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Do it yourself · 15 minutesHow to Check What AI Says About Your Business (in 15 Minutes)
Ask ChatGPT, Google (AI Mode or the AI Overview on a normal search) and Perplexity the questions your customers ask, with your town in each question, in a private or signed-out window. Ask each question twice, because answers vary. For each answer, note whether you're named, where in the list, who's named instead, and which websites the AI cites.
Step 1: Write down 8 to 10 real customer questions
Use the questions people actually ask, not your business name. Customers rarely ask "Is Smith Plumbing good?" They ask who to call. Cover five kinds of question:
| Type | Plumber example | Salon example |
|---|---|---|
| Best in town | Who's the best plumber in Peabody, MA? | What's the best hair salon in Salem, MA? |
| Urgent | I have a burst pipe in Peabody. Who should I call right now? | Which salon near Salem can take a walk-in today? |
| Specific job | Who replaces water heaters in Peabody? | Who does balayage near Salem, MA? |
| Nearby towns | Best plumber in Danvers, MA? | Best hair salon in Marblehead, MA? |
| Situational | Plumber near Peabody that answers at night? | Good salon near Salem for wedding hair? |
Step 2: Use a clean, signed-out window
AI assistants can tailor answers to you, and they may already "know" your business from your own past chats. Use a private or incognito browser window, signed out where the assistant allows it, so you see roughly what a new customer would.
Step 3: Put the town in every question
Don't rely on the assistant guessing your location. Customers usually name the town anyway, and it makes your results comparable from one month to the next.
Step 4: Ask on three assistants
- ChatGPT (chatgpt.com): the most used AI tool for local recommendations in BrightLocal's 2026 survey.
- Google: search normally and look for the AI Overview at the top, or try AI Mode.
- Perplexity (perplexity.ai): shows its sources clearly, which makes it useful for seeing which sites matter.
Step 5: Ask each question twice
AI answers change from one ask to the next. Being named once out of two tries is a different result from being named both times. Start a fresh chat for the second ask.
Step 6: Record what you see
A simple table is all you need:
| Question | Assistant | Named? | Position | Named instead | Sites cited |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burst pipe in Peabody | ChatGPT | No | – | 3 competitors | Angi, BBB, their sites |
Step 7: Read the patterns
- Never named anywhere: AI doesn't have enough to go on yet. Start with consistent listings and getting your site indexed.
- Named for "best" but not for urgent or specific jobs: your site and listings probably don't state those facts. Add them in plain words.
- Named on one assistant but not another: look at the sources each one cites. The gap is usually a directory or review site you're missing from.
- Named, but with wrong details: find the source with the wrong information (the AI often cites it) and fix it there.
The sites the AI cites are your to-do list. If the same directory keeps appearing next to your competitors, make sure you're on it.
Step 8: Repeat monthly
Use the same questions, the same way, once a month. Changes take a few weeks to show, and a single check can be misleading. The trend over several months is what tells you whether your fixes are working. See what AI checks before recommending a business for what to fix.
Common questions
Why does ChatGPT give me different answers each time?
AI assistants generate each answer fresh and may search different sources each time. That's why it's worth asking each question more than once and tracking how often you're named rather than relying on a single answer.
Should I just ask the AI about my own business by name?
That's worth doing once to check your details are right, but it doesn't show whether you'd be recommended. Customers ask who to call, not about you by name.
Is checking Google's AI Overview enough?
No. Different assistants use different sources and often name different businesses. Checking ChatGPT, Google and Perplexity gives a much fuller picture.
Want to know what AI says about your business?
We ask ChatGPT, Google's AI and Perplexity the questions your customers ask, and show you who they recommend and why. Free.