aideagoWhy doesn't ChatGPT mention my business? A 15-minute self-test
Some of your customers no longer type into Google. They ask ChatGPT, Gemini or Perplexity: "Can you suggest a quiet boutique hotel in Kotor?", "Who's a good children's dentist in Antalya?" Does your business show up in those answers? You don't need an agency to find out. Fifteen minutes and a notebook will do.
First, an honest warning: AI assistants can answer the same question differently at different times. So the result of this test isn't a "ranking", it's a snapshot of today. Nobody can say "ChatGPT will definitely list you"; what you can do is improve the conditions for being mentioned and measure regularly.
1. Write five questions (3 minutes)
Write five questions a real customer would ask. Each one tests something different:
- General search: "Can you recommend a good [your service] in [city]?"
- Problem-first question: one that starts with the customer's need. Example: "I'm looking for a restaurant with a private room for 40 people for a wedding, [city]."
- Your name: "What is [your business name], what does it do, where is it?"
- Comparison: "[Your name] or [a competitor you know]?"
- Detail question: the thing customers ask you most on the phone (address, what the service includes, which languages you work in).
2. Ask three assistants (8 minutes)
Ask the questions in these three places, in a private browser window and, if possible, without logging in, so the assistant doesn't know you from earlier chats:
- ChatGPT (with web search on),
- Google (a search where the AI overview or AI Mode appears),
- Perplexity.
For each question note three things: was your name mentioned, was your site linked, and were the facts right? Ask one question again a few minutes later; if the answer changes, write that down too. Put the date at the top of your notes: you'll repeat the same test in a month and compare.
3. Read the result (4 minutes)
If you don't show up even when asked by name, the problem is most likely technical: the assistant may not be able to read your site. According to OpenAI, sites that block OAI-SearchBot, the bot behind ChatGPT search, in their robots.txt file won't be shown in ChatGPT's search answers. Perplexity also recommends allowing PerplexityBot to appear in its results. Add /robots.txt to the end of your site address and look at the file; for a detailed checklist see Can AI bots read your website?
If your name comes up but the facts are wrong (an old address, a service you don't offer), the assistant knows you from other sources. Write the basics on your site in plain text, in one clear place: what you do, where you are, which languages you work in. Google asks that structured data (the machine-readable information behind a page) matches the visible text; the two shouldn't contradict each other.
If you appear when asked by name but not for general questions, that's the most common case. When answering "boutique hotel in Kotor", the assistant uses pages that answer that question clearly. If your site has no pages or FAQ section with short, direct answers to what customers ask, there's nothing for the assistant to quote from you.
If competitors appear and you don't, look at their pages: which questions do they answer that you don't? Also make sure your details in places like your Google Business Profile are up to date; Google recommends keeping Business Profile information current for its AI features as well.
What not to believe
- "You need a special AI file." Google states clearly that you don't need new machine-readable files, "AI text files" or special markup to appear in AI Overviews and AI Mode. The basic rules are the same as for normal search.
- Anyone offering a guarantee. No service controls what ChatGPT answers. The honest promise is: we improve the conditions and we measure.
Quick checklist
- Five customer questions written and noted with a date.
- Asked in ChatGPT, Google and Perplexity from a private window.
- robots.txt doesn't block OAI-SearchBot, PerplexityBot or Googlebot.
- Your name, address and services are written as plain text on the site.
- The questions customers ask are on the site with short answers.
- The same test is scheduled again in a month.
In AideaGo's Growth and Full operations packages, this measuring and fixing happens every week; you just see the result.