Insight · Guide
Does AI Recommend Your Business? The 10-Minute Test
The short answer
Open ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google, and ask each one the question a customer would ask, such as “Who is a good family dentist in Kailua?” Note whether your business is named, what is said about it, and which sources are cited. Then ask why. Ten minutes gives you a rough baseline. It is not a measurement, but it shows you where to look first.
64-word direct answer
Key takeaways
- Use the questions your customers actually ask, not your business name.
- Test in a private or logged-out window so your own history does not color the answers.
- Write down three things for each answer: were you named, was it accurate, and which sources were cited.
- One run is a snapshot. Repeat it monthly before drawing conclusions.
Why bother checking
When someone asks an AI tool for a recommendation, they usually get a short list. If you are not on it, you never hear about the customer you missed. That makes it a blind spot for most owners: nothing looks wrong, and the phone just rings a little less.
The good news is that you can see what these tools say in a few minutes, for free. Here is the test I suggest.
The 10-minute test
Write five questions (2 minutes)
Use the words a customer would use. “Best plumber in Kāneʻohe for an emergency leak.” “Which accountant in Honolulu works with restaurants?” Mix broad questions with specific ones. Avoid your business name for now.
Ask three tools (4 minutes)
Open a private or logged-out window and ask each question in ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google (look at the AI Overview or AI Mode answer if one appears).
Write down what you see (2 minutes)
For each answer: were you named, was what it said accurate, and which websites did it cite or link?
Ask why (1 minute)
Follow up with “Why did you recommend these businesses?” The answer often points to reviews, directory listings or specific pages.
Check your basics (1 minute)
Search your business name. Do your website, Google Business Profile and the main directories show the same name, address, phone number and hours?
A simple score sheet
Copy this into a notebook or spreadsheet. Fifteen rows covers five questions in three tools.
| Question | Tool | Named? | Accurate? | Sources cited |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best family dentist in Kailua | ChatGPT | Yes / No | Yes / No / Partly | List the sites |
| Best family dentist in Kailua | Perplexity | Yes / No | Yes / No / Partly | List the sites |
| Best family dentist in Kailua | Google AI | Yes / No | Yes / No / Partly | List the sites |
How to read what you find
Not named anywhere. The tools may not be able to find enough about you, or they find it but trust other sources more. Check that AI crawlers can reach your site, that your pages describe your services plainly, and that other credible sites mention you.
Named, but the details are wrong. This usually means your information is inconsistent somewhere: an old phone number on a directory, outdated hours, or a service you no longer offer still listed on your site.
Competitors named, with sources. Look at the sources. If the same review site, directory or local article keeps showing up, that is where the AI tools are learning about your category.
What these tools seem to rely on
Google says its AI features draw on the same systems and fundamentals as regular Search, and that no special markup is required. Beyond that, the following is practitioner interpretation, not documented ranking rules.
Consistent business information
The same name, address, phone, hours and services everywhere you appear.
Pages that answer questions directly
A clear answer near the top of the page, in plain language, for the questions customers ask.
Reviews and third-party mentions
What other credible sites say about you, not only what you say about yourself.
Crawl access
A robots.txt that does not block the search crawlers AI tools use, such as OAI-SearchBot and PerplexityBot.
Structured data
Schema.org markup that states who you are and what you offer, matching the visible page.
Don’t over-read one run
AI answers vary by person, location, time and wording. The same question can return different businesses an hour later. Treat this test as a rough snapshot, repeat it monthly with the same questions, and look for patterns rather than single results.
What to fix first
- Make your business name, address, phone number and hours identical on your website, Google Business Profile and the main directories.
- Add a page, or a section, that answers the exact questions you tested, in plain language.
- Check your robots.txt so you are not blocking the search crawlers that AI tools use.
- Ask happy customers for honest reviews. No incentives, no scripts.
- Get listed or mentioned on credible local sites, such as your chamber of commerce or professional association.
If you want a deeper look
For an automated first pass, run the Free AI Visibility Assessment: it scores your website and asks AI models a set of buyer questions in a few minutes. The free AI Citation Readiness Checklist walks through 40 points you can check yourself. If you want me to do it, the AI Visibility Assessment runs a larger set of questions, checks the technical side, and ends with a prioritized fix list. I run AI Marketing Box, which delivers that work commercially.
Sources
Frequently asked questions
Should I test logged in or logged out?
Logged out, or in a private window. Your own search and chat history can shape the answers you see, and your customers do not share your history.
How often should I repeat the test?
Once a month is enough for most businesses. Use the same questions each time so you can compare.
Can I pay to be recommended in an AI answer?
There is no way to buy a place in an AI tool’s regular answer. What you can influence is the information those tools find about you: your site, your listings and what others say about you.
Does schema markup guarantee AI tools will mention me?
No. Structured data helps machines read your site accurately, but it is one input among many, and Google says no special markup is required for its AI features.
Which AI tools matter most?
It depends on your customers. ChatGPT, Google’s AI features and Perplexity are a sensible starting set. If your customers use Microsoft products at work, add Copilot.