The short answer, and why you should test it yourself
You cannot look up “is my business in ChatGPT” in a list. The only way to know is to ask the questions your customers ask and read what comes back. That takes about 30 minutes, costs nothing and tells you three things: whether you are named, whether the facts are right, and which competitors are named instead.
This test is the do-it-yourself version of one part of our check on how customers see you. If you only do one thing from this page, do rounds 1 and 3 below.
Why bother? BrightLocal’s 2026 Local Consumer Review Survey, with 1,002 US adults, found that 45% had used ChatGPT or other generative AI tools for local recommendations, up from 6% the year before. It also found that 40% trust AI platforms for business recommendations. Your customers may or may not be among them, but the number is large enough to check.
Before you start: set it up so the test is fair
- Use a new chat for every question. An old conversation shapes the next answer.
- Turn on search or web browsing in ChatGPT, so it can look things up instead of answering from memory.
- Use your service area, not “near me.” Type the town or neighborhood. A phone’s location can change what you see.
- Open a spreadsheet with these columns: date, assistant, prompt, run number, named (yes/no), position, competitors named, sites cited, facts right (yes/no).
- Do not paste customer names or private details into any assistant.
Three assistants cover most of the picture: ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google (look for an AI Overview or switch to AI Mode). Add Gemini and Microsoft Copilot if you want a wider view.
Round 1: “find me” questions (10 minutes)
These are the questions that bring in new customers. Replace the words in brackets.
Who are the best [dentists] in [Cambridge, MA]?
I need a [plumber] in [Somerville] for [a burst pipe tonight]. Who should I call?
Recommend a [med spa] in [Boston] for [Botox], with reviews and prices.
Which [roofers] near [Newton] do repairs on [slate roofs]?
What should I look for when hiring a [contractor] in [Greater Boston], and who do you recommend?Run each one three times in separate chats, and in all three assistants if you can. That is 15 runs per assistant for five questions. Record every run.
Round 2: comparison and trust questions (5 minutes)
These show how an assistant describes you next to others.
[Your business] vs [Competitor] in [town]: which is better for [service]?
Is [your business] in [town] a good choice? What do reviews say?
Does [your business] have any complaints I should know about?Read the answer for tone and accuracy. A wrong claim here, such as an old address or a service you no longer offer, is easier to fix than a missing mention.
Round 3: fact checks on your own business (5 minutes)
What are the opening hours of [your business] in [town]?
What services does [your business] offer, and what areas does it cover?
Does [your business] take [insurance / online booking / emergency calls]?
How do I contact [your business]?Compare each answer with your website and Google Business Profile. Mark every wrong or missing fact. Most owners find at least one.
Round 4: look at the sources (5 minutes)
ChatGPT with search, Perplexity and Google show the pages behind an answer. Click them. Note which sites appear for your competitors and whether any of them is yours.
What to expect: in a BrightLocal analysis of nearly 2 million citations from Google AI Overviews, AI Mode and ChatGPT (published August 2026, US, UK and Australian locations), Google Business Profile was the most cited source and Yelp came second. The breakdown by trade is in how ChatGPT and Google AI pick a med spa, dentist or contractor. If your competitors keep showing up through Yelp or a trade directory where you have no profile, that is your first gap.
Also check one technical point. OpenAI says that sites opted out of its OAI-SearchBot will not be shown in ChatGPT search answers. Ask whoever manages your site whether your robots.txt blocks it.
A sample log row (for illustration)
The example below is invented to show the format. It is not data from a real business.
| Date | Assistant | Prompt | Run | Named | Position | Competitors named | Sites cited | Facts right |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 1 | ChatGPT | Best dentist in Cambridge | 1 | No | - | Practice A, Practice B | Yelp, Google Maps | - |
| Nov 1 | ChatGPT | Best dentist in Cambridge | 2 | Yes | 3 | Practice A, Practice C | Google Maps, own site | Hours wrong |
After 15 runs, you can say something like “named in 4 of 15, with the wrong hours twice.” That sentence is what you track next month.
Score the results
Count your runs and sort them into three outcomes.
| Outcome | What it looks like | Next step |
|---|---|---|
| Named and correct | You appear in some “find me” runs and the facts match | Keep the facts current and re-test monthly |
| Named, but wrong | Your name appears with old hours, a wrong address or missing services | Fix the source the assistant cited, usually your site or a listing |
| Not named | Competitors appear, you do not | Compare your profile, listings, reviews and site with the competitor’s |
Do not be discouraged by “not named.” SOCi’s 2026 Local Visibility Index, covering about 350,000 locations of 2,751 multi-location brands, found that ChatGPT recommended 1.2% of locations, against 35.9% appearing in Google’s local 3-pack. Those are large brands, so your numbers will differ, but being absent from AI answers is the normal starting point.
Turn the results into a short to-do list
This page is the test. The fixes are a separate job, and the order depends on what your log shows:
- Mostly “named, but wrong”: fix the source first. Open the pages the assistant cited, correct the fact there (usually your website or a listing), and re-run round 3 a few weeks later.
- Mostly “not named”: start with the seven checks in AI recommends your competitors, not you. They run from crawler access to reviews.
- Named in some runs, never in others: that is normal variation. Keep the facts current and look at the trend over three months, not a single run.
Write down one sentence for each assistant, such as “ChatGPT: named in 2 of 15, wrong hours once”. That is your baseline.
Make it a monthly habit
Save your prompts and repeat them on the first of each month. Keep the wording identical, so a change in the result means something. If you outgrow the spreadsheet, read our comparison of AI visibility tools, which lists tools and prices. To see whether AI answers send people to your site, use the steps in ChatGPT and AI traffic in GA4.
One honest limit: nobody controls what ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, AI Mode or Perplexity recommend, and anyone who promises you a place in the answers is guessing. What you can control is whether your facts are clear, consistent and easy to read. If you want us to run the test and compare you with three or four competitors, ask for a free demo.
Published . Updated .