A question we hear from owners: "We rank first on Google for our city. Why doesn't ChatGPT mention us?" It is a fair question, and the answer makes sense once you see how an assistant puts an answer together.

The businesses ChatGPT names tend to be the ones it can check against other sources.

Ranking first on Google does not guarantee a mention

The business at the top of the blue links has done the work Google rewards. An assistant is trying to name someone it will not be wrong about, so the list it gives can look different. Who shows up instead, in the answers we check?

  • Businesses other people often mention by name, on Reddit, local forums and community pages.
  • Businesses that tend to be named in local news, "best of" roundups, chamber of commerce posts and trade publications.
  • Businesses whose own site tends to be clear and structured: FAQ pages with real questions, service pages with a defined scope, and markup that says the same thing.

Ranking well and being easy to check are two different jobs, and an assistant may lean on the second.

A useful way to think about it: Google asks who is most relevant, while an assistant is trying to name someone it will not be wrong about.

The five signals

These are the five things we look at first when a firm is missing from an answer.

1. Other sites talking about you

Mentions by name in discussions nobody paid for can carry weight, because they are harder to fake. ChatGPT and Perplexity can draw on Reddit threads and forums.

A thoughtful comment in your city's subreddit, recommending a business you have actually used, may do more than a paid directory listing.

2. Structured data (JSON-LD)

LocalBusiness, Service and FAQ markup gives a model your hours, your service area and your prices in a form it can read without guessing. That can give it the confidence to name you.

Playbook

If you do one thing this week, add LocalBusiness, Service and FAQ markup to your home page and your top three service pages. We wrote a copy-paste guide with examples for five kinds of business.

3. Depth on your core services

A small number of careful articles on one topic, such as HVAC maintenance, can give a model more to trust than hundreds of thin ones. Write about the work you want to be known for, and keep it to one or two service areas.

4. Recent reviews

We look at how recent the reviews are. A steady run of new reviews can tell a model the business is open and busy, while a large pile that stopped growing years ago says less.

5. The same details everywhere

Your contact details should read the same on Google Business Profile, Yelp, HomeStars, the BBB and your local chamber. Different hours or an old phone number on one directory can be enough for a model to leave you out of an answer.

What we would do first

If you run a Canadian local business and you want to be named by AI, this is the order we would work in:

  1. Add structured data this week, starting with LocalBusiness and Service markup. The guide linked above has templates.
  2. Publish a steady run of articles on one service category, each one answering a question your clients ask.
  3. Join the Reddit threads where people in your city ask about your kind of work, and give real answers. Find them by searching site:reddit.com "[your city] [your service]" on Google.
  4. Fix your contact details so they match everywhere, down to the opening hours.
  5. Ask every customer for a Google review after each job, so new reviews keep arriving.

You can do all five yourself. If you would rather we handle the markup, the service pages and the listings, that is SEO + AI Visibility, at $1,500 a month.

Where to start

See what we built for Robb MacDonald and CP Crane.

Or start with a free visibility check. Get found locally is $750 a month. Website build is $5,000 once, fixed price. SEO + AI Visibility is $1,500 a month. See pricing.