Why this page matters
I see this every week: good businesses get bad leads. A handyman gets pool repair requests. A bakery gets wedding cake orders when they only do cupcakes. An HVAC company gets calls for oil boilers they never touch. The owners feel tired and confused. You may feel this too.
Here is the root cause. AI tools guess what you do based on what they can read about you. If you only list what you offer, AI still fills the gaps. It does not know your limits. So it sends you jobs you do not take. You lose time. The customer loses trust.
I want you to fix this fast. Add one clear page: “What We Don’t Do.” Say it in simple words. Help AI draw the lines. It will send you better fits.
Action today: Write one sentence that starts your page: “We do not offer these services, so we can focus on our best work.”
What to put on the page
Use short bullets. No long stories. Think about the work you turn down a lot. List it. Add a short reason when it helps.
Simple examples:
- ▸Plumber: No septic tanks. No mobile homes. No emergency 24/7 calls.
- ▸Electrician: No high‑rise work. No knob‑and‑tube rewires. No smart home installs over 20 devices.
- ▸IT shop: No game consoles. No data recovery over 2 TB. No on‑site support beyond 25 km.
- ▸Auto shop: No diesel. No body work. No vehicles higher than 2.3 m.
- ▸Bakery: No custom fondant art. No same‑day cakes. No deliveries on Mondays.
If you can, add helpful paths:
- ▸Offer a safe option: “If you need X, we suggest Y” and link to a trusted partner or a general guide.
- ▸Add limits inside services you do: “We install heat pumps up to 3 tons.”
- ▸Note brand or model limits: “We service Bosch and Miele only.”
Action today: Draft 5–10 “We don’t …” bullets and save them in your notes app.
How AI understands and uses it
AI reads plain words well. Use a simple page title like “What We Don’t Do.” Use short bullet points. Put your main list near the top. Keep the tone kind and clear. No jokes. No slang. This helps AI quote you correctly.
Say what you avoid, and what to do instead. For example: “We do not repair window AC units. If you have a window unit, try a local appliance shop.” This teaches AI to route a request away from you when it should.
Update this page when things change. If you stop taking a brand, add it. If you add a new skill, move it from the “don’t” page to your services page.
I built FoxRadar to make checks like this easy. You can see in 60 seconds whether ChatGPT, Gemini, or Grok can find and use your page.
Action today: Add one “If you need X, try Y” line under your list to guide AI.
Where to place and link it
Make the page easy to find. Link it in your main menu, footer, and FAQ. Add a link from each service page: “See what we don’t do.” This gives AI clear paths.
Keep the URL simple: /what-we-dont-do or /exclusions. Add your city if you serve a region, when limits are local. Example: “We do not travel beyond 25 km from Denver.”
If you have a partners page, link to it from this page. That shows AI and people that you still care about their problem. You just do not do that part.
Action today: Add one link to your new page from your homepage and from your main services page.
A simple template you can copy
Here is a short template you can paste into your site and edit. Keep it simple.
Title: What We Don’t Do
Intro: We want to help fast. To save you time, here is what we do not offer. This keeps our work safe, fast, and high quality.
We do not:
- ▸[Service you avoid] — [short reason]
- ▸[Service you avoid] — [short reason]
- ▸[Service you avoid] — [short reason]
- ▸[Brand/model you avoid]
- ▸[Locations you avoid]
- ▸[Time windows you avoid]
If you need these:
- ▸[X]: try [Partner or general option]
- ▸[Y]: try [Partner or general option]
Last updated: [Month Year]
That is it. One page. Clear borders. Better leads.
Action today: Publish the page, then ask ChatGPT, “Which services does [Your Brand] NOT offer?” See if it gets the list right.
Ready to see if AI knows your brand now? Check your visibility in ChatGPT, Gemini, and Grok with FoxRadar. Go to getfoxradar.com and run your check today. I am here to help you show up for the right jobs.