How to check whether ChatGPT recommends your business

Short answer: Write down about ten questions your buyers really ask, then put them to ChatGPT (with search on), Perplexity, Google (AI Overviews and AI Mode) and Gemini. For each answer, note whether your business is mentioned, whether your site is cited as a source, and who is named instead. Use a logged-out or private window where you can, and run the important questions more than once, because answers change from run to run. Fifteen minutes gives you a rough but honest picture.

We sell SEO and answer engine optimisation (AEO), so we have an interest here. Everything below can be done without us, for free.

Why one question isn't enough

Most people check once: they type "best [service] in [city]" into ChatGPT, see a competitor, and panic. Or they see themselves and relax. Neither tells you much.

AI answers aren't fixed listings. The same question can produce a different answer depending on how it's worded, where you are, whether you're signed in and what you've asked before. Even the same question asked twice in a row can return different names. Google says plainly that AI Mode and AI Overviews "may use different models and techniques", so the links they show vary, and that AI Overviews "often don't trigger" at all (Google).

So the aim is a pattern across a set of questions, not a single verdict.

Step 1: Write ten real buyer questions (5 minutes)

Use the words your customers use, not your internal jargon. Your sales team and your enquiry inbox are the best source. Aim for a mix of four types:

• Category and place: "Who are the best commercial cleaning companies in Leeds?"
• Problem: "Our office Wi-Fi keeps dropping, who can fix it for a 200-person firm in Austin?"
• Comparison: "Is [your company] or [competitor] better for payroll outsourcing?"
• Brand: "What do people say about [your company]?"

The examples above are made up, so swap in your own services and the cities or regions you actually sell into. If you sell in several markets, such as the UK, US, Australia and Germany, write at least two questions per market, and ask the German ones in German, the way a German buyer would.

Put them in a simple sheet, one question per row.

Step 2: Ask four assistants (7 minutes)

Run each question in:

1. ChatGPT with search. ChatGPT can decide to search the web or you can switch search on yourself, and answers then include links to sources (OpenAI). Make sure search is on, otherwise you're testing what the model remembers rather than what it can find today.
2. Perplexity. Its answers usually link the sources they draw on, which makes it useful for seeing which websites feed the answer.
3. Google. Search the question normally and see whether an AI Overview appears. Then try the same question in AI Mode.
4. Gemini. Ask the same way you asked ChatGPT.

To keep it fair:

• Use a private or logged-out window where the tool allows it, so your own past chats are less likely to colour the answer.
• Mind your location. Answers to "near me" or city questions depend on where the tool thinks you are. If you're testing a market you're not sitting in, name the city in the question rather than relying on location.
• Repeat the questions that matter most. Ask your top three questions two or three times each. If you appear one time in three, record that.

Step 3: Log what you see

For every question and tool, fill in these columns:

The "Who instead?" and "Sources used" columns are often the most useful. They show which competitors the tools trust and which review sites, directories or articles shape the answer.

A simple scoring sheet

Keep the scoring rough. Per question, per tool:

• 2 points: you're named and your site is cited.
• 1 point: you're named but not cited, or cited but not named.
• 0 points: you're absent.
• Minus 1: the answer gets something important about you wrong.

Ten questions across four tools gives a maximum of 80. Here's a made-up example to show how to read it: a firm scores 52 on brand questions but 6 on category and problem questions. That usually means the tools know the business exists but don't think of it when a buyer describes a need. That's a different fix from a firm that isn't known at all.

Don't compare your score with anyone else's. Compare it with your own score next quarter, using the same questions.

How to read the results

These are the patterns we typically look for. They're judgment, not statistics:

• Absent everywhere, even on brand questions. Check the basics first. Can AI crawlers reach and read your site? We cover that in Can ChatGPT see your website?
• Present in ChatGPT or Perplexity but not Google, or the other way round. Different tools draw on different indexes and sources. For Google specifically, start with indexing, snippet settings and the Search Console report described in How to show up in Google AI Overviews and AI Mode.
• Known for brand questions, missing on problem questions. Your site probably doesn't answer buyer questions clearly. Pages that state who you help, where, and how, in plain language, give the tools something to quote.
• Competitors named, with directories and review sites as sources. Your reputation off your own site is thin. Reviews, credible directory listings and mentions in industry publications matter.
• Wrong facts. Old addresses, retired services or wrong prices usually come from outdated pages or listings. Fix them at the source.

What to do next

1. Fix anything blocking access to your site. That's usually quick.
2. Rewrite your main service pages so they answer your top buyer questions directly.
3. Work on the sites the tools already cite: reviews, directories and industry press.
4. Re-run the same ten questions in a month or a quarter and compare.

Frequently asked questions

Can I just ask ChatGPT "do you recommend my business"?

You can, but it isn't a useful test. Buyers don't ask that way. Ask the questions they ask, about their problem or their category, and see whether you come up.

Why do I get a different answer every time?

AI answers are generated afresh each time and can depend on wording, location, sign-in and previous chats. That's why we suggest repeating the key questions and recording how often you appear rather than a single yes or no.

Do I need a paid account to run this check?

You can usually start with the free versions. Check that web search is available and switched on in ChatGPT so you're seeing what it can find now.

How often should I repeat the check?

Monthly or quarterly is plenty for most businesses. Keep the same questions so the results are comparable.

Want us to run it for you?

Our free AI visibility check runs a larger set of real buyer questions across ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini and Google's AI features, checks whether AI crawlers can read your site, and sends you a short, plain report with no obligation. If you'd like ongoing help, see our pricing.