Why AI never quotes your prices (and how to fix it)
Published · 5 min read
AI often skips your prices when it can’t find a clear, current one on your own site, so it quotes directories and rival guides instead. In an Australian test, tracked service businesses were named in just 8 of 149 price answers. Publish a plain-text price range, keep listings matching, and test again in a week.
A customer asks their phone, “How much does a plumber cost near me?” You’d like your name in the answer. Instead they get a directory’s price guide, and the next click goes to your competitors.
Why does AI name someone else when asked about price?
Because the answer has to come from somewhere. If your own site gives no number, the assistant uses whoever does.
An Australian study put 473 buyer questions to ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google AI Overviews. Service businesses were named in about half the answers overall, but only in 8 of 149 price answers (about 5%). About four in ten mentions had no link to the business’s own website. The authors call it a snapshot and an early signal, not a fixed verdict.
The businesses that did show up had a few things in common: they published a price or realistic range, their details matched across the web, and other sites repeated the same facts. That’s an association, not proof.
A separate US test of software vendors points the same way. ChatGPT still gave a figure for vendors with no public price, often lifted from marketplace listings. Different industry, one test, but the pattern is familiar.
Your own website matters most. In local AI answers, business websites make up 42% of citations and Google Business Profile 28.5% (BrightLocal, Sep 2026).
What do the numbers look like?
| Question type | Tracked service businesses named |
|---|---|
| All question types | About half of answers |
| Price questions | 8 of 149 answers (about 5%) |
Source: Australian AI Visibility Index via Dynamic Business, 16 Sep 2026.
How do you fix it this week?
About 10 to 30 minutes in total (est.). Go in this order.
- Ask first. Ask ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google your customers’ price question. Write down who’s named and what price they quote. Use the kit below.
- Publish a price page. One page on your own site, in plain text (not an image or PDF): a “from” price, a typical range, what changes the price, and what’s included.
- Add prices to Google Business Profile. Open your profile, choose Edit services and add a price and description to each service.
- Add a short FAQ on that page. Three to five price questions, answered in plain sentences with the range. You don’t need special markup for this.
- Make your details match. Same business name, address, phone, hours and service names on your site and every listing. Fix or remove old prices on listings, old posts and PDFs.
- Ask for reviews that mention value. “Fair price for what we got” tells future customers, and AI, what the job was worth.
- Test again in a week. Same questions, same tools. Note who’s named now.
Do you need schema markup?
No. Google says there is no special schema to add for its AI features, and any structured data must match the text on the page. If you want to add it, priceRange is a recommended field for local businesses. Google’s FAQ rich result also stopped showing on 7 May 2026, so keep your FAQ as ordinary visible text.
Your kit
Copy this price block onto your page, then swap in your own numbers.
Our prices (last updated: [date])
[Service name]: from $[amount], typically $[low] to $[high].
What changes the price: [size of job / time of day / parts / complexity].
What's included: [call-out, labour, GST, warranty].
Not included: [parts over $X, permits, after-hours].
Want a firm quote? [Phone / form link]. Most quotes within [timeframe].
And the 5-prompt test (run on ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google):
1. How much does [service] cost in [suburb/city]?
2. What's a fair price for [service] near me?
3. Who offers [service] in [suburb] with clear prices?
4. How much does [your business name] charge for [service]?
5. What affects the price of [service] in Australia?
For each: Were you named? Linked? Was the price right? Who was named instead?
Make it automatic (optional)
The hands-off version checks these questions on a schedule, flags a wrong or missing price, and reminds you when a listing drifts from your price page.
Quick recap
- AI quotes whoever publishes a price. If that isn’t you, it’s a directory.
- One plain-text page with a “from” price and range, matched on your profile, is the first fix.
- Test the same questions now and again in a week. Results vary, so keep notes.
Want a faster check? Try our free AI visibility check and see how AI describes your business.
FAQ
Should I publish exact prices or a range? A range is fine. The Australian study’s advice is to publish a price or a realistic range. Say what moves the price.
Why does AI show an old price? It may be reading an old listing, post or PDF. Update or remove old prices, then test again. How long it takes to change: no source found, so keep testing.
Can I pay to be named in AI answers? Not for Google’s local results: you can’t pay for better local ranking.
Do I need to put my prices in schema? No. See above: it’s optional and must match your page.
Sources
- We asked AI what Australian services cost: small businesses were in 5% of answers, Dynamic Business, 16 Sep 2026
- Local AI visibility study, BrightLocal, Sep 2026
- AI features and your website, Google Search Central
- LocalBusiness structured data, Google Search Central
- FAQPage structured data, Google Search Central, May 2026 notice
- Manage your services on your Business Profile, Google Business Profile Help
- How Google Business Profile ranks local results, Google
- SaaS pricing transparency test, Omnius, Oct 2026 (software vendors, US, one test)
