top 58+, Mid 35–57, Bottom 0–34.
| # | Industry | AI Visibility Score | Tier | AI Citation | Key Structural Signal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Roofing & Exterior |
68/ 100
|
Top | Google AIO | Manufacturer certification + 1,700+ GBP reviews + single consistent entity name. Only Top-tier business across all 33 audits. |
| 2 | Criminal Defense Law |
52/ 100
|
Mid | Not cited | Strongest technical website in Houston audits — yet zero citations. Legal directory activation (Avvo, Martindale-Hubbell) missing. |
| 3 | Pest Control |
51/ 100
|
Mid | ChatGPT | Highest GBP review count in Houston audits (8,000+). Review volume and HomeAdvisor/Angi presence driving ChatGPT citation. |
| 4 | Plumbing Services |
50/ 100
|
Mid | ChatGPT | Cited first by ChatGPT for Houston plumbing queries. Review volume + HomeAdvisor presence the key citation drivers. |
| 5 | HVAC & Heating/Cooling |
48/ 100
|
Mid | Not cited | Zero AI results for Houston HVAC queries on audit date — same pattern as Chicago. Category-wide gap, not business-specific. |
| 6 | Chiropractic Care |
47/ 100
|
Mid | ChatGPT | Only independent chiropractic cited vs. franchise chains in Houston ChatGPT results. Health directory depth the differentiator. |
| 7 | Personal Injury Law |
47/ 100
|
Mid | Not cited | National PI firms dominate Houston AI results. Local mid-tier firms invisible regardless of score — category-level AI suppression of local results. |
| 8 | Dental Services |
46/ 100
|
Mid | Not cited | Strongest schema type in Houston audits (DentistOrganization). Not cited — schema alone without citation source breadth is insufficient. |
| 9 | Cosmetic Surgery |
43/ 100
|
Mid | Not cited | Surgeon board certification not surfaced in structured data. AI engines cannot verify credentials — same gap as Chicago Cosmetic. |
| 10 | Addiction Treatment |
34/ 100
|
Bottom | Not cited | Best-rated facility in Houston audit. SAMHSA not listed — accreditation not in structured schema. Lowest-scoring Houston industry. |
| 11 | Auto Repair |
30/ 100
|
Bottom | Not cited | 588 GBP reviews, established local presence. Weakest structured data in Houston audits — zero schema, thin citation footprint. |
Audited May 2026 · 15 query-engine combinations per business (5 queries × ChatGPT, Google AIO, Perplexity) · Score: 0–100 composite across 6 components
Patterns observed across 11 Houston service industry audits, 165 query-engine combinations total.
Houston leads the cohort on average score and citation rate, but 7 of 11 industries are still invisible to AI engines. The businesses that do get cited share one trait: unusually high review volume creating prominence signals that partially compensate for thin structured data. That ceiling is low — the sustainable path to Top-tier scores requires building the citation infrastructure, not just accumulating reviews.
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