Google has introduced one of the most transformative updates to local search in years: a new AI-powered price-checking feature accessed through a simple call-to-action appearing directly in local service results:
→ “Have AI check prices.”
Although small in appearance, this button represents a major evolution in how consumers evaluate local businesses. With one request, Google’s AI now calls multiple providers, gathers pricing and availability, organizes the results, and delivers a comparison to the user.
It's the first time Google Search has behaved not just as a search engine, but as an active purchasing assistant.
Due to this shift, businesses must rethink how they present pricing, structure information, and engage with customers, including automated ones.
Why Google Introduced AI-Assisted Price Checking
For years, consumers have struggled with inconsistent pricing online, vague service pages, and the frustration of phoning multiple businesses for quotes. With this update, Google aims to remove those pain points entirely. Rather than requiring people to make multiple calls, Google’s AI handles the outreach, verifies information directly from the source, and sends back clear comparisons.
This move aligns with Google’s long-term goal of making search not only informational but transactional. The faster users can complete a task—whether booking an appointment, confirming availability, or comparing prices—the more valuable Google’s ecosystem becomes.
At the same time, businesses that communicate clearly and consistently will be rewarded with greater visibility. Those that don’t may find themselves excluded from price-comparison results altogether.
How “Have AI Check Prices” Works
The experience is remarkably simple for users but sophisticated behind the scenes. Here’s how the process unfolds:
- A user searches for a service such as “plumber near me” or “pet groomer near me.”
- Google displays a button offering to check prices through AI.
- The user provides details like service type, timing, and preferences.
- Google’s AI calls multiple local businesses to ask for pricing, availability, and additional details.
- Responses are compared, ranked, and sent to the user in an email or text message.
- Businesses that do not answer or do not provide information are marked as “Businesses we couldn’t reach.”
This feature is currently available in the United States, excluding Indiana, Louisiana, Minnesota, Montana, and Nebraska. Businesses may opt out through their Google Business Profile settings, though opting out may reduce eligibility for comparisons.
Why This Update Is Important for Local and Home-Service Businesses
Local search has always been influenced by proximity, reviews, and basic listing accuracy. Now, pricing transparency and information consistency directly determine whether Google can use a business in its AI-driven comparisons.
If Google cannot confirm a price or gather availability, the business simply isn’t included.
And when the buying decision is happening through AI-generated comparison emails, exclusion means lost opportunities.
Businesses in plumbing, HVAC, auto repair, grooming, salons, wellness, cleaning, and similar service categories are likely to feel the impact first. These industries already rely heavily on phone-based quoting, which makes them ideal candidates for AI-driven price collection.
The companies that adapt with clearer pricing and cleaner information will benefit. Those who continue giving vague or inconsistent details risk fading from visibility during one of the most critical steps of the customer journey.
How Google’s AI Evaluates and Filters Local Businesses
Google’s AI looks for patterns, clarity, and consistency; the same traits that help customers decide who to trust. If the information about your business varies from channel to channel, Google interprets that uncertainty and ranks more reliable competitors higher.
Below is a comparison of how local ranking factors have shifted with the introduction of AI-powered price checking:
Local Search Ranking Comparison Before vs. After AI Price Checking
| Factor | Before AI Price Checking | After AI Price Checking | What Changed |
| Proximity | High importance | Still important, but not dominant | Clear pricing can outweigh small distance differences |
| Reviews | High importance | Extremely important | Sentiment and transparency now matter more |
| Website content | Moderate | High | Service descriptions must be detailed and specific |
| Pricing transparency | Low | Critical | AI relies on clear ranges to compare services |
| Google Business Profile accuracy | High | Essential | Any mismatch reduces trust in your listing |
| Phone responsiveness | Low | Critical | Not answering means exclusion from comparisons |
| Schema markup | Optional | Strongly beneficial | Structured pricing improves consistency for AI |
The availability of accurate pricing, consistently presented across all touchpoints, is emerging as a new competitive differentiator in local search.
What Stops Google From Choosing Your Business
Google cannot include your business in price comparisons if:
- You do not publish pricing or even pricing ranges.
- Your CSRs provide inconsistent service descriptions or unclear answers.
- Your website pricing does not match what your team quotes.
- Your Google Business Profile lacks complete service details.
- Your phone goes unanswered during Google’s outreach.
- Your service descriptions are vague and not written in clear language.
What used to be minor inconsistencies across channels can now directly remove you from the shortlist that customers receive.
Actions Businesses Should Take Right Now
Publish Honest, Clear Pricing Ranges
You don’t need exact numbers, but ranges like “Most installations cost between $300–$600, depending on complexity” allow AI to confidently categorize your services.
Add Detailed Cost FAQs
Customers, and now AI systems, rely heavily on FAQ sections to understand cost drivers and typical scenarios.
Strengthen Your Google Business Profile
Ensure categories, services, descriptions, and service areas are precise and consistent with your website.
Use Schema Markup for Services and Pricing
Structured data reduces ambiguity and helps AI reliably extract your information.
Train Your Team for Consistency
Your staff may now be speaking directly to AI. They must provide stable, predictable answers that reflect your published details.
Publish Cost Guides for Local Searches
Articles like “Cost of Furnace Replacement in Toronto (2025 Guide)” attract organic traffic and give AI AI-rich cost context.
Frequently Asked Questions About AI Price Checking
What does “Have AI Check Prices” mean?
It allows Google to call local businesses on behalf of users to gather pricing and availability information for comparison.
Why didn’t my business appear in the comparison results?
Google may not have been able to confirm pricing, your business may not have answered the call, or your published information may be inconsistent.
Can AI book services or appointments?
Yes. Google’s AI can schedule appointments, check inventory, verify restaurant wait times, and gather service availability.
Is this feature optional?
Businesses can opt out, but doing so may reduce their visibility in these comparison results.
A Turning Point: Google as the Decision-Maker
For years, Google has been inching closer to becoming more than a results page. With this latest update, Google transforms into an intermediary that evaluates, verifies, and compares service providers, doing much of the consumer’s decision-making for them.
Businesses must recognize that this shift rewards clarity and punishes ambiguity. The companies that embrace transparent pricing and consistent data will be recommended by Google’s AI. Those that don’t may see a decline in visibility even if they rank well organically.
Preparing for the Future: TechWyse Can Help
TechWyse helps businesses navigate this new landscape by ensuring your information is ready for both customers and Google’s rapidly evolving AI systems.
We help local and home-service companies strengthen:
- Google Business Profile optimization
- Service page clarity and pricing communication
- Schema markup implementation
- Review generation and reputation signals
- CSR training for AI-driven interactions
- Local SEO tailored to Google’s new comparison model
If Google is going to compare your business, let’s make sure it has everything it needs to choose you.
👉 Book a strategy call with TechWyse and make your business AI-ready before your competitors do. Call 416-410-7090 or contact us here.
