Richmond AI Visibility Index

Name: Richmond AI Visibility Index — 2026-08
Creator: RVA Digital Works
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

The short answer

Who gets named when someone asks an AI for a local recommendation

Ask an AI assistant for a contractor in Richmond and it names two or three businesses. Which ones, and in what order, is now a measurable thing — and it moves. This index asks 24 questions across eight trades, 3 times each, every month, and records what comes back.

144 valid runs in 2026-08; 207 distinct businesses named.

What was actually queried. 2 engines, at temperature 0.3:

Model	Endpoint	Search	Usable runs
`sonar`	https://api.perplexity.ai/chat/completions	Perplexity web search (built in)	72
`gemini-3.7-flash`	generativelanguage.googleapis.com/v1beta	Google Search	72

These are API models, not the consumer chat apps. An app may run a different model version, retrieve differently, and personalise to the user. These results describe what the APIs return to an anonymous caller — a reasonable proxy for what an assistant says about Richmond businesses, and not a claim about any one person's screen.

Standings

By trade

"Named in" is the share of runs naming that business at all. "Named first" is the share where it appeared before any other — the harder and more valuable position. Change compares against last month where a previous month exists.

Electrical

31 businesses named at least 2 times across 18 runs.

#	Business	Named in	Named first	Avg pos	Engines
1	Woodfin (all 3 areas)	83.3%	5.6%	5.47	G P
2	J & M Electrical Services (all 3 areas)	50.0%	16.7%	4.22	G P
3	Smartwire	50.0%	11.1%	2.11	G P
4	Ace Electric Co	44.4%	11.1%	3.5	G P
5	M.W. Butler Electrical	27.8%	0.0%	3.8	G P
6	Atkin’s Electric	22.2%	0.0%	2.25	G P
7	Ahmad Electrical Service	22.2%	0.0%	5.0	G P
8	Bradley Mechanical	22.2%	0.0%	5.0	G P
9	Anything Electrical (Scott Johnson	22.2%	5.6%	2.75	G P
10	Craven Electrical Services of Virginia, LLC	22.2%	0.0%	5.75	G P

Showing the top 10. Also named: 21 more named at least 2 times; 13 named only once.

HVAC

25 businesses named at least 2 times across 18 runs.

#	Business	Named in	Named first	Avg pos	Engines
1	James River Air Conditioning (all 3 areas)	100.0%	61.1%	2.28	G P
2	Blazer Heating, Air, and Plumbing (all 3 areas)	83.3%	0.0%	4.13	G P
3	Woodfin (all 3 areas)	61.1%	0.0%	2.91	G P
4	Automatic Climate Heating & Air Conditioning	50.0%	0.0%	5.22	G P
5	Mode Comfort & Air Quality	33.3%	5.6%	2.83	G P
6	Gilman Heating, Cooling & Plumbing	27.8%	0.0%	4.8	G P
7	Howell’s Heating & Air	27.8%	0.0%	6.6	G P
8	F.H. Furr Plumbing, Heating, A/C & Electrical	27.8%	5.6%	3.2	G P
9	Capital City Comfort Solutions	22.2%	0.0%	4.5	G P
10	Air-Pro Mechanical, LLC	22.2%	5.6%	3.25	G P

Showing the top 10. Also named: 15 more named at least 2 times; 11 named only once.

Kitchen remodeling

22 businesses named at least 2 times across 18 runs.

#	Business	Named in	Named first	Avg pos	Engines
1	James River Air Conditioning (all 3 areas)	72.2%	5.6%	2.54	G P
2	Stratford Hills Construction, LLC	44.4%	0.0%	4.25	G P
3	Kitchen Doctors (all 3 areas)	44.4%	11.1%	3.75	G P
4	R.J. Tilley Plumbing & Remodeling	38.9%	0.0%	3.29	G P
5	Leo Lantz Construction (all 3 areas)	33.3%	11.1%	3.0	G P
6	Better Kitchens and Baths, Inc	33.3%	22.2%	1.67	G P
7	PCS Contracting	33.3%	0.0%	4.0	G P
8	Lane Homes & Remodeling	33.3%	11.1%	2.67	G P
9	Imperial Technique LLC	27.8%	0.0%	4.4	G P
10	Custom Kitchens, Inc	22.2%	11.1%	2.0	G P

Showing the top 10. Also named: 12 more named at least 2 times; 8 named only once.

Landscaping

33 businesses named at least 2 times across 18 runs.

#	Business	Named in	Named first	Avg pos	Engines
1	Commonwealth Landcare (all 3 areas)	44.4%	16.7%	3.88	G P
2	Terra Forma Landscaping	38.9%	5.6%	3.57	G P
3	Southern Landscaping, Inc	33.3%	0.0%	3.33	G P
4	Mitchell’s Lawn Care Service LLC	33.3%	0.0%	3.67	G P
5	Etter Lawn Care & Landscaping	22.2%	0.0%	6.5	G P
6	Cross Creek Nursery & Landscaping	22.2%	11.1%	2.75	G P
7	White Oak Landscaping & Grading, LLC	22.2%	0.0%	5.5	G P
8	John Richmond Landscaping, Inc	22.2%	5.6%	3.5	G P
9	Fiore’s Landscaping	16.7%	0.0%	4.0	G P
10	Virginia Green	16.7%	0.0%	7.0	G P

Showing the top 10. Also named: 23 more named at least 2 times; 19 named only once.

1 of 18 runs named no specific business at all.

Masonry

27 businesses named at least 2 times across 18 runs.

#	Business	Named in	Named first	Avg pos	Engines
1	Bagwell and Son Masonry, LLC	44.4%	0.0%	2.75	G P
2	KMW Masonry Contractors Inc	44.4%	5.6%	4.12	G P
3	Lone Star Masonry & Hardscapes	38.9%	0.0%	5.71	G P
4	Heritage Masonry & Brick	38.9%	11.1%	2.14	G P
5	Coluccio Masonry	33.3%	27.8%	1.17	G P
6	Traditional Masonry, Inc (all 3 areas)	33.3%	16.7%	2.0	G P
7	CornerStone4 LLC	33.3%	0.0%	5.83	G P
8	Delgado Masonry & Hardscapes (all 3 areas)	22.2%	0.0%	4.5	G P
9	Patriot Brick Mason	22.2%	0.0%	3.5	G P
10	Commonwealth Curb Appeal	16.7%	0.0%	4.67	G P

Showing the top 10. Also named: 17 more named at least 2 times; 8 named only once.

1 of 18 runs named no specific business at all.

Painting

21 businesses named at least 2 times across 18 runs.

#	Business	Named in	Named first	Avg pos	Engines
1	N. Chasen and Son (all 3 areas)	88.9%	22.2%	2.44	G P
2	89-Paint (all 3 areas)	83.3%	5.6%	3.93	G P
3	H. J. Holtz & Son, Inc (all 3 areas)	61.1%	27.8%	3.73	G P
4	Highfill Painting (all 3 areas)	55.6%	22.2%	3.1	G P
5	Scott Ellis Painting	33.3%	0.0%	3.17	G P
6	CertaPro Painters of Hanover-Chesterfield (all 3 areas)	33.3%	0.0%	4.5	G P
7	Raynor Painting, LLC	33.3%	0.0%	2.67	G P
8	Traditions Painting	16.7%	0.0%	2.33	G P
9	Little River Painting	16.7%	0.0%	5.0	G P
10	Let’s Upgrade Painting	16.7%	0.0%	6.0	G P

Showing the top 10. Also named: 11 more named at least 2 times; 15 named only once.

1 of 18 runs named no specific business at all.

Plumbing

26 businesses named at least 2 times across 18 runs.

#	Business	Named in	Named first	Avg pos	Engines
1	R.J. Tilley Plumbing & Remodeling (all 3 areas)	72.2%	33.3%	2.08	G P
2	Woodfin (all 3 areas)	66.7%	0.0%	5.58	G P
3	Nuckols Plumbing, Heating & Cooling	55.6%	16.7%	2.9	G P
4	Robinson’s Plumbing Service	55.6%	16.7%	3.2	G P
5	White Glove Plumbing, Heating & Air (all 3 areas)	33.3%	0.0%	5.33	G P
6	Herman Allen Plumbing, Heating & Cooling	33.3%	0.0%	6.0	G P
7	Stemmle Plumbing	27.8%	0.0%	3.2	G P
8	Swift Creek Plumbing Company	22.2%	16.7%	1.5	G P
9	Kelleher Electrical Services	22.2%	0.0%	4.25	G P
10	D.L. Jones Plumbing	22.2%	0.0%	3.0	G P

Showing the top 10. Also named: 16 more named at least 2 times; 14 named only once.

Roofing

22 businesses named at least 2 times across 18 runs.

#	Business	Named in	Named first	Avg pos	Engines
1	R.W. Harper & Son (all 3 areas)	55.6%	16.7%	3.2	G P
2	SlopePro Roofing (all 3 areas)	50.0%	5.6%	3.89	G P
3	Davidson Roofing Company	50.0%	27.8%	2.44	G P
4	Retex Roofing & Exteriors (all 3 areas)	38.9%	0.0%	3.71	G P
5	Walter D. Witt Roofing	33.3%	33.3%	1.0	G P
6	Cross Timbers Roofing	33.3%	0.0%	3.83	G P
7	D.L. Williams Roofing	33.3%	0.0%	2.5	G P
8	DeShazo and Son Roofing, Inc	27.8%	0.0%	4.6	G P
9	Evergreen Roofing	22.2%	0.0%	6.0	G P
10	Tredegar Construction	22.2%	0.0%	4.0	G P

Showing the top 10. Also named: 12 more named at least 2 times; 8 named only once.

Engine disagreement

"What AI says" depends on which AI you ask

Across all trades, the engines named the same business only 22.9% of the time. Everything outside that overlap is a business one assistant recommends and the other has never heard of — which means a single-engine visibility check tells you much less than it appears to.

Trade	Overlap	Named by both	Named by only one
Electrical	18.2%	8	AC Electric LLC, Above the Code Electrical, Ahmad Electrical Service, Anything Electrical (Scott Johnson, Bradley Mechanical, Brent Brothers Wiring Solutions, LLC…
HVAC	22.2%	8	1st Due Solutions, LLC, Air Flow Heating & Cooling, Air Force One HVAC Controls (AF1, AirIQ HVAC, Americool Heating & Cooling, Inc, Atlee Heating & Cooling…
Kitchen remodeling	23.3%	7	BK Martin, Better Kitchens and Baths, Inc, Bryan Polo Construction LLC, Cabinet & Surface Specialists (For Mid-Range Updates, Custom Kitchens, Inc, Deep Run Renovations…
Landscaping	23.1%	12	Altizer Lawn & Landscape, BWS Landscaping, Berkeley Design Group, Bulldog Landscaping LLC, Canyon Landscaping, Cartwright Landscaping…
Masonry	17.1%	6	Alpha Chimney & Masonry, Brothers Masonry Construction LLC, Callaghan Masonry, Capital Masonry Corp, Chimney Saver Solutions, Commonwealth Curb Appeal…
Painting	22.2%	8	360 Painting of Richmond, Allstate Drywall & Paint, Barker’s 5 Painting, Brother’s MD Painting LLC, CertaPro Painters of NW Richmond, Chesterfield painter…
Plumbing	30.0%	12	360 Plumbing Service LLC, Advanced Plumbing LLC, Bailey’s Plumbing, Heating & Cooling, Carter & Sons Plumbing, Colonial Plumbing & Heating Co, Don Jo Plumbing Heating & Air…
Roofing	26.7%	8	BK Roofing & Repairs, LLC, BNH Builders & Roofing, BNH Roofing, CB Chandler Roofing, D&B Roofing Services, DeShazo and Son Roofing, Inc…

Crossover

Named in more than one trade

Businesses AI assistants reach for across categories. Usually large multi-service operators — and a signal of how much of the local conversation a single brand can occupy.

Business	Trades	Which
Bradley Mechanical	3	Electrical, HVAC, Plumbing
Woodfin	3	Electrical, HVAC, Plumbing
F.H. Furr Plumbing, Heating, A/C & Electrical	3	Electrical, HVAC, Plumbing
F.H. Furr Plumbing, Heating, Air Conditioning & Electrical	2	Electrical, Plumbing
Kelleher Electrical Services	2	Electrical, Plumbing
James River Air Conditioning	2	HVAC, Kitchen remodeling
Colonial Plumbing & Heating Co	2	HVAC, Plumbing
River City Heating and Air	2	HVAC, Masonry
Gundlach Heating, Cooling, Plumbing & Electrical	2	HVAC, Plumbing
Carroll Plumbing & Heating, Inc	2	HVAC, Plumbing
R.J. Tilley Plumbing & Remodeling	2	Kitchen remodeling, Plumbing
Commonwealth Curb Appeal	2	Landscaping, Masonry

Methodology

How this is measured

Questions. One phrasing, held constant: "I need [service] in [locality], Virginia. Which local companies would you recommend?" Applied to 8 trades across Richmond, Henrico County, Chesterfield County. Question set version v1-2026-08.
Repetition. Each question is asked 3 times. Answers vary between identical calls, so a single ask would be noise.
Extraction. Business names are read out of each answer in order of appearance. Directories and review platforms — Yelp, Angi, Google, BBB, Thumbtack — are excluded; they are not local businesses.
Entity resolution. Name variants are merged conservatively into one business. Merging only happens when one name's distinctive words are contained in the other's, because wrongly combining two real competitors is worse than listing one twice.
Frozen question set. The value of this index is the trend, and a trend requires identical questions month over month. If the set ever changes, the version above changes with it and a new series starts rather than history being rewritten.
What this is not. Not a quality ranking. Being named by an AI assistant reflects what it could find and verify about a business online, not how good that business is at its job.

Questions

Frequently asked

Which Richmond businesses do AI assistants recommend?

In the 2026-08 measurement, 207 distinct businesses were named across eight trades in 144 runs. Each trade's standings, with how often each business was named and how often it was named first, are published on this page.

How is AI visibility measured here?

24 questions — 8 trades across 3 localities — are asked 3 times each, with identical wording every month. Business names are extracted from each answer in the order they appear, then merged into canonical entities.

Why ask the same question more than once?

AI answers are nondeterministic: the same question asked twice can name different businesses. Repeating each question and pooling the results distinguishes a business named consistently from one named occasionally.

Do different AI assistants recommend the same businesses?

Not often. In the 2026-08 measurement the engines named the same business only 22.9% of the time across all trades. A business can be the top recommendation on one assistant and absent from another entirely.

Can I cite this?

Yes, with attribution to RVA Digital Works and a link. Please quote the month alongside any figure — these standings change.

Reuse

How to cite this

RVA Digital Works. "Richmond AI Visibility Index, 2026-08." https://data.rvadigitalworks.com/ai-index/