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. New to this? Start with the plain-English AI SEO for small business guide.
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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 How to Check if ChatGPT Recommends Your BusinessHow to check if ChatGPT recommends your business: do it by hand in five minutes, or use a free ChatGPT visibility checker that also covers Gemini and Claude.Read guide Does Gemini Recommend Your Business?How to check if Gemini recommends your business, and why its answer really reflects your Google presence: your Business Profile, reviews and Maps.Read guide Does Claude Recommend Your Business?How to check if Claude recommends your business, why Claude tends to name fewer businesses, and what earns a mention from a more cautious assistant.Read guide How AI decides which businesses to recommendWhen ChatGPT or Gemini recommends a local business, it isn't guessing. Here's what actually shapes the answer, in plain English.Read guide AI search vs Google for small businessesAI assistants answer with a handful of names, not ten blue links. Here's what that shift means for how small businesses get found.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 Why your business might be invisible to AIThere are two ways to lose in AI search: never being named, or being named while a competitor gets picked. Here's how to tell which is happening.Read guide ChatGPT vs Gemini vs Claude for local businessThree big assistants, three different answers. Why ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude often name different local businesses, and why checking one isn't enough.Read guide What is AI search? A plain-English guideAI search is when people ask an assistant instead of a search engine, and get an answer instead of links. Here's what it means for local businesses.Read guide
Choosing and using AI visibility tools
Comparing tools, or trying to improve your own visibility? Start with the honest guide to the best AI visibility tools, then go deeper with these.
How to Improve Your AI Search VisibilityA practical, honest playbook to improve brand visibility in AI search engines: the sources, reviews and content that make assistants name you.Read guide How to Choose an AI Visibility ToolHow to compare AI search optimization tools: the criteria that matter, one-time vs subscription, and how to benchmark brand visibility in AI answers.Read guide Best Google AI Mode Trackers (2026)An honest comparison of the best Google AI Mode trackers in 2026: what each one does, who it suits, and how to pick one if you run a local business.Read guide Best ChatGPT Trackers (2026)An honest comparison of the best ChatGPT trackers in 2026: what each one does, who it suits, and how to pick one if you run a local business.Read guide Best Claude Trackers (2026)An honest comparison of the best Claude trackers in 2026: what each one does, whether it actually checks Claude, and how to pick one if you run a local business.Read guide AI Visibility Metrics: What to Measure (and How)How to measure AI visibility: the metrics and KPIs that matter, presence, share of voice, citations and sentiment, and how to track each across ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude.Read guide How to Appear in Google AI OverviewsHow to rank in Google AI Overviews: how Google picks sources, how it differs from ChatGPT, and the moves that get your business cited.Read guide What is Google AI Mode?Google AI Mode is Google's conversational AI search: you ask in plain language and get a written answer with a few businesses. Here's what it means for owners.Read guide AI Search Optimization Services: DIY, Tool or AgencyAI search optimization services explained: what they cost, when to do it yourself, when a tool is enough, and when to hire an agency to get found by AI.Read guide What is Answer Engine Optimization (AEO)?Answer engine optimization (AEO) is how you get named in AI answers from ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity. What AEO means, how it works, and how to start.Read guide AEO vs GEO: What's the Difference?AEO vs GEO explained: answer engine optimization and generative engine optimization, how they differ from SEO, and which one your business actually needs.Read guide Which Websites Does AI Trust?We recorded every source ChatGPT and Gemini cited across 648 answers about local businesses. Here are the sites AI trusts, and how sharply the two assistants disagree.Read guide
By type of business
AI search for restaurantsAI search for cafésAI search for electriciansAI search for gyms and fitness studiosAI search for law firmsAI search for accountantsAI search for estate agentsAI search for veterinary practicesAI search for barbersAI search for cleaning servicesAI search for opticiansAI search for chiropractors
See your own results
Guides tell you how the game works. To see whether AI recommends your business, run a free check across ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude.