How to check if ChatGPT recommends your business
By the Pickgap team · Updated Oct 15, 2026 · 3 min read
Open a temporary or logged-out chat, ask 5 to 10 questions a customer would ask with your city in each, repeat each one at least twice, and write down every business named and every source cited. Do the same on Gemini, Perplexity and Google. It takes about an hour and shows you roughly where you stand and who AI prefers.
Before you start
AI answers can be shaped by your account history, memory and location. To see something closer to what a new customer sees:
- ChatGPT: use a temporary chat, or log out. Make sure search is on.
- Gemini: use a browser where you're signed out, or a fresh profile.
- Perplexity: a signed-out browser works.
- Google AI Overviews and AI Mode: use a private window and include your city in the question, since your own location may differ from your customers'.
Put the city in every question rather than relying on "near me", unless you're physically in your service area.
Step 1: Write your questions
Write 5 to 10 questions a real customer would type, in full sentences, with your city. Mix the kinds:
- "What's the best [your trade] in [city]?"
- "[Your trade] near [neighborhood] that [condition, e.g. is open Saturdays]"
- "Who does [specific service] in [city]?"
- "Affordable [your trade] in [city]" or "[your trade] in [city] that takes [insurance]"
- "Emergency [your trade] in [city] open now"
- "Most trusted [your trade] in [city] for [specific need]"
Don't include your business name; you want to know if AI names you unprompted.
Step 2: Ask each question twice on each surface
AI answers vary, so one ask can mislead you. Ask each question at least twice, in new chats. If you have time, three times.
Step 3: Record the results
Use a simple table:
| Question | Surface | Run | Named you? | Position | Others named | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best dentist in Tampa | ChatGPT | 1 | No | Harbor Family Dental, Bayshore Smiles | yelp.com, a local magazine list | |
| Best dentist in Tampa | ChatGPT | 2 | Yes | 3 | Harbor Family Dental, Westshore Dental | healthgrades.com |
Step 4: Read the pattern
When you're done, count:
- Your pick rate: answers naming you divided by total answers.
- Who's named most: your real competitors in AI search may not be the ones you expect.
- Which sources come up again and again: these are the sites to work on.
- Where you're missing: some surfaces or question types may never name you.
Step 5: Ask what AI knows about you
Separately, ask each assistant: "What do you know about [your business name] in [city]?" Check the answer for wrong details: an old address, wrong hours, a service you don't offer. Wrong information usually comes from an outdated listing somewhere; see NAP consistency.
Limits of a manual check
- 10 questions, twice each, on 5 surfaces is already 100 answers. Doing that regularly is slow.
- Small samples are noisy. A pick rate from 20 answers can swing a lot by chance.
- Your own location and settings can leak into results.
For a repeatable test, Pickgap's free check asks 5 questions on all 5 surfaces as a searcher in your city (25 answers) and shows your pick rate and the top business picked instead, in about a minute.
Questions
- Why did ChatGPT recommend me once and not the next time?
- AI answers are generated fresh each time and vary by design. That's why you need to ask each question several times and count how often you're named.
- Should I include my business name in the question?
- Not for this test. You want to know whether AI names you when a customer asks a general question. Asking about your business by name is a separate check for accuracy.