ustomers ask an AI tool for a recommendation before they open Google. They type something like "best plumber near me" into ChatGPT, Gemini, or Perplexity and go with what it says. If your business is named, that is a new source of customers. If it is not, you may not know it is happening.
You can check where you stand in about twenty minutes. Here is how to do it and how to read what you find.
Start with the question a customer would ask
Open ChatGPT, Gemini, or Perplexity and ask the way a customer would. Use plain, buyer-style prompts, not your business name:
- "Best [your service] in [your city]"
- "Who should I call for [problem you solve] near [your city]?"
- "Recommend a [your type of business] in [your area]"
Read the answer and note whether your business comes up, which competitors it names, and how it describes them.
Ask more than once
AI tools do not give the same answer every time. One run is not a reliable read. Ask each question a few times, in a fresh chat each time, and pay attention to how often you appear rather than whether you showed up once.
Being named in one run out of ten is closer to chance. Being named in most runs is a real recommendation. The pattern across several tries tells you more than any single answer.
Check all three tools, because they work differently
Each tool builds its answers from different sources, so your results can vary from one to the next.
- Perplexity shows its sources with links, so you can see exactly where its answer came from.
- Gemini leans on Google's information, including Google Maps and Business Profile, so what Google knows about you carries weight here.
- ChatGPT mixes what it learned in training with live web results, so it can be the hardest of the three to appear in.
Running the same prompts across all three gives you a fuller picture than any one on its own.
Note four things each time
For each answer, write down:
- Whether your business is absent, mentioned, or clearly recommended.
- Which competitors show up in your place.
- What sources the tool cites, when it shows them.
- Whether the details it gives about you, like your name, location, or services, are correct.
That last point is worth a close look. When a tool does mention you, the information is sometimes out of date or wrong, which can turn a customer away even when you appear.
What your results are telling you
A few patterns are common:
- You appear often and accurately. Your information is consistent enough for these tools to trust and repeat.
- You appear sometimes, or with wrong details. The tools have some information about you, and it is either thin or inconsistent across the places they read.
- You do not appear at all. The tools are pulling from sources that do not include you, and customers using them are seeing competitors instead.
None of these is permanent. AI visibility comes from the same kind of work that builds trust anywhere: consistent business information across every listing, mentions on sources these tools already rely on, and steady reviews and activity that show a real, working business. It sits alongside your existing SEO rather than replacing it.
How often to check
A check every month or two is enough for most businesses. It also helps to run one after any change to your listings, a batch of new reviews, or a press mention, so you can see whether it moved the needle.
If you would rather we run it for you
Testing across three tools, several prompts, several runs each, takes time to do well. If you would like a clear read on where your business stands when customers ask AI for a recommendation, we can run the assessment for you and walk you through what it shows. Send us a message and we will set it up.
More on getting found in AI search on the Invisible Online podcast:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcF2cwCEFvU
