How to check if ChatGPT recommends your business

More customers now skip the list of links and ask an AI assistant directly: "Who's a good CPA for a restaurant?" or "Which payroll software works for 30 people?" The assistant replies with two or three names. If yours isn't one of them, that customer may never see your website.

The good news: you can check where you stand without any paid tools. Here's the exact routine we use at the start of every AI visibility audit.

What you need before you start

You need about 15 minutes, free accounts (or none) for four AI tools, and a simple spreadsheet. Set up the test so your own history doesn't skew the results:

• Use a clean session. In ChatGPT, open a Temporary Chat, which doesn't use your saved memory. In other tools, use a private browser window or stay logged out.
• Check your location. If you serve one city, AI tools may tailor answers to where you are. Add the city to the question ("in Austin, Texas") so the test matches what local customers see.
• Plan to ask twice. AI answers vary from one try to the next. Ask each question at least twice and count a result only if it repeats.

Step 1: Write 10 questions your customers really ask

Good test questions sound like a customer, not like a keyword, and they never include your business name. Mix five types:

• "Best" questions: "What's the best accounting firm for small restaurants in Austin?"
• Comparisons: "Is Gusto or a local payroll provider better for a 30-person company?"
• Problems: "My lower back hurts after running. Should I see a physical therapist?"
• Price questions: "How much does a CPA charge for business taxes?"
• Near-me questions: "Physical therapy clinic near Cherry Creek, Denver"

Here's how a set of questions looks for three different businesses:

Not sure what customers ask? Look at your sales emails, your support inbox and the "People also ask" box in Google for your main service. Those are the questions AI tools get too.

Step 2: Ask four AI tools

Ask every question in these four places. Each one finds information differently, so a business can be visible in one and missing in another.

• ChatGPT. The most used assistant. When it searches the web, it shows sources under the answer.
• Perplexity. Searches the web for every answer and always lists its sources, which makes it the easiest tool to learn from.
• Google. Search the question and look for an AI Overview at the top. In the US you can also open the AI Mode tab for a longer answer.
• Gemini. Google's assistant. It often answers differently from the AI Overview for the same question.

If your customers are mostly in Microsoft environments, add Copilot as a fifth tool.

Step 3: Record a simple scorecard

For every answer, write down four things: were you named, in what position, who else was named, and which sources the tool cited. A spreadsheet with these columns is enough:

With 10 questions in 4 tools you get 40 answers. Your AI visibility score is simply how many of the 40 name you. Write it down with today's date. It's the number you'll try to raise.

Step 4: Ask each tool about your business directly

Next, check what AI tools believe about you. Ask: "What do you know about [your business] in [city]?" and "What does [your business] offer, and who is it for?"

Compare the answers with reality. Look for an old address, services you no longer offer, wrong prices or a mix-up with a similarly named company. Wrong facts are common, and they matter: an assistant won't confidently recommend a business it describes inconsistently.

Step 5: Study the sources AI cites

The sources list is the most useful part of the test. It shows which pages shape the answers in your market. Typical sources are:

• Competitors' blog posts and service pages that answer the question directly
• Review sites and directories (Google Business Profile, Yelp, Clutch, G2, Capterra)
• "Best of" lists from local media or industry blogs
• Forums such as Reddit

If competitors are named because of one detailed guide, you need a better page on that topic. If they're named because of directories and reviews, you need a presence there too.

How to read your results

Why AI tools might skip your business

When a business is missing from AI answers, one of four reasons is usually behind it:

1. No page answers the question. Your service page says "quality service at fair prices" instead of "a business tax return costs $800–1,500".
2. Few mentions elsewhere. AI tools trust what several independent sources agree on: reviews, directories, articles and lists.
3. Inconsistent facts. Different names, addresses or service lists on different sites make you harder to recommend.
4. AI crawlers are blocked. Check your site's /robots.txt. If it blocks OAI-SearchBot (ChatGPT search) or PerplexityBot, those tools can't read your pages.

For the difference between ranking in Google and being named by AI, read What are AEO and GEO?

What to do next

Save your scorecard and repeat the same 10 questions once a month. Then work on the first fix from the table above. In most audits that's the same thing: pages that answer customers' questions directly, with facts AI tools can quote.

Want to go deeper than this 15-minute check? Here's what a full AI visibility audit should include.

If you'd rather have this done for you, our free 10-day trial includes a full AI visibility audit and 3 articles written for your business.

Frequently asked questions