The Shocking Shift in How Customers Find Towing Companies (And How to Stay Ahead)

In February, we spoke with several towing companies struggling to get new customers.

There’s been a major shift in how people find towing companies, and most don’t realize it yet.

For years, towing businesses focused on ranking on Google at all costs. But here’s the reality:

• The number of people searching for towing companies on Google has peaked and is now declining.

• Google’s dominance will continue to shrink.

So, what’s replacing Google?

Artificial Intelligence (AI).

You might not be using AI daily, but more and more people are turning to AI instead of Google when searching for services—including towing.

What This Means for Your Business

Good news: This shift actually benefits small businesses.

Google has become increasingly difficult (and expensive) for small businesses to rely on. AI offers a fresh opportunity for companies that adapt early.

But here’s the bad news:

•  If your Google Business Profile is your lifeline, your company is at risk.
•  Google does not share your profile data with AI-based search engines.

That means every customer who stops using Google will no longer find your business.

How to Stay Ahead & Get Found by AI

To protect your business (and gain an edge over competitors), follow these steps:

• Have a website. AI relies on source data—your website is critical to being found.
• Make sure your business information is widely available. Since Google doesn’t share data, you need to be listed across multiple sources.
• Yes, Towing.com helps with both.

If we’ve spoken before, you’ve heard me say how Towing.com feeds data to Google—but we also share it with other search engines, apps, and yes, even AI.

Want ChatGPT and other AI tools to recognize your business as an authority?
Being on Towing.com is a key step.

Don’t Have a Website?

Towing.com Gold Membership includes a website designed specifically to feed AI the right information.

Real Example: How AI Finds Towing Companies

Using ChatGPT (AI), I tested what many customers are now doing—I asked AI to find me a towing company nearby.

Within seconds, it provided four towing companies in my area.

Here’s the important part: AI uses source data to generate answers—just like Google, but with a key difference.

• AI shows citations—and Towing.com was listed as a trusted source.
• Google hides its sources—so you never know where it pulls information from.

Towing.com: The Homepage of the Towing Industry

We don’t control Google or ChatGPT, but we use best practices to ensure towing companies are in the right place to be found.

If you know a towing company that wants to be found on Google and AI, tell them about Towing.com.

Towing.com is the homepage of the towing industry. Customers, Google, and AI expect to find towing companies when they go to Towing.com.

Questions? I’d love to hear your thoughts.