What Does AI Say About Your Brand? A 10-Minute Check

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Part 1 of 5 in the Social Listening series.

Ask ChatGPT about your business. Go ahead, right now. Then ask Gemini, Perplexity and Google’s AI Mode the same question. You might be pleasantly surprised. You might also find an old address, a service you stopped offering in 2019, or a competitor recommended in your place.

That answer matters more every month. In January, a Clutch survey found that 65% of consumers use AI to research products before they buy. BrightLocal’s 2026 review survey found that the share of people using AI tools like ChatGPT to read about local businesses jumped from 6% to 45% in a single year, making AI the third most-used source after Facebook and Google.

Here’s a ten-minute way to check what AI tells people about you, and what to do about it.

Why AI answers aren’t the same as search results

A Google search shows ten links and lets the reader decide. An AI assistant reads those links for them and writes a single answer. When you’re in it, you look like the obvious choice. When you’re not, you’re invisible, even if you rank on page one.

Those answers are built mostly from what other people say about you. Semrush’s 2026 AI Visibility Index found ChatGPT pulls about 15 sources into a typical answer, often including Reddit and Wikipedia. Gemini uses closer to three. Your own website is one voice in that mix.

That’s why off-site mentions matter so much. When Ahrefs studied about 75,000 brands, the factor most closely tied to showing up in Google’s AI Overviews was how often a brand is mentioned across the web (a correlation of 0.664). Backlinks, the old SEO favorite, came in at 0.218.

The 10-minute AI visibility check

You’ll need a notepad or spreadsheet and a private or logged-out browser window, so the AI isn’t personalizing answers based on your history.

Step 1: Ask four questions in four places

Run these four prompts in ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google (the AI Overview or AI Mode answer at the top):

  1. The direct question. “What do you know about [Your Business] in [City]?”
  2. The category question. “Who are the best [your service] providers in [City]?” or, for nonprofits, “What are trustworthy charities that help with [your cause]?”
  3. The comparison. “[Your Business] vs [Top Competitor]: which is better?”
  4. The worry question. “Is [Your Business] legit?” or “What complaints do people have about [Your Business]?”

The category question is the one that matters most, because that’s how real customers ask. Most people don’t know your name yet.

Step 2: Score each answer

For each answer, write down:

  • Mentioned? Yes or no.
  • Accurate? Right services, location, hours and description.
  • Recommended? Are you suggested, or just listed?
  • Sources. Which sites did it cite? Perplexity and Google show these clearly. In ChatGPT, ask “What sources did you use?”

Step 3: Ask twice

AI answers change. Idea Grove’s 2026 study found that 40% of consumers didn’t know AI tools can give different answers to the same question. Run your category question again tomorrow. If you appear once and vanish the next time, you’re on the edge, and a few more mentions could tip you in.

From my work

Across the businesses and nonprofits I work with, from restaurants and retailers to charities, AI is already shaping how people research them. It’s very good at gathering sources and explaining what it finds in a way people can pass along, so for many people it has become the first stop. That means your organization has to be something an AI can find, read and describe correctly.

Right now that means checking ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude and Perplexity, plus newer arrivals like Meta’s Muse. The list will keep growing or consolidating, and some of this will have changed by the time you read it. It doesn’t replace the basics, either. I still check Google, Bing and social media to see what’s being said and what comes up in search.

My most important test is simple. Open a private browser window, search your name, and ask: does what comes up match who we are and what we do? If it doesn’t, that’s where the work starts. Automation can take much of the legwork out of this, and it’s one of the things I set up for clients.

What your results mean

You’re not mentioned at all

The AI doesn’t have enough independent sources about you. The fix is to get talked about where AI reads: local news, industry directories, “best of” lists, partner websites, and Reddit or community threads where people ask for recommendations. One story in the local paper can do more here than ten blog posts on your own site.

You’re mentioned, but the facts are wrong

Look at the cited sources. The wrong fact usually comes from one outdated page: an old directory listing, a stale Google Business Profile, or an article from years ago. Fix it at the source. Then make sure your own About and FAQ pages state the right facts in plain sentences an AI can quote: what you do, where, for whom, and since when.

A competitor gets recommended instead

Look at where the competitor gets cited. If it’s review sites, you need more recent reviews. If it’s a roundup article, contact that publication. If it’s Reddit, see Part 2 of this series. AI tends to recommend whoever has the most consistent story across the most places.

The answer mentions complaints

Don’t panic, and don’t argue with the AI. Find the original complaint, respond to it publicly and helpfully, and fix the underlying problem if it’s real. Over time, a pattern of thoughtful responses becomes part of the story the AI tells.

Don’t skip the human check

AI answers are only the first stop. Idea Grove found that just 2% of consumers would buy from an unfamiliar brand on an AI recommendation alone. The other 98% check first. Their most common next move is to Google you (45%), followed by review sites and your website. So the AI has to mention you, and then everything it points to has to back it up.

The same holds for nonprofits. Give.org’s 2026 Donor Trust Report found that only 7% of donors say AI summaries influence their giving so far, while 54% of donors who research say a charity’s own website influences them most. AI may make the introduction, but your site and reputation still close the gift.

Make this a monthly habit

In Semrush’s survey, 45% of marketing leaders said they can’t accurately measure how their brand shows up in AI answers, and only 9% had tools to track it across platforms. You don’t need an expensive tool to beat most of your competitors here. You need the same four questions, asked on the first of every month, with the answers saved so you can see the trend.

Once you know where you stand, the next step is earning citations. My guide to AEO and GEO for small businesses covers how to get cited by ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google’s AI.

Free tool

Run this check in two minutes

The free Brand Visibility Scanner builds ready-made searches and AI prompts for 18 channels, including ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Copilot and Google AI Mode, then scores what you find.

Scan your brand free

Want an expert look instead? Request a free audit of your content or social listening.

Frequently asked questions

Can I pay to show up in ChatGPT’s answers?

Not in the regular answers. What you can do is earn more mentions on the sites these tools read: reviews, news coverage, directories and community discussions.

How long does it take to change what AI says about me?

It varies by tool. Tools that search the web live, like Perplexity and Google’s AI answers, can pick up fixes within weeks. Answers based on older training data change more slowly.

Does this matter for a small local business?

Yes, arguably more. “Best [service] near me” questions are exactly what people now ask AI, and the field of local competitors with strong, consistent mentions is usually small.

Next in the series: why Reddit has become one of the most powerful sources behind AI answers, and how to show up there honestly. Want help with your brand’s AI visibility? Get in touch with Saks Digital Marketing.

Sources

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