From Page One to Page None: Electricians vs. Google’s AI Overviews by HILARTECH

Episode in a nutshell: Google just flipped the switch from “search engine” to “answer engine,” and electricians who still rely on old-school SEO are watching their phones go silent. AI Overviews are stealing clicks, zero-click searches are the norm, Local Services Ads and proximity-heavy updates squeeze the map pack, and voice assistants only read out one or two winners. In this episode we unpack the Triple Threat to Visibility—AI Overviews, Answer Engine Optimization (AEO), and fast-moving new tech—and show how a proactive game plan (hint: HILARTECH’s) puts electricians back in the conversation.

• Title: “From Page One to Page None: Electricians vs. Google’s AI Overviews”

• Length: 32 minutes of straight talk, no geek-speak required

• Guests: Daniel from HILARTECH + two shop-owner clients who beat the slump

Google’s AI blurbs now appear in 13 % of all queries—up from 6 % just a few months ago. Tests show those blurbs slash organic CTR by 40 – 60 % for non-branded searches.

Nearly 60 % of searches end with zero clicks because users get their info directly in-SERP. AEO flips the script: craft content the AI can quote, packed with schema and concise answers cxl.com.

• Local Services Ads sit above the map pack, siphoning leads before organic results even load ignitevisibility.com.

• Google’s Vicinity update turned proximity into the #1 local ranking factor—keyword-stuffed names got nuked nizamuddeen.combrightlocal.com.

• Voice search is booming: 76 % of smart-speaker owners do a local voice query every week invoca.com.

• Ask Maps now answers detailed questions right inside the app, quoting businesses that have structured data and stellar reviews blog.google.

• Google’s tougher review-spam filters can ghost a thin or sketchy profile overnight ignitingbusiness.com.

• Slow sites pay: Google’s INP/Helpful-Content duo penalizes pages that load or interact like molasses sparktoro.com.

Ranking for “electrician near me” used to be about backlinks and city-service pages. Today you need punchy, factual answers the AI can lift verbatim, lightning-fast pages, spotless Google Business data, and a plan for ads, voice, and map Q&A. Anything less and you’re invisible when homeowners shout “Hey Google, w