Free tool
Does AI recommend
your business?
To check whether ChatGPT and other AI tools recommend your business, ask them the questions your customers ask, at each stage: finding a business, comparing options and checking one out. Note whether you're named and who is named instead. This tool builds six of those questions for your business and area, opens each in ChatGPT or Perplexity, and turns your answers into up to three ranked fixes. Google's own guidance says the way in is original, people-first content and the usual SEO basics, not tricks.
Made by Dan Picken, founder. Last checked 2 November 2026.Six questions, three stages, one tally. Then the fixes, ranked by where you're missing. Runs in your browser. Nothing is sent unless you open a question in ChatGPT or Perplexity.
Step 1
Build your
questions.
Fill in four boxes. You'll get six questions a customer might ask an AI tool, from finding a business to checking one out.
Ask these, one at a time
Each link opens the question in a new tab. Use a private window if you can, so your own history doesn't sway the answer.
Step 2
Tick what
came back.
Named in
0 / 6
Fix first
Three stages,
not one question.
Most people don't ask an AI tool one question. They ask who's good, then what it should cost, then whether a particular business is any good. You can be named at one stage and missing at another, and the fix is different for each.
Google describes how its AI features run a set of related searches behind each question, called query fan-out. ChatGPT and Perplexity also search the web for current answers. So being found means answering the follow-up questions too, not just the first one. That's what Fan-out Mapping is for.
Why it
matters now.
In BrightLocal's 2026 survey of US consumers, 45% had used ChatGPT or other AI tools to find local businesses, up from 6% a year earlier. I haven't found an Australian survey that measures the same thing yet, but the direction is clear.
AI answers usually name fewer businesses than a page of search results. Being one of three names in an answer is worth more than being tenth on a page nobody scrolls.
Reading
your results.
Missing at the checking stage usually means AI tools can't find much about you by name: thin website, few reviews, inconsistent details across directories.
Missing at the finding stage, while a competitor keeps getting named, usually means they're mentioned in more places: reviews, local lists, news, industry directories. Look at where they appear.
Missing at the comparing stage means someone else is answering the cost and how-to-choose questions. Publishing clear pages that answer them, with your real prices or ranges, is often the quickest win.
Google's guide also warns against shortcuts: it says its systems don't need special files or chunked content, and that seeking inauthentic mentions isn't as helpful as it might seem.
The fixes,
in plain terms.
Get your details consistent. Your business name, address or service area, phone and hours should match on your site, your Google Business Profile and the main directories. If you serve customers in person, check you're eligible for a Business Profile and that it's complete.
Earn reviews in more than one place, honestly. Asking every customer is fine. Buying reviews, writing your own or hiding bad ones is not: the ACCC's rules on online reviews apply to every business.
Answer the comparing questions on your own site: what it costs, how long it takes, what to look for. If you're the clearest source, you're the easiest to quote.
Then measure. Google's guide points to the generative AI performance report in Search Console, and the same six questions, rechecked monthly, show whether the other tools are catching up.
What I see most often
The usual
leaks.
- 1
Strong on Google, invisible in AI
Businesses ranking well for their name, with almost nothing on the site that answers the questions people ask before buying.
- 2
Different details everywhere
An old address on one directory, a different business name on another. AI tools hedge, or skip the business.
- 3
Reviews on one site only
Plenty of Google reviews and nothing anywhere else, so other sources have little to say.
The honest bit. AI answers change from day to day and from person to person. One check is a snapshot, not a ranking. Run the same six questions monthly and look at the trend.
Questions
people ask.
How do I check if ChatGPT recommends my business?
Ask it the questions your customers would ask, for your kind of business and area, ideally in a private window. Note whether you're named and who is named instead. The tool on this page builds the questions and tallies the results.
Why does ChatGPT recommend my competitor and not me?
Usually because more of the web talks about them: reviews, directories, local lists and articles, with consistent details. AI tools lean on what they can find and confirm.
Can I pay to be recommended by ChatGPT?
No. ChatGPT ads are labelled as sponsored and kept apart from the answer, and OpenAI says they don't influence it. Being named in the answer itself comes from what the web says about you. More in ChatGPT ads in Australia.
Do I need an llms.txt file or special AI content?
Not for Google. Its guidance says its AI features don't need special files or AI-specific formatting. Clear, original, people-first pages and the SEO basics matter more.
Does this tool send my answers anywhere?
No. It runs in your browser. The question links open ChatGPT or Perplexity in a new tab, where your own account settings apply.
Related
Keep
going.
- LabHow ChatGPT decides which businesses to recommendWhat the AI tools look at, and what to fix.
- ServiceAI SEOGet named when people ask ChatGPT, Gemini or Google's AI.
- MethodFan-out MappingThe hidden follow-up questions behind a search.
- ToolAI agent readiness checkCan AI tools read your prices, hours and booking link?
- ToolPrompt packReady-made prompts to test what AI says about you.
- Free auditSearch and AI visibility auditI run the checks and send the top 3 fixes.
Want me to
take a look?
Takes a minute. Audits come back within 1 to 2 business days. For anything else, I'll get back to you as soon as possible.
What happens next
- 1I'll ask for read-only access, or just your website for a search audit.
- 2I go through it and write up the 3 biggest fixes.
- 3A 20-minute call to walk you through it. No pitch unless you ask.