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The five signalsWhat AI Checks Before It Recommends a Local Business
AI assistants don't publish a formula, but what they cite and how they answer point to five signals: consistent business information across the web, reviews that describe your work, mentions on sites they trust, pages that state your services and service area plainly, and signs you're active and open. Businesses that are strong on all five get named far more often.
A note before we start: OpenAI, Google and the other AI companies don't publish how they choose which businesses to name. What follows is based on what their documentation does say, on which sources the assistants cite, and on asking them the same questions over and over. For each signal there's a quick check you can do yourself and the fix if it fails.
1. Consistent business information
What AI looks for: the same name, phone, address or service area, website and hours everywhere your business appears. When an assistant pulls facts from several sites, matching details make it easier to treat them as one business.
Quick check: look up your business on Google, Bing, Apple Maps, Yelp, Facebook and one or two directories in your trade. Compare them line by line. Old phone numbers, former addresses and "Inc." on some and not others are the usual culprits.
Fix: pick one exact version of each detail and update every listing to match. Claim any listing you don't control yet.
2. Reviews that describe the work
What AI looks for: a solid rating, a steady flow of recent reviews, and reviews that say what you did and where. Customers care too: in BrightLocal's 2026 survey, 97% of people who use AI for recommendations sometimes double-check against real reviews.
Quick check: read your last 20 reviews. How many mention a specific service or town? When was the most recent one?
Fix: ask every happy customer, and suggest they mention the job and their town. Reply to every review, good or bad.
3. Mentions on sites AI trusts
What AI looks for: independent sources that describe your business. In a September 2026 study, the sites ChatGPT cited most next to its local business lists included Expertise.com, Birdeye review pages, Angi and the Better Business Bureau. Which sites matter varies by trade and town.
Quick check: ask ChatGPT or Perplexity "best [your service] in [your town]" and look at the sources it lists. Are you on them?
Fix: get listed, with complete details, on the directories and review sites that show up in your answers. Then pitch local "best of" lists, your chamber of commerce and local news.
4. Pages AI can quote
What AI looks for: plain-text answers to the questions customers ask. Business websites were the most-cited source type in 2026 studies of both ChatGPT and Gemini local answers, so your own site carries real weight.
Quick check: could a stranger find, in writing on your site, each service you offer, the towns you cover, your hours, whether you do emergencies, and roughly what things cost?
Fix: give each main service a clear section or page, list your towns, add a short FAQ, and make sure key facts are text, not just images. Google says structured data should match what's visible on the page. It's useful, but it doesn't replace the words.
5. Signs you're active
What AI looks for: evidence the business is open and current: recent reviews and replies, fresh photos and posts, accurate holiday hours. Google's guidance for its AI features specifically says to keep your Business Profile up to date.
Quick check: when did you last post on your Google Business Profile, add a photo, or update your hours?
Fix: a short weekly post or new photo, and holiday hours set ahead of time, are enough to show you're active.
How the signals work together
None of these is a switch. A business strong on reviews but missing from the directories AI cites, or with great listings but a website that never says "emergency service," gets named for some questions and not others. The fastest wins usually come from fixing whichever signal is weakest.
Common questions
Do AI companies publish their ranking factors?
No. OpenAI and Google document how their crawlers and AI features work at a high level, but not how they choose which businesses to name. The five signals are based on what assistants cite and on repeated testing.
Does schema markup help AI recommend me?
It helps search engines understand your page, and Google says it should match the visible content. Google also says no special markup is required for its AI features, so clear written content comes first.
Which signal should I fix first?
Usually consistent business information, because it's fast and every other signal depends on AI knowing which business is which. After that, whichever signal is weakest for you.
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.