Local SEO + AI Search Visibility for a Mobile Auto Glass Company
Very Smooth Auto Glass is a local, mobile-only shop competing against big national brands and cheap low-quality installers. The owner wanted more high-intent jobs from Google – not just "any traffic" – and to understand how AI tools are recommending local auto glass options.
The Problem
Before SEO work started in November 2024, the situation was challenging. There was low visibility for core money terms like "windshield replacement [city]", "mobile windshield replacement", and "auto glass repair near me".
There was almost no content answering the questions people actually ask, like "Is it safe to drive with a cracked windshield?" or "Will insurance pay for this?". The query footprint in Google Search Console was small, with only 42 clicks and 6,237 impressions in the Aug 4–Oct 31, 2024 window.
Goal: Make Very Smooth the obvious mobile auto glass choice in Placer County – in both classic Google search and AI-powered answers – and prove it with real numbers.
The Strategy
1. Build city + service pages around real search behavior
We built and optimized pages that match how local drivers actually search: Mobile windshield replacement, and specific city pages for Lincoln, Roseville, and Rocklin.
Every page was written to target clear commercial intent, make the "we come to you" message obvious, and push one main action: call or request a quote.
2. Create useful content around real driver questions
Instead of generic fluff, we published focused articles like "Auto Glass Industry Statistics 2025" and "Is It OK to Drive With a Broken Windshield in California?".
We also created comparison content like "Safelite Alternatives in Placer County" to put a local specialist in the same conversation as a national brand.
3. Technical & on-page cleanup
We cleaned up titles/meta to focus on high-intent terms and improved headings for crawlability.
We ensured every new page was indexable, fast, and structured in a way Google can easily interpret.
4. Track AI Search results, not just blue links
We set up AI Search tracking with realistic prompts across ChatGPT, Google AI Mode, Gemini, AI Overviews, and Copilot.
We log which businesses each tool recommends, where Very Smooth appears in the list, and whether those answers link directly to the site.
Results
All "before vs after" comparisons use the same time window for fairness: Aug 4 – Oct 31, 2024 (pre-SEO baseline) vs Aug 4 – Oct 31, 2025.
Standout content pages
Pages that had 0 impressions in 2024 are now bringing in traffic. "Auto Glass Industry Statistics 2025" and "Is It OK to Drive With a Broken Windshield?" are pulling high-intent traffic.
Brand search is rising too. For the query "very smooth auto glass", clicks nearly doubled and CTR jumped from 8.78% to 18.25%.
AI Search Visibility
We tested 3 real-world prompts across 5 platforms (15 total tests). Here is the latest snapshot from Dec 2025:
Key Takeaways
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Local SEO + good content still works.
Clean service pages and honest, useful articles created a measurable lift in organic visibility and engagement.
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AI results aren't optional anymore.
Very Smooth is already being recommended in most AI answers that matter for their best jobs.
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You can't optimize what you don't track.
Traditional SEO metrics tell you how the site performs. AI Search tracking tells you whether modern assistants are sending cases to you or your competitors.