How to Check If ChatGPT Recommends Your Competitors (Not You)

Your customers are asking ChatGPT for business recommendations. The question is: are they hearing your name or your competitors'?

Most small business owners have no idea how they show up (or don't show up) when AI tools recommend services.

Meanwhile, their competitors might be getting mentioned in every AI conversation about their industry.

Here's how to audit your AI visibility and fix the gaps.

Step 1: Create Your Query List

Start by thinking like your customers. What would they actually ask ChatGPT when looking for your type of business?

Don't overthink this. Write down 10 specific questions your ideal customers would ask:

• "Best video production companies for small businesses in [your city]"
• "Affordable social media management services"
• "Who makes explainer videos for SaaS companies"
• "Video marketing agencies under $500/month"
• "Best UGC creators for e-commerce brands"

Make your queries specific to your niche, location, and price point. Generic questions like "best marketing agencies" won't give you useful data.

Real example: A local fitness studio might test queries like "personal trainers near downtown Portland," "small group fitness classes under $100/month," or "weight loss programs for busy professionals."

Step 2: Test Across Multiple AI Platforms

Don't just test ChatGPT. Your customers use different AI tools, and each one pulls from different sources.

Test each query on:

• ChatGPT (free and paid versions)
• Perplexity AI
• Google Bard/Gemini
• Claude (if accessible)
• Bing Chat

For each query, copy the exact response into a spreadsheet. Note which businesses get mentioned, in what order, and whether they include contact information or websites.

Important: Use private browsing mode and clear your history between tests. You want unbiased results, not personalized responses based on your previous searches.

Step 3: Track and Analyze the Results

Create a simple spreadsheet to track your findings. Here's a basic template:

Look for patterns:

• Which competitors appear most often?
• Do they always include contact information?
• What sources are the AI tools citing?
• Are you mentioned anywhere, even in passing?

Real scenario: A local bakery tested 8 queries about "custom cakes" and "wedding desserts." They discovered that two competitors appeared in 75% of AI responses, while they weren't mentioned once. The competitors had detailed Google Business profiles and customer review sites that AI tools were citing as sources.

Step 4: Reverse-Engineer Your Competitors' Strategy

Now comes the detective work. Why are your competitors getting recommended while you're not?

Check their:

Google Business Profile: Are their profiles complete with photos, hours, services, and regular posts?

Website structure: Look at their source code for schema markup. Right-click → View Page Source → search for "schema" or "json-ld." This structured data helps AI understand what services they offer.

Review presence: How many Google reviews do they have? What about other platforms like Yelp, Facebook, or industry-specific sites?

Content strategy: Do they publish helpful articles, case studies, or service pages that answer common customer questions?

Directory listings: Are they listed in industry directories, local business listings, or association websites?

Real example: A video production company found that competitors mentioned in AI responses all had schema markup identifying them as "VideoProductionServices" and "LocalBusiness." They also had 50+ Google reviews and active profiles on 5+ business directories. The company had none of these elements.

Step 5: Create Your Gap-Closing Action Plan

Based on your analysis, create a prioritized list of actions. Focus on the biggest gaps first:

Quick wins (0-2 weeks):

• Complete your Google Business Profile
• Add schema markup to your website
• Claim listings on major directories
• Ask satisfied customers for reviews

Medium-term (1-3 months):

• Create service pages that answer common customer questions
• Publish helpful content about your industry
• Build citations on industry-specific directories
• Optimize existing content with structured data

Long-term (3+ months):

• Develop a consistent content strategy
• Build relationships with local business organizations
• Create case studies and testimonials
• Monitor and respond to online mentions

Making Your Action Plan Work

The key is consistency and patience. AI recommendation algorithms change constantly, but businesses with strong foundational presence tend to maintain visibility.

Start with your Google Business Profile. It's free, takes 30 minutes to complete properly, and shows up in multiple AI platforms.

Add photos, complete service descriptions, post regular updates, and respond to reviews.

Next, tackle schema markup. Even basic markup telling AI tools what services you offer and where you're located can make a significant difference.

If you're not comfortable editing code, most website builders now include schema options.

Track your progress by re-running your original queries monthly. You won't see changes overnight, but consistent improvements should show results within 2-3 months.

Pro tip: Create a simple monthly tracking sheet. Test the same 10 queries every month and note any changes in mentions, positioning, or new competitors appearing.

Related: The 5 reasons ChatGPT picks competitors over you

Related: Get recommended on every AI platform

The Reality Check

Some businesses will have advantages that are hard to overcome quickly. A competitor with 200 Google reviews and 5 years of content won't be displaced overnight.

But AI recommendation systems value fresh, relevant information. Consistent effort on the basics often outperforms flashy tactics.

Focus on becoming the obvious choice for your specific niche rather than trying to dominate broad categories.

"Best video production for dental practices" is easier to win than "best video production company."

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Getting recommended by AI tools isn't magic — it's about having the right information in the right places.

Most small businesses are completely invisible to AI because they haven't done the basic work of making their services discoverable.

By following this audit process and systematically closing the gaps, you can start appearing in those crucial AI conversations where your customers are making decisions.

This AI visibility audit is actually part of our $197 explainer video service, where we help businesses identify and fix these exact gaps before creating video content that performs better across all platforms.