# How to check if ChatGPT recommends your business (free, 7 steps)

Source: https://trustcited.com/check-if-chatgpt-recommends-your-business/
Last updated: 2026-11-04
Author: Raghav Rana, founder of TrustCited

*A free method you can run yourself in under an hour, using the same steps TrustCited uses for its checks.*

**Short answer:** write 5 questions a real customer would ask, run each one 3 times in a private window in ChatGPT, Google AI Mode, Gemini, Perplexity, Claude and Grok, and record whether your business is named. Your AI visibility is the share of answers that name you.

## What you need

- 30 to 60 minutes
- A spreadsheet (a template is below)
- A private or incognito browser window

## The 7 steps

1. **Write 5 buyer questions.** Use the words your customers use, and include your city or area. Mix the types: "best [service] in [area]", "[service] near [landmark] with good reviews", "[your category] for [specific need]", "[your business] vs [competitor]" and "is [your business] good for [need]".
2. **Open a private window and log out.** Personal history and memory change what assistants say. Use a private or incognito window, logged out where the assistant allows it. In ChatGPT, turn on search or add "search the web" so it uses current information.
3. **Ask each question 3 times in each assistant.** Start a new chat every time. Cover ChatGPT, Google AI Mode, Gemini, Perplexity, Claude and Grok. That is 5 questions × 6 assistants × 3 runs = 90 answers. Short on time? Start with ChatGPT and Google AI Mode.
4. **Record five things for every answer.** Were you named (yes or no)? In what position? How were you described, and was it accurate? Who was named instead? Which sources were cited?
5. **Work out your score.** Divide the answers that name you by the total answers, and multiply by 100. Named in 12 of 90 answers means 13% AI visibility.
6. **Read the sources.** The cited sources show where AI gets its facts. Wrong fees, an old rating or a missing service usually trace back to one page or listing. That is your fix list.
7. **Repeat every month with the same questions.** Changing the questions makes months impossible to compare. Keep the set fixed and add new questions alongside, not instead.

## Example questions by industry

| Industry | Questions buyers ask AI |
| --- | --- |
| Clinics | "best dental implant clinic in Dubai Marina" · "laser hair removal cost in Gurugram" · "female dermatologist near Jumeirah with good reviews" |
| Schools | "best CBSE schools in Al Qusais" · "[school] KHDA rating and fees" · "good schools near Dwarka with low fees" |
| B2B companies | "best warehouse management software in India" · "[tool] alternatives" · "[tool A] vs [tool B] for a mid-size company" |
| Professional services | "best property lawyer in Dubai" · "top SEO agency in Bangalore for startups" · "is [firm] good for company formation" |

## Tracking template

One row per answer. Copy these columns into a spreadsheet:

| Date | Assistant | Question | Run | Named? | Position | Described accurately? | Named instead | Sources cited |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 4 Nov 2026 | ChatGPT | best dental implant clinic in Dubai Marina | 1 | No | – | – | Clinic A, Clinic B, Clinic C | directory site, review site |

## Common mistakes

- **Asking once.** One answer is an anecdote. Answers change between runs, so repeat each question.
- **Checking while logged in.** Your own history can make an assistant mention you more than it would for a stranger.
- **Vague questions.** "Best clinic" tells you little. Real buyers name the treatment and the area.
- **Counting a citation as a recommendation.** A link to your site at the bottom is not the same as being on the shortlist.
- **Changing the questions every month.** Keep a fixed set so the trend means something.

## What to do with the results

- **Never named:** start with the basics. Is your Google Business Profile correct? Does your website state what you do, where, and for whom, in plain text?
- **Named, but described wrongly:** find the source of the wrong fact in the citations and correct it there.
- **Named sometimes:** you need more third-party evidence, such as reviews, directory profiles and mentions on sites the assistants already cite.

The [GEO guide](https://trustcited.com/what-is-geo/) explains each fix in more detail, and the [methodology page](https://trustcited.com/methodology/) shows how a full check is scored.

Want this done for you? The [free one-page check](https://trustcited.com/#check) shows what six AI assistants say about your business, who they name instead, and the three fixes that matter most. Sent within 48 hours.