Traditional SEO alone is no longer enough to keep your business visible.
Search journeys are shifting from “Google search, then click a result” to “ask an AI, then act on the recommendation.” Features like Google’s “Have AI Check Prices” are collapsing the traditional funnel by comparing prices, reviews, and availability on a shopper’s behalf and surfacing a short list of options.
If your business isn’t on that list, you’re effectively invisible, even if you rank on page one.
And Google isn’t just comparing data from feeds and listings. It’s actively calling businesses to verify pricing, availability, and responsiveness in real time. How your business answers (or whether it answers at all) now influences whether you’re recommended.
The businesses that win are the ones AI can trust: those with consistent pricing, accurate information, and strong reviews. If your data is fragmented or your responses are unclear, AI will default to competitors that look more reliable. That means fewer impressions in AI summaries, fewer clicks, and fewer high-intent opportunities.
This guide breaks down how Google’s “Have AI Check Prices” works, what signals influence its recommendations, and how to prepare your business to show up confidently.
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TL;DR
- AI shopping is the new front door. Shoppers increasingly rely on AI to compare prices, availability, and seller trust instead of manually clicking through search results.
- Google’s “Have AI Check Prices” actively evaluates businesses. It pulls data and calls businesses in real time to verify pricing, availability, and responsiveness—rewarding those that answer clearly and consistently.
- Vendasta helps you pass the test. With unified listings, reputation management, and an AI receptionist that accurately answers every call, Vendasta strengthens the signals Google’s AI relies on when deciding who to recommend.
What Is Google’s “Have AI Check Prices”?
Google’s “Have AI Check Prices” is an AI-powered feature that lets people ask Google to check pricing and availability for local services in real time.
Under the list of local business recommendations in search results, shoppers will see a call-to-action button labeled either “Have AI check prices” or “Have AI get prices.”
When a shopper selects the button, Google asks a few follow-up questions about the service they need, timing, and location.
Google’s AI then contacts multiple nearby businesses directly by phone to check availability and pricing.
After completing those calls, Google emails the shopper a summary with quotes and details from the businesses that responded.
Notice the “Businesses we couldn’t reach” section? This is how Google’s AI reports missed or unanswered calls to shoppers.
If your business isn’t reachable when Google calls to check pricing and availability, you may still appear, but without quotes or key details, putting you at a disadvantage compared to faster, more responsive competitors.
You’ll see this feature in Google Search on both mobile and desktop. It’s currently available in the U.S. for select service-based industries, with Google continuing to expand coverage.
What AI Price Checks Mean for the Buying Journey
Instead of requiring customers to call multiple businesses themselves, Google collapses the comparison process into a single AI-driven interaction. The shopper fills out one form, and Google handles the outreach, verification, and follow-up.
This shift reflects Google’s broader move toward agentic experiences in Search, where AI takes action on a user’s behalf rather than simply returning links. In this case, the system gathers real pricing and availability by contacting businesses directly.
For businesses, this shift is significant. Visibility now depends not only on what’s listed online, but also on whether Google’s AI can reach your business and receive clear, consistent answers. If pricing, availability, or service details are unclear, or if calls go unanswered, Google may surface competitors that are easier to verify and respond more quickly.
How Google’s “Have AI Check Prices” Works
Google’s “Have AI check prices” feature is designed to remove friction from the service-shopping process.
Understanding this flow matters because it combines traditional discovery signals like your online business information with real-time verification, where Google’s AI confirms details directly with businesses. When your information is accurate and your responses are consistent, you’re more likely to appear in high-intent recommendations.
1. Google Identifies the Product
Google starts by identifying businesses that are relevant to the shopper’s request based on their search query, location, and service category. This step relies heavily on your public business information, including your Google Business Profile, service descriptions, categories, and listings across the web.
If your hours, services, or contact details are outdated or inconsistent, your business may not be selected for outreach at all.
2. Google Contacts Businesses to Check Pricing and Availability
Once relevant businesses are identified, Google’s AI calls multiple service providers directly to confirm pricing and availability. During these calls, the AI asks standardized questions based on the shopper’s request.
Businesses that answer promptly and provide clear, consistent information move forward in the process. Missed calls, vague responses, or conflicting answers can limit how your business is represented in the results.
3. Google Evaluates Trust and Reliability Signals
In parallel with call-based verification, Google considers broader trust signals to determine which businesses to include. These signals can include:
- Review volume, recency, and overall sentiment
- Responsiveness to customer feedback
- Accuracy and consistency of business information across the internet
- Clarity and transparency of service offerings and pricing
This step helps Google assess which businesses are most reliable to recommend.
4. Google Generates a Summary for the Shopper
After gathering responses, Google produces a structured summary for the shopper that may include quoted price ranges, availability details, and contact information for businesses that responded.
Shoppers use this summary to quickly compare options without having to make multiple calls themselves.
How To Get Ready for Google’s “Have AI Check Prices”
Below are steps to help you prepare so your business is discoverable, reachable, and easy for Google’s AI to verify without losing high-intent opportunities.
Ensure Your Pricing Is Clear, Consistent, and Easy To Explain
When Google’s AI calls, it needs straightforward, repeatable answers. If pricing varies widely depending on who answers the phone, or isn’t explained clearly, the AI may capture incomplete or confusing information.
Ways to prepare:
- Maintain clear price ranges or standard service tiers
- Use simple, consistent language when explaining pricing
- Create a baseline script so pricing and availability are communicated the same way every time
The goal isn’t to provide exact quotes to give Google’s AI enough clarity to accurately summarize what customers can expect.
Keep Your Business Information Updated Everywhere Google Looks
Before Google’s AI ever makes a call, it relies on your public business information to decide which businesses to contact and how to frame the request.
If your hours, services, or contact details are outdated or inconsistent, Google may call with incorrect assumptions or skip your business altogether.
Checklist:
- Confirm your business hours, phone number, and address are accurate
- Ensure service descriptions reflect what you actually offer
- Keep listings consistent across directories and platforms
Accurate online information ensures Google can reach the right number and ask the right questions.
Strengthen Your Reputation Before AI Starts Comparing You
Google’s AI doesn’t evaluate pricing in isolation. It considers reputation signals alongside what it learns during calls.
If two businesses provide similar pricing, stronger reviews and sentiment often influence which option a shopper chooses.
Focus on:
- Increasing review volume
- Responding quickly to new reviews
- Addressing negative feedback where possible
Strong reputation signals reinforce trust once your business appears in the comparison.
Improve Your Response Readiness
Google’s AI calls businesses quickly and methodically. Missed calls or slow responses can remove your business from consideration before a shopper ever sees your name.
To prepare:
- Ensure calls are answered during all posted business hours
- Train staff to respond confidently and concisely
- Use an AI phone answering service to ensure every call is answered
Prepare a Simple, Reliable Pricing Summary for AI Calls
Your goal is to make it easy for AI systems to relay your value. A standard pricing summary helps prevent misinterpretations.
Include:
- A brief overview of your core services
- Typical price ranges or common scenarios
- Any minimums, call-out fees, or conditions
- Availability windows for common requests
This helps Google’s AI produce accurate summaries that reflect your business fairly.
Monitor How AI Describes You and Adjust Fast
Regularly review how Google summarizes your business. If AI consistently misses key details or misstates your offerings, it could signal gaps in your public information or how your team responds on the phone.
Make adjustments by:
- Updating service descriptions
- Simplifying pricing explanations
- Reinforcing key points in your phone scripts
How Vendasta Helps Businesses Prepare for Google’s “Have AI Check Prices”
Google’s “Have AI Check Prices” feature rewards businesses that are easy to find, easy to reach, and easy for AI to verify.
Vendasta helps businesses meet all three requirements by bringing reputation management, local SEO, and AI-powered call handling together in one platform.
Keep Your Business Information Accurate and Trustworthy
To decide which businesses to contact, Google’s AI relies on public business information such as hours, services, categories, contact details, and overall online credibility.
Vendasta’s Reputation Management tools help businesses monitor and correct their business information across Google Business Profile and online directories from one centralized platform. These tools also help businesses manage and respond to customer reviews, strengthening the trust signals shoppers see once pricing and availability are presented.
Together, accurate listings and active reputation management make it easier for Google to surface your business confidently and represent it correctly during AI-driven price checks.
Answer Every Call With Clear, Consistent Information
When Google’s AI checks pricing, it does so by calling businesses directly. If your business doesn’t answer or provides unclear or inconsistent responses, you may appear without pricing details or be grouped under “Businesses we couldn’t reach.”
Vendasta’s AI Receptionist ensures every call is answered with fast, accurate, and consistent pricing and availability information pulled from your approved business data. This helps Google’s AI collect reliable details and present your business clearly to shoppers, even when your team is busy on the job.
Get Found in the Right Local Searches
Before Google’s AI ever places a call, it must be able to discover your business in local search results and understand where and when you serve customers.
Vendasta’s Local SEO tools help businesses appear in the right local searches with accurate name, address, phone number, services, and categories across Google and key directories.
By keeping listings and citations consistent across platforms, Local SEO improves visibility and relevance, making it easier for Google to confidently surface your business and include it in AI-driven price checks.
Conclusion: Preparing Your Business for Google’s AI Price Check
Google’s “Have AI Check Prices” is reshaping how customers choose local businesses. Instead of manually comparing options, shoppers now rely on AI to gather pricing, confirm availability, and assess trustworthiness often before they ever visit a website or make a call themselves.
This shift rewards businesses that are easy to discover, easy to reach, and consistent in how they present information. Accurate listings and strong reviews help Google identify and represent your business, while clear, reliable phone responses ensure Google’s AI can verify pricing and availability in real time.
Vendasta brings these pieces together in one platform. With tools for reputation management, local SEO, and an AI receptionist that answers every call with consistent information, Vendasta helps businesses show up clearly and confidently in AI-driven price checks.
As Google continues to automate more of the buying journey, preparing now ensures your business stays visible, competitive, and ready when AI calls.
Book a free Vendasta demo to see how our platform helps you prepare for the future of AI-powered customer acquisition.
Google’s “Have AI Check Prices” FAQs
1. What is Google’s “Have AI Check Prices” feature?
Google’s “Have AI Check Prices” is an AI-powered feature that helps shoppers check pricing and availability for local services. After a shopper submits a request, Google’s AI contacts multiple nearby businesses, typically by phone, to gather quotes and availability, then shares a summary of the responses.
2. How does Google’s “Have AI Check Prices” decide which businesses to contact?
Google uses local search signals such as relevance, location, business categories, and public business information to determine which businesses to include. Accurate listings, consistent contact details, and strong local visibility increase the likelihood that a business will be surfaced and contacted. Platforms like Vendasta help businesses manage these signals by keeping business information accurate across key directories.
3. Why is Google’s AI price-checking feature important for my business?
This feature influences customer decisions before they visit websites or make calls themselves. If your business isn’t reachable, provides unclear information, or isn’t surfaced at all, you may lose visibility at a critical moment in the buying journey.
4. Do reviews affect whether my business appears in Google’s AI price checks?
Reviews don’t replace pricing verification, but they influence trust and customer choice once results are presented. Strong review volume, recency, and sentiment can make your business more appealing when shoppers compare options side by side.
5. What is an AI-ready pricing summary?
An AI-ready pricing summary is a simple, standardized overview of your services, price ranges, and availability. It helps ensure consistent answers so Google’s AI can accurately summarize what customers should expect. Using tools like Vendasta’s AI receptionist allows businesses to deliver this information consistently on every call, even during busy periods or after hours.
6. How often should pricing or availability information be reviewed?
Pricing and availability should be reviewed anytime services change, promotions are added, or availability shifts. Keeping this information current helps ensure Google’s AI receives accurate answers during calls and avoids misrepresentation.
7. Can local service businesses benefit from Google’s “Have AI Check Prices”?
Yes. Service-based businesses such as salons, auto repair shops, pet services, and home services can benefit significantly. Businesses that are visible in local search and respond clearly to AI calls are better positioned to appear in results.
8. How can I improve my chances of being included in Google’s AI price checks?
Improving visibility in AI price checks comes down to three things: accurate public information, clear pricing explanations, and reliable call coverage.
Vendasta helps businesses address all three by combining reputation management and local SEO with an AI receptionist that answers every call using approved pricing and availability information. This ensures Google’s AI can both find your business and verify details when it reaches out.
9. Does Google’s AI price-checking feature impact website traffic?
It can. Some shoppers may make decisions directly from AI summaries, while others may still click through. Businesses that appear in these summaries often see higher-intent engagement because shoppers have already validated pricing and availability.
10. How can Vendasta help my business prepare for Google’s “Have AI Check Prices”?
Vendasta helps businesses stay visible and reachable by combining reputation management, local SEO, and AI employees. Vendasta’s AI receptionist ensures every call is answered with consistent, approved information, while listings and reputation tools keep your public data accurate—strengthening the signals Google’s AI relies on.
