Guides
AI search, explained for small businesses
AI assistants are quietly becoming the way people find local businesses. These plain-English guides explain how that works, why it matters, and what's changing, so you can understand the shift before it changes who your customers choose.
The complete reference is the guide to AI searchability and AI search optimization. Want to act on it? Start with how to improve your AI search visibility.
Understanding AI search
How AI assistants answer, who they name and why. Start with the complete guide, then read the pieces you need.
AI Searchability & Search Optimization GuideAI searchability is whether AI assistants can find and recommend your business. A complete, honest guide to AI search optimization, with original data.Read guide AI Search vs Google for Local BusinessesWe asked Google Maps the exact questions Gemini answered: only 36% of Gemini's picks were in Maps' top 20. What AI search changes for a local business.Read guide Do people use ChatGPT to find local businesses?Short answer: yes, and more every month. Here's how the way people discover local businesses is shifting, and why it matters to owners.Read guide How AI Decides Which Local Businesses to RecommendChatGPT searches the web and adds partner data such as Yelp; Gemini uses Google Search and Maps. Where each gets its data, and why the list changes every time.Read guide Why Your Business Isn't Showing Up in ChatGPTOn Google but missing from ChatGPT or Gemini? The six usual causes, how to spot each one, and why a single missing answer can just be bad luck.Read guide ChatGPT vs Gemini vs Claude: Local Picks ComparedWe asked ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude the same local questions 10 times each. Of 122 businesses named, 8 came up on all three, and Claude often named none.Read guide Which Websites Does AI Trust for Local Recommendations?We sorted the 14,688 sources Gemini cited in 1,926 local answers: 55% business websites, 18% booking platforms, no Yelp or Tripadvisor. Which sites count.Read guide Gemini Local Recommendations Study (1,926 Answers)We asked Gemini 8 customer questions, 3 times each, for 9 trades in 9 cities. Only 1 in 4 businesses came back every time. Data, method and free CSV.Read guide Does Reddit Help AI Recommend Your Business?How often Gemini and ChatGPT cite Reddit for local businesses, by trade, city and question, which subreddits they read, and what an owner can safely do.Read guide What is Google AI Mode? How It Works in 2026Google AI Mode is Google's conversational search, on Gemini 3.5 Flash. How it works, how it differs from AI Overviews, and what it cites for local businesses.Read guide What is Answer Engine Optimization (AEO)?AEO means getting named in the answers of ChatGPT, Gemini and other assistants. What it is, which engines count, what Gemini searched in 1,926 local answers.Read guide AEO vs GEO: What's the Difference in 2026?AEO vs GEO explained: where each term comes from, how Google and Microsoft define them, what the research on GEO really shows, and what to do about it.Read guide
Measuring your AI visibility
How to find out whether you are named today, by hand or with a check, and what to count once you know.
AI Visibility Metrics and KPIs: What to MeasureHow to measure AI visibility: what an AI visibility score is, the KPIs that matter (presence, share of voice, citations, sentiment) and how to track them per assistant.Read guide How to Check if ChatGPT Recommends Your BusinessAsk ChatGPT what your customers ask and see if you're named. A five-step test, a free checker that runs 12 questions for you, and what to fix if you're missing.Read guide How to Check and Get Recommended by GeminiHow to check if Gemini recommends your business in five steps, why its answer reflects your Google presence, and a self-score to read what you find.Read guide Does Claude Recommend Your Business?How to check if Claude recommends your business in five steps, why Claude names fewer businesses than other assistants, and a self-score to read the result.Read guide Why AI Recommends Your Competitors Instead of YouChatGPT or Gemini recommends a rival, not you? How to find which competitor AI names, which pages it read, and what to compare, with data from 756 answers.Read guide How to Track AI Sources and Brand MentionsYes, you can track brand mentions and sources in AI search. See what ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude cite, log it, read the source gap, and track it over time.Read guide
Improving your AI visibility
What actually moves the answers for a local business, what it costs, and when to get help.
How to Improve Your AI Search Visibility in 2026A one-location checklist for AI search visibility, then the evidence on where ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude find local firms, what reviews do and the timeline.Read guide Generative Engine Optimization for Local BusinessWhat GEO means for one location: what changes from local SEO, a checklist in order, what each trade needs, and how to measure it, with our own data.Read guide AI Search Optimization Services: Agency, Tool or DIYAI search optimization services compared: published agency prices for 2026, what an AI search agency delivers, red flags, and when a tool or DIY is enough.Read guide How to Appear in Google AI OverviewsHow to appear in Google AI Overviews: how Google picks sources in 2026, what an Overview does to your clicks, how to check if you're featured, and what helps.Read guide Does Google Business Profile Affect AI Recommendations?Yes for Gemini and Google's AI Mode, which read Google Maps; much less for ChatGPT. What each assistant uses, how much review count matters, and what to fix.Read guide New Business? How Long Until ChatGPT Knows YouWe asked ChatGPT and Gemini about 12 London restaurants that opened in 2026. Without web search they could not place them; with it, they found every one.Read guide ChatGPT Has Wrong Info About Your Business? Fix ItWhy ChatGPT and Gemini get a business's phone, hours or status wrong, from our test of 40 local businesses, and where to fix each detail.Read guide ChatGPT Ads for Small Businesses: Cost and RulesYou can't pay to be in ChatGPT's recommendation, but you can buy a labelled ad below it. Which trades are allowed, what it costs, and when it's worth it.Read guide
Choosing an AI visibility tool
Comparing trackers and their prices before you pay for anything. The hub is Best AI visibility tools: an honest comparison.
Best ChatGPT Rank Trackers (2026)The best ChatGPT rank trackers and visibility tools in 2026: 19 tools, listed starting prices, what each one covers, and how to pick one for a local business.Read guide Best Gemini Rank Trackers (2026)The best Gemini rank trackers in 2026: 19 tools for Gemini rank tracking, Gemini included or sold as an add-on, what it really costs, and how to choose.Read guide Best Claude Rank & Visibility Trackers (2026)The best Claude rank and visibility trackers in 2026: 17 tools, which include Claude and which sell it as an add-on, starting prices, and how to pick one.Read guide Best Google AI Mode Rank Trackers (2026)The best Google AI Mode rank trackers in 2026, compared by an outsider: 17 tools, starting prices, what each covers, and how to pick one for a local business.Read guide What AI Visibility Tools Cost in 2026AI visibility tools cost $17 to $250 a month, or $99 once. What drives the price, the add-ons that raise it, free and cheap options, and the twelve-month bill.Read guide AI Visibility Audit (GEO Audit): What It CostsAn AI visibility (GEO) audit tests whether ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude name your business. What it includes, what it costs ($49 to $3,500) and who offers one.Read guide Free ChatGPT Rank Trackers and AI Visibility ToolsFree ChatGPT rank trackers and AI visibility tools compared, Claude and Perplexity included: which ask live, which only score your site, and the free limits.Read guide
AI visibility by trade and city
First-party scan data for seven trades in nine cities. Every trade guide, from plumbers to opticians, is listed on the hub, AI visibility by trade and city: every scan we run.
See your own results
Guides tell you how the game works. To see whether AI recommends your business, run a free check on ChatGPT or Gemini, your pick, then the full audit for ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude.