‘Have AI Check Pricing’: How Google’s New Feature Impacts SEO and Business

Google’s new ‘Have AI Check Pricing’ feature is shaking up local search in the sweetest way. Instead of waiting for customers to call, Google’s AI now calls businesses directly to confirm pricing and availability. Answer the call and you’re in the running for conversions. Miss it, and your competitors may scoop up the candy.

At cyberlicious®, we put it to the test, and the results show exactly how Local SEO is evolving.

What Is Google’s ‘Have AI Check Pricing’?

‘Have AI check pricing’ connects users with local businesses faster than ever. A searcher requests pricing, Google’s AI makes the calls, and within minutes the results arrive in an email.

The businesses that answer and provide details earn a spot in that email. Those that ignore the call end up tagged as “Businesses we couldn’t reach.” That single step, answering or missing the phone, now determines whether your business lands in front of a ready-to-buy customer.

This shift means Local SEO no longer lives just in blue links or map packs. Visibility now depends on how well your business communicates with AI and how prepared your business is to feed it the right information.

The Tech Making It Happen

For the nerds, behind this feature sits a sweet blend of AI tools:

• Duplex for human-like phone conversations.
• Gemini AI for generative follow-ups.
• BERT & Transformer models to interpret intent and context.
• TensorFlow for model training and deployment.

Together, they form the recipe driving which businesses appear when customers tap ‘Have AI check pricing’.

Serving Up Proof With a Sweet AI Experiment

We taste-tested ‘Have AI check pricing’ with a common request: an oil change. Google’s AI called nine nearby businesses and asked for service details. Only four answered the phone.

Here’s how it played out:

• Those four businesses were quoted directly in the customer’s results email.
• The remaining five were grouped under “Businesses we couldn’t reach.”
• That label doesn’t look good, and worse, that group never made it into the customer’s decision set. No pricing, no visibility, no chance at getting the sale.

This proves that answering calls is now a live ranking factor. Your business can have a polished website and reviews galore, but if AI calls and no one picks up, you’re invisible at the exact moment a customer is ready to buy.

Note: Our test focused on auto repair, but the feature already spans multiple categories like hair salons, pet groomers, wellness centers, and even driving schools. Google says more services are coming soon, which means this experiment is only the beginning.

Why This Matters for Local SEO and AI Optimization

Answering the phone now plays directly into Local SEO results. Google’s AI decides which businesses get called and which ones make it into the results email. That decision depends on the signals your business sends.

To stay competitive, you need:

• Google Business Profile optimization with verified and complete information.
• Structured data that explains your services clearly.
• Consistent NAP (name, address, phone) across the web.
• Positive reviews that reinforce trust.

This is the foundation of AI optimization. Clean, reliable data teaches AI how to present your business with confidence. With generative engine optimization (GEO) and answer engine optimization (AEO) layered on top, your business becomes easier for AI to understand, quote, and recommend. In the end, making you part of the shortlist customers actually see.

What’s Next for Your Business

The ‘Have AI check pricing’ feature puts customers in control of how they compare local options. Ask yourself:

• Are you prepared to answer AI calls during business hours? Is your staff?
• Is your Google Business Profile up-to-date and giving AI everything it needs to choose you and your services?
• Are your competitors already training AI with better data?

Sweet lesson: success favors the businesses that keep pace with AI and actually put the tools to work.