ServiceAI search visibility

When someone asks ChatGPT who to hire, are you on the list?

More customers ask an AI assistant for a recommendation before they ever open Google. I test what six AI assistants say about your business, show you who they name instead and why, then fix what is in your control.

ChatGPTGeminiPerplexityClaudeMicrosoft CopilotGoogle AI Overviews

What the research shows

From my own study of 42 AI answers for local services around Chicago.

21

Median review count of the least-reviewed business ChatGPT named in home-service searches. The bar is low, and most owners never check.

351

Reviews held by a local business ChatGPT still left out. Reviews get you considered; a clear website gets you picked.

2.4 of 5

Picks ChatGPT and Gemini share, on average. Showing up in one tells you little about the others.

Read the full study →

Sample reportFictional business

What your report looks like

This is a sample built on a fictional fence company and fictional competitors, so you can see every section. Your report uses your real searches, competitors and site.

Sample · fictional business

Harbor Oak Fence Co.

Naperville, IL · Fence installation and repair · Tested across 6 AI assistants, 5 searches each

AI visibility report

October 2026

Summary

23 out of 100

Harbor Oak is named in 4 of 30 AI answers, despite having more Google reviews than four of the five competitors AI recommends most. The gap is the website and listings, not reputation.

4 / 30AI answers that name you
3 of 6Assistants that never name you
#6Your share of voice among local fence companies

Engine scoreboard

Rank where Harbor Oak appeared in each answer. — means not named.
AI assistantfence company Napervillefence installers near Napervillewood fence Napervillevinyl fence Aurorafence repair LisleNamed
ChatGPT——#4——1/5
Gemini#3—#2——2/5
Perplexity—————0/5
Claude—————0/5
Copilot—#5———1/5
Google AI Overviews—————0/5
#1#2#3#4–5Not named

Visibility by assistant

Answers naming you, by assistantOut of 5 searches per assistant: ChatGPT 1, Gemini 2, Perplexity 0, Claude 0, Copilot 1, Google AI Overviews 0.01231ChatGPT2Gemini0Perplexity0Claude1Copilot0AI OverviewsSearches (of 5) where you were named

Who AI recommends instead

Share of AI answers naming each companyOut of 30 AI answers, Westbrook Fence & Gate was named in 21, Copperleaf in 17, Bluestem in 14, Kestrel in 11, Prairie Line in 9, and Harbor Oak in 4.0102030Westbrook Fence & Gate21 of 30Copperleaf Fence17 of 30Bluestem Fencing14 of 30Kestrel Fence Co.11 of 30Prairie Line Fence9 of 30Harbor Oak Fence Co. (you)4 of 30

Mentions across all 30 answers. Westbrook appears in 21.

Reputation is not the problem

Google reviews: you vs. the businesses AI namesHarbor Oak has 64 Google reviews, more than four of the five businesses AI names most: Westbrook 58, Copperleaf 41, Kestrel 27, Prairie Line 33. Bluestem has 112.050100150Harbor Oak Fence Co. (you)64Westbrook Fence & Gate58Copperleaf Fence41Bluestem Fencing112Kestrel Fence Co.27Prairie Line Fence33

Google reviews at time of test. You out-review four of the five companies AI names most.

What AI says about you

"Harbor Oak Fence Co. is a fencing company in the Naperville area that offers residential fence installation."

FactWhat AI saidCorrect?
ServicesResidential installation onlyIncomplete misses repair and commercial
Service areaNapervilleIncomplete misses Aurora, Lisle, Plainfield
HoursNot statedMissing
MaterialsWood fencingIncomplete misses vinyl and aluminum

Website readiness for AI

  • ✓
    AI crawlers allowedrobots.txt does not block GPTBot, ClaudeBot or Google-Extended
  • ✓
    Google Business Profile completeCategories, hours and photos filled in
  • ✕
    Structured business dataNo LocalBusiness schema, so AI has to guess your services and area
    High impact
  • ✕
    Service and town in page titlesHomepage title is "Home | Harbor Oak"
    High impact
  • !
    Content AI can quoteHomepage has 240 words; no services or areas pages
    Medium
  • ✕
    llms.txt fileNo plain-language summary for AI systems
    Medium
  • !
    Directory coverageOn Google and Yelp; no Angi or BBB profile, which feed some AI answers
    Medium
  • ✓
    Fast, mobile-friendly siteLoads in under 2.5 seconds on mobile

Fix plan

FixWhy it mattersEffortImpact
Quick win: rewrite page titles and descriptions with service + townThe first thing AI reads to decide what you are1 hourHigh
Add LocalBusiness structured dataStates services, area and hours in a format AI parses directly2 hoursHigh
Build one page per service and per townGives AI quotable answers for each search1–2 weeksHigh
Publish llms.txt and claim Angi and BBBMore sources confirming the same factsHalf a dayMedium
Monthly re-test across all 6 assistantsAI answers move; tracking shows what changedOngoingMedium

All names and numbers in this sample are fictional and for illustration only.

How it works

  1. Free first report

    I test the searches your customers use across six AI assistants and send a one-page report with the single highest-value fix.

  2. Fix what you control

    Page titles, structured data, service and area pages, llms.txt, Google Business Profile and directory listings.

  3. Re-test monthly

    Same searches, same assistants, tracked over time so you see exactly where you show up and where you don't.

Questions

What is an AI visibility audit?

A test of whether AI assistants like ChatGPT, Gemini and Google AI Overviews recommend your business when people ask for your service in your area, who they recommend instead, and what on your website and profiles explains the gap.

Which AI assistants do you test?

ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Claude, Microsoft Copilot and Google AI Overviews, logged out, using the searches your customers actually type.

How is this different from SEO?

Traditional SEO aims for a blue link on Google. AI assistants answer with a short list of named businesses, built from reviews, directory listings and how clearly your site describes you. Most of the foundations overlap, but the checks and fixes are specific.

How long until changes show up?

Website and profile fixes are typically picked up within weeks, but AI answers vary between sessions and no one controls them. That is why the audit is re-run monthly and tracked over time instead of promised.

Do you guarantee my business will be recommended?

No. No one can guarantee what an AI assistant says. What the work guarantees is that every factor you control is fixed and measured.