Test it directly. About once a month, ask ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google's AI Mode, and Gemini the questions your customers actually type — like "best [your service] in [your city]" — and record whether you're named, which competitors show up instead, and which sources each engine cites. Tracked over time, that simple log is the most reliable read on whether your AI visibility is improving.
There's no single dashboard that tells you how often an AI assistant recommends your business, and the honest reason is that AI answers are generated fresh each time and vary by user, location, and phrasing. The workable approach is to measure it yourself. Write down the handful of questions a real buyer in your market would ask — "who's the best [trade] in [city]," "[service] near me," "is [your business] any good" — and run each one through ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google's AI Mode, and Gemini. For every answer, log three things: whether your business is named, which competitors appear instead, and which websites each engine cites as its sources. Run the tests from a logged-out or private session so your own history doesn't skew the result, and repeat the same set monthly rather than reading too much into any single answer. The sources column is the most useful part: the directories, review sites, and roundup articles the engines keep citing are precisely where your business needs to show up, so the log doubles as a to-do list. Paid tools exist that automate this tracking, but a spreadsheet and thirty minutes a month is enough for most local businesses to see the trend.
Key takeaways
- No single dashboard reports AI recommendations — answers are generated fresh and vary by user, location, and wording, so you measure it by testing.
- Run your customers' real questions ("best [service] in [city]") through ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google's AI Mode, and Gemini on a set schedule.
- For each answer, log whether you're named, which competitors appear, and which sources the engine cites.
- Test from a logged-out or private session and repeat monthly — track the trend, not a single result.
- The sources the engines cite are where you need to appear, so the log doubles as a prioritized to-do list.
- 1
List your buyer questions
Write down 5–10 questions a real customer in your market would ask an AI assistant, including your city and service.
- 2
Run them across the engines
Ask each question in ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google's AI Mode, and Gemini from a logged-out or private session.
- 3
Log the results
For every answer, record whether your business is named, which competitors appear, and which websites are cited as sources.
- 4
Repeat monthly and act on the sources
Re-run the same set each month to see the trend, and pursue listings on the directories and review sites the engines keep citing.
Answered by Alex Rivera, Founder · Updated November 2, 2026