When a homeowner asks ChatGPT or Google for a good plumber nearby, the assistant doesn’t pull up a ranking. It runs searches, reads what your Google Business Profile, review sites, directories and website say about you, and names the businesses those sources describe clearly and agree on. Getting named comes down to making those sources complete, current and consistent.
Each assistant leans on different sources. That is why a contractor can sit in Google’s map results and still be missing from ChatGPT’s answer, and why showing up in both means working on more than your Google profile.
Assistants build an answer each time
Google says its AI Overviews and AI Mode use “query fan-out”: one question becomes several related searches across subtopics, and the answer is written from what those searches find (Google Search Central). A homeowner asking “who should I call about a leaking water heater” can set off searches for water heater repair, replacement cost and emergency service in their area. Each of those is a chance for your pages and listings to be found, or missed.
The answers also change from one run to the next. In BrightLocal’s study of local AI search, repeating the same prompt returned a list that overlapped only 20 to 33% with the first one (BrightLocal). There is no “number one in ChatGPT” to buy or win. The realistic goal is to be named more often, by more assistants, across the questions your customers ask.
Where each assistant looks
| Assistant | Leans most on | Worth checking first |
|---|---|---|
| Google AI Overviews and AI Mode | Google’s search index and your Google Business Profile | Your Business Profile is complete; your website is in Google’s index |
| ChatGPT | Your website, Yelp and Bing; very little from Google Business Profile | Your Yelp page is claimed and filled in; your website lets ChatGPT’s crawler in |
| Both | Your own website, then directories such as the BBB | Your services, service area and contact details read the same everywhere |
The pattern comes from BrightLocal’s study of about 200,000 local prompts across ChatGPT, AI Mode and AI Overviews. Google Business Profile made up 28.5% of all citations. BrightLocal found it important for AI Mode and AI Overviews but “hardly used by ChatGPT”, which leans on its relationships with Yelp and Bing (BrightLocal). In July 2026, Axios reported a deal to bring Yelp’s reviews, ratings and photos into ChatGPT, shown with Yelp’s branding and links (Axios via Yahoo Finance).
Your own website is the source cited most
Business websites made up 93% of the domains the assistants cited in BrightLocal’s study, and 42% of all citations. A Business Profile alone leaves ChatGPT with little to go on.
What helps is a page per service, each answering the obvious questions near the top: what the job involves, which towns you cover, a typical price range, how long it takes, and your license and insurance. Because one question fans out into many searches, “water heater replacement cost in Mesa” is its own search, and a page that answers it plainly can be the one quoted.
Two technical points decide whether any of that is read:
- Crawlers have to be let in. A website can block ChatGPT’s search crawler without the owner knowing. We cover how to check in Is your website blocking ChatGPT?.
- Key facts belong in text. A price list or service menu inside a photo can’t be quoted. Put it on the page as words.
Directories and the BBB carry weight for trades
The Better Business Bureau made up only 0.3% of citations in BrightLocal’s study, but it was cited for 29% of the businesses in it. For a trade business, the BBB profile is often one of the few outside sources that confirms you exist, where you work and how long you’ve been at it.
Lead-generation sites such as Angi and HomeAdvisor also show up in trade answers, along with franchises (LocalVitals). You don’t need to pay for leads to benefit: a claimed, accurate profile still tells the assistant your name, phone and service area.
Keep your details identical everywhere
Your name, phone number, address or service area, hours and list of services should read the same on your website, Google Business Profile, Yelp, the BBB, Facebook and any directory you’re in. When two sources disagree about your phone number or whether you’re still open, an assistant has a reason to hedge or to name someone else.
The usual culprits are an old phone number on a directory you set up years ago, a business name written two ways (“Smith Plumbing” and “Smith Plumbing & Heating LLC”), and hours that changed on Google but nowhere else.
What to fix first
- Claim and complete your Google Business Profile. Categories, services, service area, hours, photos and a link to your website.
- Claim your Yelp page and fill it in the same way, even if you never plan to advertise there.
- Check your BBB profile. The BBB may list you already; make sure the details are right. Accreditation is optional.
- Make sure your website lets AI crawlers in, and that it’s in Google’s index.
- Give each service its own page with the answers up front.
- Keep reviews coming on Google, and be findable on Yelp. Send every customer your Google review link after the job, and offer nothing for a review: Google bans incentives and asking only happy customers (Google Maps content policy). Yelp asks businesses not to request reviews at all, so link to your Yelp page from your website instead.
- Fix mismatched details wherever you find them, starting with old phone numbers.
To see where you stand before and after, run the check in How to check whether ChatGPT recommends your business.
What matters less than it’s sold as
Two fixes get pitched hard and do little on their own. An llms.txt file is rarely fetched: in one 12-week test across 83 sites, OpenAI’s crawlers requested it 7 times and Perplexity’s not at all (EZY). Google says you don’t need AI text files or special markup to appear in its AI features. Structured data (schema markup) is worth having when it matches what the page says, but a controlled study by Ahrefs found that adding it gave no meaningful lift in AI citations (Search Engine Roundtable). Both are cheap hygiene. Neither replaces complete listings, reviews and clear service pages.
Frequently asked questions
Why does ChatGPT recommend a competitor and not me?
ChatGPT draws on different sources than Google, especially Yelp and the business's own website, and its answers vary from run to run. A competitor with a complete Yelp page and clear service pages can be named even if you rank higher on Google Maps.
Do I still need a website if I have a Google Business Profile?
Yes. Business websites were the most cited source in BrightLocal's study of local AI answers, and ChatGPT uses Google Business Profile very little.
How can I check whether AI assistants mention my business?
Ask ChatGPT, Google's AI Mode and Gemini the questions your customers ask, naming your trade and town, in a chat that doesn't know you, and note who they name. Ask each one several times, because the answers change from run to run.
