How to find out if ChatGPT recommends your business - and what to do if it doesn't

The search your customers are running that you're not tracking

Someone in Sarasota just asked ChatGPT "Who does AC repair in Sarasota with good reviews and fair pricing?"

ChatGPT recommended three businesses. Yours wasn't one of them.

You have 42 Google reviews, you've been in business for 11 years, you serve Sarasota every single day. But ChatGPT has no idea you exist - or it knows you exist and chose not to recommend you.

Here's the problem: you don't know which one it is, because you've never checked.

Most small-business owners obsess over their Google rankings. They check "plumber near me" every week to see if they're #3 or #4 in the map pack. But they've never once typed their own service and city into ChatGPT to see what AI recommends.

That's a blind spot you can't afford anymore. Over 30% of people searching for local services in 2024 started in an AI tool instead of Google - ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, or Google's AI Overview. That percentage is growing every month.

If AI search doesn't know about you, or knows about you but can't find enough specific information to cite, you're invisible to a third of your potential customers. And unlike Google rankings, you can't just check once. You need to audit across multiple AI platforms, because they don't all pull from the same sources.

This post walks you through a 10-minute audit: how to check if ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, and Google AI recommend your business - and exactly what to fix if they don't.

Why AI search is different from Google search

When someone Googles "AC repair Sarasota," Google shows them:

• Three map pack results (based on proximity, reviews, GBP optimization)
• Ten organic results (based on page authority, backlinks, on-page SEO)
• Maybe some ads at the top

Google is sorting and ranking a list. The job of SEO is to climb that list.

AI search doesn't work that way. When someone asks ChatGPT or Perplexity "Who does AC repair in Sarasota?" the AI doesn't show a ranked list of 10 businesses. It synthesizes an answer and recommends 2-4 businesses it thinks best match the query.

AI is making judgment calls about which businesses to include and which to skip. It's looking for:

• Specific, extractable facts (services, locations, credentials, pricing)
• Structured data (schema markup, clean business info)
• Recency signals (recent reviews, updated website content)
• Citability (can the AI confidently say "Business X does Y in Z location"?)

If your website is full of vague marketing language and your Google Business Profile hasn't been updated in six months, AI has nothing to cite. It skips you and recommends a competitor whose content is fact-dense and structured.

The difference: Google ranks you even if your content is mediocre, as long as your domain authority and backlinks are strong. AI skips you entirely if it can't extract clear, citable information.

The 10-minute cross-platform audit (do this now)

Here's how to see where you stand across the four major AI platforms. Set a timer for 10 minutes and work through these steps.

Step 1: Test ChatGPT (2 minutes)

Open ChatGPT (free version is fine - chatgpt.com). Run three searches:

Query 1: Generic service + city "Who does [your service] in [your city]?"

Example: "Who does AC repair in Sarasota?"

Query 2: Specific problem + city "Who fixes [specific problem] in [your city]?"

Example: "Who fixes slab leaks in Bradenton?"

Query 3: Your business name directly "What do you know about [your business name] in [your city]?"

Example: "What do you know about ABC Plumbing in Sarasota?"

What to look for:

• Does your business show up in the first two queries?
• If yes, what facts does ChatGPT cite? (Services? Locations? Reviews? Years in business?)
• If no, which competitors does it recommend, and why?
• In query 3, can ChatGPT tell you what you do, where you operate, and any key details? Or does it say "I don't have specific information"?

Write down what you see. We'll compare across platforms.

Step 2: Test Perplexity (2 minutes)

Open Perplexity (perplexity.ai - free, no login required). Run the same three queries.

Perplexity is different from ChatGPT in one key way: it shows you its sources. After it gives you an answer, it lists which websites it pulled from.

What to look for:

• Does your business show up?
• If yes, what source did Perplexity cite? Your website? Your GBP? A directory listing?
• If no, which businesses does it recommend, and which sources does it cite for them?

Pay attention to the sources. If Perplexity is citing your competitor's website but not yours, that tells you their website content is more structured and extractable than yours.

Step 3: Test Claude (2 minutes)

Open Claude (claude.ai - free tier available). Run the same three queries.

Claude tends to be more cautious than ChatGPT. It often says "I don't have real-time access to local business information" or gives general advice instead of specific recommendations.

What to look for:

• Does Claude mention your business at all?
• If it does recommend businesses, does yours make the list?
• What facts does Claude cite when it does recommend a business?

If Claude won't give you business names (it sometimes refuses), try rephrasing: "What are some well-reviewed AC repair companies in Sarasota based on publicly available information?"

Step 4: Test Google AI Overview (2 minutes)

This one's trickier because Google's AI Overview doesn't show up for every query, and it's still rolling out.

Open Google (regular search, desktop or mobile). Search for:

"best [your service] in [your city]"

Example: "best plumbers in Bradenton"

or

"[your service] near me" (if you're physically in your service area)

What to look for:

• Does an AI-generated summary appear at the top of the results (usually in a card with citations)?
• If yes, does it mention your business?
• What sources does it cite? (Google shows little citation links next to facts)

Google's AI Overview pulls heavily from high-authority sources (big directories, news sites, well-structured local business websites). If it's citing Yelp, Angi, or HomeAdvisor but not you, that's a signal your website lacks authority or structure.

Step 5: Compare and document (2 minutes)

Open a notes app or spreadsheet. Create a simple table:

Fill it in based on what you just saw.

If you showed up on 3-4 platforms: You're in good shape. Your content is AI-readable. Skip to the "How to stay visible" section below.

If you showed up on 1-2 platforms: You have work to do. Some AI tools can extract your info, others can't. This usually means your content is okay but inconsistent or incomplete.

If you showed up on zero platforms: Your content is invisible to AI. You're not giving AI engines enough structured, factual information to cite. Keep reading.

What it means when AI can't find you (or won't recommend you)

If you ran the audit and your business didn't show up, here are the most common reasons:

Reason 1: Your website content is too vague

Your homepage says "We provide exceptional service with a commitment to quality and customer satisfaction."

AI reads that and learns nothing. No services, no locations, no credentials, no facts.

Your competitor's homepage says "Licensed plumber serving Sarasota, Bradenton, and Venice since 2009. We handle slab leaks, repiping, water heater replacement, and drain cleaning. Most repairs completed same-day."

AI extracts: plumber, licensed, three cities, since 2009, four services, same-day repairs. Six facts. That's cite-able.

The fix: Rewrite your homepage and service pages to lead with facts. We covered this in detail in our post on AI-readable content. Start with your homepage hero section - 100 words, fact-dense, full of proper nouns and numbers.

Reason 2: You have no schema markup

AI tools rely on structured data to parse your website quickly. If your site doesn't have LocalBusiness schema or Service schema, AI has to guess what your content means.

The fix: Add schema markup to your site. This is code that labels your business name, address, services, phone number, hours, and service area in a machine-readable format. We wrote a full schema markup guide - start there if you've never added schema before.

If you're not technical, hire someone. Budget $200-$400 for a developer to add schema to your homepage and main service pages. It's worth it.

Reason 3: Your Google Business Profile is incomplete or stale

AI tools often pull from Google's Knowledge Graph, which is built in part from your GBP data. If your GBP is missing services, hasn't been updated in months, or has sparse content, AI has less to work with.

The fix: Log into your GBP. Fill out every section. Add 40+ photos. Post weekly updates. Respond to all reviews. Make your profile look active and current.

Reason 4: You have no reviews (or your reviews don't mention specifics)

AI trusts social proof. Businesses with dozens of reviews that mention specific services and city names are easier for AI to verify and recommend.

If you have 8 reviews and most of them say "Great service, highly recommend!" without mentioning what service or where, AI sees weak signals.

The fix: Get more reviews. Aim for 2-4 per month. When you ask for reviews (in person, after completing a job), say something like "If you're happy with the work, we'd appreciate a Google review - and if you could mention the type of work we did, that really helps other Sarasota homeowners find us."

Reviews that say "They fixed our slab leak in Bradenton quickly and the price was fair" are 10x more valuable to AI than "Great company!"

Reason 5: Your NAP info is inconsistent

If your business name, address, and phone number are listed differently across your website, GBP, Yelp, Facebook, and other directories, AI can't verify which version is correct. Inconsistent NAP data signals unreliability.

The fix: Audit your NAP across all listings. Make sure your business name, address, and phone number are exactly the same everywhere. If you're "ABC Plumbing LLC" on your website, don't be "ABC Plumbing" on Yelp and "A.B.C. Plumbing, LLC" on Facebook. Pick one format and use it everywhere.

We have a whole post on NAP consistency traps if you need help cleaning this up.

Reason 6: Your website is slow or broken on mobile

AI tools can technically crawl slow sites, but if your site takes 8 seconds to load or breaks on mobile, it signals poor quality. Some AI engines deprioritize slow sites.

The fix: Run a speed test (PageSpeed Insights or GTmetrix). If your mobile score is under 50, you have a problem. Most Wix, Squarespace, and GoDaddy sites are slow by default. If you're serious about AI visibility, you need a fast, custom-built site that loads in under 2 seconds.

What to do when competitors show up but you don't

Go back to your audit notes. Look at the competitors AI recommended. Now visit their websites and GBPs.

Ask yourself:

• Do they have more reviews than you?
• Are their reviews more detailed (mentioning services and cities)?
• Is their website content more specific than yours? (Do they list exact services, cities, credentials, timelines?)
• Do they have schema markup? (Right-click their homepage, View Source, and search for "schema" or "application/ld+json")
• Is their GBP more complete? (More photos, recent posts, all sections filled?)

You're not trying to copy them. You're trying to identify the gaps. If they have 60 reviews and you have 12, that's a gap. If their homepage lists 6 services and 4 cities and yours says "full-service solutions," that's a gap.

Make a list of 3-5 things they're doing that you're not. Those are your top priorities.

The 30-day fix plan (if you're currently invisible)

If AI search isn't recommending you at all, here's the fastest path to visibility:

Week 1: Rewrite your homepage hero section

Replace vague marketing language with factual, keyword-rich content. Include:

• 3-5 specific services you offer
• 3-5 cities or neighborhoods you serve
• Years in business or volume of work completed
• Key license, certification, or credential
• One pricing or timeline detail (if you're willing to share)

Target: 100-150 words. Dense with proper nouns (city names, certifications) and numbers.

Example for a Sarasota HVAC company:

"We install, repair, and maintain residential and light commercial AC systems in Sarasota, Bradenton, Lakewood Ranch, and Venice. Licensed and insured (CAC1234567). Our NATE-certified technicians service all major brands including Carrier, Trane, Lennox, and Rheem. In business since 2011. Most service calls completed same-day or next-day. AC installations typically scheduled within 5-7 business days."

That's 60 words with 12 extractable facts. AI can cite this.

Week 2: Add schema markup

Hire someone to add LocalBusiness schema and Service schema to your site. If you're on WordPress, use a plugin like Schema Pro or Rank Math. If you have a custom site, ask your developer to add it.

At minimum, mark up:

• Business name, address, phone, hours
• Service area (cities you serve)
• Services offered (list each one)
• Reviews/ratings (aggregate rating schema if you have reviews)

This makes your content machine-readable. AI doesn't have to guess - it knows exactly what you do and where.

Week 3: Optimize your Google Business Profile

• Fill out every section (services, service area, attributes, Q&A, business description)
• Upload 20+ photos (team, trucks, completed jobs, office)
• Write your first weekly post (a recent job, a seasonal tip, or an FAQ)
• Respond to all reviews, even old ones

Your GBP is one of the top sources AI tools pull from. Make it complete and current.

Week 4: Get 5 new reviews

Ask your last 10 happy customers for a Google review. Use this script (in person or via text after completing a job):

"Thanks for trusting us with [the work]. If you're happy with how it turned out, we'd really appreciate a Google review. If you could mention the type of work we did and that we're based in [city], that helps other local folks find us. Here's the link: [your GBP review link]."

Aim for 5 reviews in the next two weeks. Reviews that mention your service and city are gold for AI citability.

End of week 4: Re-run the audit

Go back to ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, and Google AI. Run the same queries. See if you show up now.

If you do, congratulations. Keep going. If you don't, you likely have a technical issue (site not indexable, NAP inconsistencies, etc.) or your content still isn't specific enough. At that point, it's worth getting a professional audit - more on that below.

How to monitor AI recommendations over time

You can't check this once and forget about it. AI search results change as AI models update, as your competitors improve their content, and as your own site changes.

Set a recurring monthly reminder: "Run AI audit."

Once a month, spend 10 minutes:

1. Run your top 3 service + city queries in ChatGPT and Perplexity
2. Check if you show up
3. Note what facts AI cites about you
4. Note any new competitors showing up

Track this in a simple spreadsheet:

Over time, you'll see patterns. If you're consistently showing up in Perplexity but not ChatGPT, that tells you something about your content structure or sources. If you used to show up but stopped, something changed (your content got stale, a competitor improved, AI's sources shifted).

Monthly tracking keeps you ahead of the curve.

What to do if you show up but AI cites wrong information

Sometimes AI recommends you, but gets details wrong.

Example: ChatGPT says "ABC Plumbing serves Sarasota and Bradenton" but you actually also serve Venice, Lakewood Ranch, and North Port.

Or: Perplexity says "ABC Plumbing has been in business since 2015" but you've been operating since 2009.

Why this happens: AI is pulling from incomplete or outdated sources. Maybe your old website said "serving Sarasota and Bradenton" and you've since expanded. Maybe an old directory listing has the wrong founding year.

The fix:

1. Update your website to include the correct, complete information (all cities you serve, correct founding year, etc.)
2. Update your GBP with the same info
3. Check major directories (Yelp, Facebook, Nextdoor) and correct any outdated info
4. If the error persists after 4-6 weeks, it's possible AI cached old data. There's no "submit a correction" button for ChatGPT, but if you keep your current info consistent and prominent, AI will eventually re-crawl and update.

The more consistent and prominent your correct information is across multiple authoritative sources (your website, GBP, major directories), the faster AI updates.

What about AI tools recommending competitors who don't even serve your city?

This happens. Someone asks "Who does AC repair in Venice?" and ChatGPT recommends a company based 40 miles away in Tampa.

Why this happens: The Tampa company has better content structure, more reviews, and stronger online presence. AI sees them as more authoritative, even though they're not local to Venice.

What this means for you: You can outrank them by being more local. If your website has dedicated content for Venice (a Venice service page, Venice neighborhood names, photos of Venice job sites, reviews mentioning Venice), and the Tampa competitor just has generic service-area language, you'll eventually win.

Proximity isn't a ranking factor for AI the way it is for Google Maps. But local specificity is. The business with richer, more detailed local content wins.

The long game: staying visible as AI search evolves

AI search is still new. The rules are changing every few months. ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, and Google are all updating their models and sources constantly.

Here's how to future-proof your AI visibility:

1. Prioritize factual, structured content over brand voice

You can have both, but lead with facts. Every page on your site should answer these five questions in the first 200 words:

• What services do you offer?
• What cities do you serve?
• What problems do you solve?
• What credentials or experience do you have?
• What's your pricing or timeline? (if you're willing to share)

If AI can extract clear answers to those questions, you're cite-able.

2. Keep your content fresh

Update your homepage every quarter. Add new service pages as you expand. Post weekly on your GBP. Upload photos monthly.

AI favors recency. A site that was last updated in 2022 looks dormant. A site with fresh content from this month looks active.

3. Build schema markup into every page

Don't just add schema once and forget about it. Every time you add a new service page, add Service schema. Every time you expand into a new city, update your areaServed schema.

Schema is how you talk directly to AI. Treat it as seriously as you treat your homepage copy.

4. Get reviews consistently, not in bursts

Two reviews per month for 12 months is better than 24 reviews in January and then silence. AI (and Google) favor consistency.

Make review requests part of your post-job process. Not every customer will leave one, but if you ask every time, you'll average 2-4 per month. That's enough.

5. Monitor competitors and adapt

Once a quarter, run the AI audit on your top 3 competitors. See if they're doing anything new. If they suddenly start showing up in ChatGPT and you don't, dig into their site and figure out what changed.

You're not copying them. You're staying aware of what works.

When to get professional help

If you've done the 30-day fix plan and you're still not showing up in AI search, you likely have deeper issues:

• Technical problems blocking AI crawlers (robots.txt misconfiguration, noindex tags, slow server)
• Domain authority or trust issues (brand-new domain, spammy backlinks, thin content)
• NAP inconsistencies across dozens of directories
• Competitor saturation (you're in a hyper-competitive market and you're starting from zero)

At that point, it's worth getting a professional audit. We do this for Suncoast businesses all the time: we run the AI audit, compare you to competitors, identify the gaps, and give you a ranked list of what to fix first.

You can see what that process looks like on our pricing page, or grab a free 27-point local SEO audit that flags many of the same issues (vague content, missing schema, slow site speed, NAP problems). The audit won't test AI visibility directly, but it'll show you the foundational problems that keep you invisible to both Google and AI.

Or if you just want to talk through your specific situation - "I ran the audit, here's what I found, what should I do first?" - book 15 minutes and we'll walk through it together.

What to do today

Step 1: Set a 10-minute timer and run the audit. ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, Google AI. Three queries each. Write down what you see.

Step 2: If you didn't show up (or only showed up on one platform), open your homepage in a new tab. Read the first three paragraphs. Count how many proper nouns (city names, certifications, service names) and numbers (years, prices, timelines) you see. If it's fewer than five, that's your problem.

Step 3: Rewrite your homepage hero section this week. 100-150 words. Fact-dense. Lead with what you do, where you do it, and why someone should trust you. No fluff, no aspirations, just facts.

Step 4: In 30 days, re-run the audit. See if you show up now.

That's the starting point. Most Sarasota and Bradenton businesses have never even run this audit. They have no idea whether AI recommends them or not. You're already ahead just by checking.

AI search is here. It's growing. And it only recommends businesses that make it easy to extract and cite factual information.

Your competitors are still writing vague value propositions and wondering why their phone isn't ringing. You don't have to.