How to Check Whether ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity Recommend Your Business

Thomas David Jacob Team

Before you spend a dollar on AI search visibility, find out where you stand. You can do that in about 30 minutes with free accounts and a notepad. This is the same basic process we start from in a paid audit, simplified so any owner can run it.

If you want context first, read AI search vs Google. If you're ready, start below.

Before You Start: Three Honest Caveats

AI answers vary. Ask the same question twice and you may get different businesses. One test is a snapshot, not a verdict.
Results depend on your location and settings. Use a logged-out or private window where you can, and mention the city in your question.
Not appearing doesn't mean you're doing something wrong. It tells you where to look.

Step 1: Write 10 Real Customer Questions

Don't ask about yourself. Ask what a customer who doesn't know you would ask. Mix these types:

Category and city: “Who are the best HVAC companies in Oregon City?”
Specific need: “Who can replace a failing heat pump in West Linn this week?”
Comparison: “What should I look for when choosing a wedding photographer in Portland?”
Trust: “Is [your business name] legitimate? What do people say about it?”

Include at least two questions for each of your main services and two for your main service areas.

Step 2: Ask Each Assistant

Run the same questions in ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Microsoft Copilot, and Claude, using free versions. Where an assistant has a web search option, turn it on, because local recommendations depend on live web information. Also run a few of the questions in regular Google and note whether an AI Overview appears. Perplexity and several other assistants show the sources they used, which is useful in the next step.

Step 3: Score What You See

Use a simple table: one row per question, one column per assistant. For each cell, write one of:

Named: your business was recommended.
Mentioned: you appeared, but not as a top recommendation.
Absent: competitors were named, you were not.
Wrong: the assistant stated incorrect information about you (old address, wrong hours, a service you don't offer, a business with a similar name).

Also note which competitors are named and which sources are cited. Those sources are your map: they're the directories, review sites, and articles the assistants trust in your market.

Step 4: Read the Results

If you're named on trust questions but absent on category questions

The assistants know you exist but don't connect you to the service and city. Your website likely needs clearer service and location pages.

If the information is wrong

Something out there is outdated. Check your Google Business Profile, your website footer, and major directories first. Fix the source, not the assistant.

If you're absent everywhere

Check the basics. Is your site indexed in Google? Does your robots.txt block search crawlers? OpenAI's documentation says sites that opt out of OAI-SearchBot won't be shown in ChatGPT search answers, so a blanket block can hide you. Do you have recent reviews? Are you listed where your competitors are?

If competitors are named because of one site you're not on

If the cited sources keep repeating the same directory or association, that is a specific, fixable gap.

Step 5: Two Free Technical Checks

Look at your robots.txt.Type yourwebsite.com/robots.txt into a browser. If you see broad blocks for all bots, ask your web person what they're for. You can allow OAI-SearchBot (ChatGPT search) while still blocking GPTBot (training) if you prefer.
Verify your site in Bing Webmaster Tools. Microsoft added an AI Performance report in public preview in February 2026 that shows how often your content is cited in Copilot and other Microsoft AI answers. It is free and shows real data rather than guesses.

Step 6: Pick Three Fixes

Don't try to fix everything. Pick the three that your scorecard points to most clearly, usually from this list: correct inconsistent business details, write a proper page for each service and city, ask recent customers for reviews, or get listed where your competitors are cited. Re-run the test in 4 to 8 weeks.

When a DIY Test Is Not Enough

A one-time, 10-question test shows direction. It doesn't cover your whole market, repeat the questions enough to account for variation, or tell you which fixes will move the needle first. If you want that, our AI Search Visibility Audit starts at $497 as a one-time engagement, and the details are on the AI Visibility & Authority service page. If you'd rather talk it through, contact us. We'll be straight with you about whether you need us at all.

Sources: OpenAI crawler documentation (OAI-SearchBot); Bing Webmaster Tools AI Performance report announcement, February 2026.

Ready to Grow Your Business Online?

The Thomas David Jacob team works with businesses across Oregon City, Portland, and the greater metro area. Let's talk about what we can do for yours.

Get a Free Consultation