How to Check If Your Business Shows Up in ChatGPT (Free Method)
A step-by-step guide to auditing your AI visibility in under 15 minutes, no tools required.
May Chen
Strategist, Geonauts
Before you can optimize for AI, you need to know where you stand. This guide shows you how to audit your AI visibility in 15 minutes, completely free.
📋 What You'll Need
Step 1: Prepare Your Queries
⏱️ 3 minutes
Write down 5-10 queries your ideal customers might ask:
Query Template
- "Best [your service] in [your city]"
- "[Your service type] recommendation"
- "Where to find [what you offer]"
- "Top [your category] in [location]"
- "[Problem you solve] help"
🍝 Restaurant Example
- • "Best Italian restaurant in Austin"
- • "Where to eat for date night Austin"
- • "Romantic restaurant downtown Austin"
⚖️ Law Firm Example
- • "Divorce lawyer in Seattle"
- • "Best family attorney Seattle"
- • "Custody lawyer recommendation Seattle"
Step 2: Test ChatGPT
⏱️ 4 minutes
- • Did your business appear? (Yes/No)
- • Where in the list? (1st, 2nd, mentioned, etc.)
- • Was information accurate?
- • What did it say about you?
⚠️ Important: ChatGPT responses vary. Test the same query 2-3 times to see consistency.
Step 3: Test Perplexity
⏱️ 4 minutes
- 1. Go to perplexity.ai
- 2. Ask the same queries
- 3. Record the same information
- 4. Note which sources Perplexity cites
💡 Perplexity often cites sources, so you can see which websites influenced the recommendation.
Step 4: Test Claude
⏱️ 4 minutes
- 1. Go to claude.ai
- 2. Ask the same queries
- 3. Record results
💡 Claude tends to be more cautious with recommendations, so "mentioned at all" is a good signal.
Step 5: Analyze Results
⏱️ 5 minutes
Create a simple scorecard:
| Query | ChatGPT | Perplexity | Claude | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Query 1 | ✓ / ✗ | ✓ / ✗ | ✓ / ✗ | Details... |
| Query 2 | ✓ / ✗ | ✓ / ✗ | ✓ / ✗ | Details... |
| Query 3 | ✓ / ✗ | ✓ / ✗ | ✓ / ✗ | Details... |
Interpreting Your Results
✅ Appear in all three
Great! You have baseline visibility. Focus on improving position and accuracy.
⚡ Appear in Perplexity but not ChatGPT/Claude
Your current web presence is good, but you may lack historical mentions in training data. Focus on authoritative sources.
🔄 Appear in ChatGPT but not Perplexity
You may have historical mentions but weak current visibility. Focus on improving search rankings and current content.
❌ Don't appear anywhere
Significant work needed. Start with basics: reviews, consistent information, and third-party presence.
Understanding What You See
✅ When AI Recommends You
Note exactly what it says. This tells you:
- • What AI thinks you're known for
- • How it positions you vs. competitors
- • What information sources it's using
❌ When AI Doesn't Recommend You
Ask follow-up questions:
- • "What about [your business name]?"
- • "Have you heard of [your business name]?"
If AI knows you but doesn't recommend you → positioning issue
If AI doesn't know you at all → visibility issue
⚠️ When Information Is Wrong
Common issues:
This means there's inconsistent or outdated information somewhere that AI learned from.
What to Do With Results
| Visibility Level | Next Steps |
|---|---|
|
🟢 High
Appear in most queries |
|
|
🟡 Medium
Appear in some queries |
|
|
🔴 Low
Rarely appear |
|
Ongoing Monitoring
Check visibility monthly with the same process:
📅 Monthly AI Visibility Check
- → Same queries, same platforms
- → Track changes over time
- → Note when competitors appear
- → Identify new opportunities
Keep a simple spreadsheet to track progress.
Quick Reference
🛠️
Tools
ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude (all free)
⏱️
Time
15 minutes
📅
Frequency
Monthly
📊
Metrics
Appearance, position, accuracy
Get Your Free AI Visibility Report
We'll check how you show up across ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Claude for 10 queries in your space.
Usually delivered within 24 hours.