We Asked ChatGPT and Claude to Recommend a Roofer and an AC Company in Katy

A homeowner in Katy with a dead AC unit in August does not want to read ten websites. More of them now type the question into ChatGPT and call whoever it names. So we tried it ourselves.

On October 30, 2026 we asked ChatGPT and Claude, both with live web search switched on, the same two questions a homeowner would ask: AC repair in Katy TX and roof repair company in Katy TX. We asked each once and saved the full answers. AI answers change from day to day, so treat this as one snapshot, not a ranking.

Who they named for AC repair

ChatGPT named six companies: Aire Serv of Katy, 4C AC & Heating Repair, Air Tech of Katy, The Katy Plumbing Company, TemperaturePro Katy-Cypress, and Beede AC & Heating.

Claude also named six: Polar Express A/C & Heating, Aire Serv of Katy, Cornerstone A/C & Heat, Air Tech of Katy, AMS A/C & Heating, and Cool It Air Conditioning and Heating.

Only two companies appeared in both answers: Aire Serv of Katy and Air Tech of Katy.

Who they named for roof repair

ChatGPT named five: Onit Roofing, Texas Roofing & Leak Repair, 314 Roofing, Holden Roofing, and Omega Roofing.

Claude named Onit Roofing, LD Roofing & Exteriors, Driven Roofing, Falcon Roofing & Restoration, and AM Roofing, and added Rose Roofing and Craddock Roofing from a local roundup.

One company appeared in both answers: Onit Roofing.

If you run an HVAC or roofing company in Katy and your name is not on these lists, that does not mean you are doing anything wrong. It means that on this day, for this question, the assistants did not find enough about you to include you. The rest of this post is about what they did find.

Where the answers came from

This is the part most business owners do not expect. Both assistants searched the web and linked their sources, and many of those sources were not the contractors' own websites.

• ChatGPT cited a business directory, a Reddit thread, a utility company's list of participating contractors, contractor review and roundup sites, Angi, and in one case another roofing company's website.
• Claude cited more of the contractors' own pages, plus Yelp, Angi, HomeAdvisor and a local roundup article.

Two of the pages Claude quoted were roofing companies' own pages written specifically for Katy, a service-area page rather than a homepage. When someone asked about Katy, a page about Katy was the easiest thing to quote.

Claude also noticed when a source was self-serving. One "best roofers in Katy" article ranked its own publisher first, and Claude said so and treated the ranking as promotional.

The reasons they gave

Every company came with a one-line reason. Read together, the reasons are a checklist of what the assistants could find and repeat:

• A review rating and number of reviews on Yelp or HomeAdvisor
• A written warranty, such as a 10-year workmanship warranty
• Free or same-day estimates, or a free photo-documented inspection
• 24/7 emergency service
• Licensed and insured, BBB accreditation, or a manufacturer certification
• Years in business, or being family-operated and local
• Being an authorized dealer for a brand, or taking part in a utility rebate program

None of these are clever marketing lines. They are plain facts that were written down somewhere the assistant could read them. Companies whose facts were only in a phone conversation or a truck wrap had nothing to quote.

What this means for your business

1. Write your facts on your own website, in plain sentences. If you offer a 10-year warranty, say "We offer a 10-year workmanship warranty on every roof repair." If you answer the phone at 2am, say "24/7 emergency service." Assistants repeat sentences like these almost word for word.

2. Give each town you serve its own page. A page about roof repair in Katy, with Katy details, is what gets quoted when someone asks about Katy. One "areas we serve" list with twenty town names is not.

3. Keep your listings complete. Yelp, Angi, HomeAdvisor and the BBB showed up repeatedly. If you qualify for a utility company's contractor program, being on that list helps too.

4. Earn real mentions in local conversations. A Reddit thread where Katy residents recommended contractors was one of ChatGPT's sources. You cannot fake your way into these, but happy customers can mention you when the question comes up.

5. Do not publish a "best in Katy" list that ranks yourself first. At least one assistant spotted it and discounted it.

Check where you stand

You can ask ChatGPT yourself, but one answer on one day can mislead you. A DidItIndex scan asks both ChatGPT and Claude the question your customers ask, shows every company and source they cite, and tells you in plain English what to fix first on your site. For the technical side, our AI visibility playbook for service businesses walks through each fix step by step.