When a potential customer asks ChatGPT “who’s the best [your service] in [your city]?”, does your business come up? More and more buying decisions start exactly like this – and most business owners have no idea what AI says about them. Here’s how to find out, and what to do about it.
Step 1: Ask the AI directly
Open ChatGPT, Google’s AI Overviews, Perplexity and Gemini, and ask the questions your customers would ask: “best web designer in Cape Town,” “affordable SEO company in South Africa,” and so on. Note whether you’re mentioned, what’s said, and who shows up instead.
Step 2: Check your accuracy
If you are mentioned, is the information right? AI sometimes repeats outdated phone numbers, addresses or claims pulled from across the web. Inconsistent details damage trust with both customers and AI.
Step 3: Fix the foundations
- Be consistent everywhere – identical name, address, phone and services on your site, Google Business Profile, directories and socials.
- Publish clear, structured content that answers real customer questions (this is the heart of AEO).
- Build authority through quality SEO, reviews and genuine mentions – AI trusts well-regarded sources.
- Add structured data and an llms.txt file so AI can read and trust your business easily.
Step 4: Re-check regularly
AI answers change as models update and your authority grows. Make checking what AI says about you a monthly habit, just like you’d check your Google rankings.
Want us to do the check for you and build a plan to get recommended? Get a free audit – we’ll tell you exactly where you stand in AI search today.
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