Free Method First · Then the Tools
How to Check Your AI Visibility
Ask ChatGPT and Google the question a customer would ask, in several wordings, and write down whether your business is named. Repeat monthly.
That is the whole method, and it is free. Tools exist to do it at scale and on a schedule, and we sell one of them, but you should run the free version first so you know what any score is actually counting. BrightLocal’s 2026 Local Consumer Review Survey found 45% of consumers used AI tools like ChatGPT to find local business recommendations in the past year, up from 6% the year before — this is now worth five minutes a month.
The free method, step by step
The mistake most owners make is asking the AI about themselves (“what do you know about Smith Roofing?”). An assistant will always say something polite when handed your name. The test that matters is the openquestion — the one a stranger asks with no name in it.
| Step | What to do | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Pick the customer's question | Write the four wordings below with your trade and city filled in. | Different wordings pull different answers; one question is not a test. |
| 2. Ask ChatGPT | Paste each wording into ChatGPT (logged out or a fresh chat). Note every business named. | Fresh chat avoids it remembering you from earlier. |
| 3. Ask Google | Search the same wordings in Google. Note the businesses in the AI answer at the top, if one appears, separately from the map and the blue links. | Google's AI answer, the map pack, and the links are three different lists. |
| 4. Record it | A spreadsheet: date, wording, engine, businesses named, was I named (yes/no). | Your visibility is the yes/no column over time, not one answer. |
| 5. Repeat on the 1st | Same wordings, same engines, next month. | Movement month to month is the only number that means anything. |
The four wordings: “best [trade] in [city]”, “most recommended [trade] near me”, “who should I call for [problem] in [city]”, and “[trade] [city] reviews”. Wording changes the answer more than people expect — “best” tends to surface national brands and franchises, while “most recommended near me” tends to surface locals — which is exactly why you ask all four.
What is an AI visibility score?
A score is a tool’s summary of the spreadsheet above, run at scale. Peec AI’s own pricing FAQ shows the arithmetic: 25 prompts across 3 models for 30 days is 2,250 AI answers analyzed, and your visibility is the share of those answers that mention you. Other vendors weight position in the answer, count citations of your website separately from mentions of your name, or both. No two tools define it the same way and there is no industry standard, so treat a score as a trend line on one tool, never as a grade you can compare to a competitor’s score on another.
What is an AI visibility audit?
A one-time snapshot instead of a trend. A useful audit reports the questions asked, the engines asked, the businesses named, and whether you were one of them — plus the things AI assistants read before they answer: your Google Business Profile rating, review count, and photos, and whether your website states your service and service area in plain words. Our free audit does exactly that: it asks ChatGPT live, with web search on, and reads your Google profile. About a minute, no signup, no sales call.
Free method vs. audit vs. a monthly watch vs. pro tools
| Route | Cost | What you get | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| The free method above | $0, about 5 minutes a month | Your own yes/no log across four wordings and two engines | Every business, at least once |
| Free audit | $0, about a minute | ChatGPT asked live + Google Business Profile check, scored, with what to fix first | The first honest snapshot |
| AI Visibility Watch | $29/mo, cancel anytime | The audit re-run monthly, emailed, with an alert the month you slip | One-location businesses that want it watched |
| Get Recommended | $97/mo | The watching plus the weekly fixes to your site, listings, and reviews | Owners who want the work done, not just measured |
| Pro tracking tools | $29-$399/mo and up | Dozens to hundreds of prompts across up to six AI engines, daily | Marketing teams and agencies |
Pick the row that matches the number of questions you care about. A local business has four. A national brand has four hundred. Paying for the second when you are the first is the most common mistake in this category. We compared the pro tools by name, with their own published prices, on the best AI visibility tools page.
What to do with the answer
Named, or not named — both are useful
If you were named:you are ahead of most businesses your size. Keep the sources fresh — reviews coming in, hours and phone current, website saying what you do — and watch monthly so you notice the month it changes.
If you were not:look at who was. Usually they have more recent reviews, a complete Google profile, and a website that states the service and the city in plain words. Those are fixable in weeks, not years. Our honest timeline for getting a business named is three to six months; if it hasn’t happened in six, you keep every improvement and walk away.
Skip the typing: the free audit asks ChatGPT for you
Enter your website. We ask ChatGPT live whether it recommends your business and check your Google Business Profile. About a minute, no signup.
Checking AI Visibility — FAQ
How do I check my AI visibility for free?▾
Open ChatGPT and Google, and ask the question a customer would ask — 'who is the best roofer in [your city]?' or 'most recommended dentist near me' — in three or four wordings. Write down every business named, and whether yours is one of them. That list is your AI visibility. Repeat it on the first of each month. Our free audit at fastdigitalmarketing.com/audit does the ChatGPT part live and checks your Google Business Profile in about a minute.
What is an AI visibility score?▾
A number a tool invents to summarize how often your brand appears in the AI answers it checked. Each vendor defines it differently — usually the share of tracked prompts (across the engines and days they ran) where you were named or cited. There is no industry standard, so a 40 on one tool and a 40 on another do not mean the same thing. Compare your own score month to month on one tool, never across tools.
What is an AI visibility audit?▾
A one-time snapshot: which questions were asked, which AI assistants answered, which businesses they named, and whether yours was included. A good one also checks the sources AI leans on — your Google Business Profile, reviews, and whether your website plainly says what you do and where. Ours is free and takes about a minute.
How often should I check whether ChatGPT names my business?▾
Monthly is enough for a local business. AI answers change when your reviews, listings, or website change, and those move on a scale of weeks. Checking daily is for brands tracking hundreds of prompts. Our AI Visibility Watch re-runs the check every month for $29 and alerts you the month you drop out.
Why does ChatGPT name different businesses each time I ask?▾
Because it is assembling an answer, not reading a ranking. Wording matters — 'best' tends to pull national brands, 'most recommended near me' pulls locals — and the live web search pulls different pages on different days. That is why the free method uses several wordings and why you track over months, not single answers.
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