How to check if AI tools mention your business

You can test this yourself. You need a list of questions, a few AI tools and a page to write notes. The test takes about one hour. This page shows each step.

Step 1. Write five buyer questions

Think of the questions a new customer asks before they buy. Write them as the customer would type them. Include your city if your customers are local. Do not put your business name in the question. A buyer who does not know you cannot name you.

Example shape: "Who can help a small business with [your service] in [your city]?"

Step 2. Pick the tools

Choose the AI tools your buyers use. Common choices are ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini and Bing Copilot. Use the same tools every time you test.

Step 3. Ask each question three times

Open a new chat for each question. Paste the question. Read the full answer. Do this three times for each question on each tool. AI tools can give a different answer each time, so one answer is not proof.

Step 4. Write down what you see

Use one row for each answer. Write the date, the tool, the question, and these facts:

Named. Does the answer name your business? Yes or no.
Sources. Does the tool show links? Which pages does it list?
Facts. Are the facts about your business correct? Write down any error.
Others. Which other businesses does the answer name?

Step 5. Repeat each month

Use the same questions and the same tools. Compare the new notes with the old notes. Look for a change over time. A single test shows one moment only.

What to do if you are not named

A missing name does not tell you the cause. Start with access. Run the free crawler test. Then check that your pages state your services, your city and your contact details in plain text. The ChatGPT guide lists more steps.

What this test cannot do

This test shows what some tools said on one day. AI tools decide their own answers, and we cannot promise a result. If you do not want to run the test each month, we can run it for you with fixed questions.