The short answer: ask ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google and Copilot the questions your customers ask, in a clean session, and record who gets named and which sources are cited. Do it monthly with the same questions so you can see change. Then check Google Analytics and Search Console for the traffic AI is already sending you.
Before you start: set up a tracking sheet
Make a spreadsheet with these columns:
| Date | Tool | Question | Mentioned? | Position | What it said | Competitors named | Sources cited |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 Nov | ChatGPT | Best roofer in Leeds? | No | – | – | A, B, C | Checkatrade, Yell |
The last column is the most valuable. It shows exactly which directories, reviews and articles the AI trusts for your market.
Step 1: Write 10 questions a real customer would ask
Mix these four types:
- Recommendation: "What are the best [service] providers in [city]?" or "Recommend a [service] for a small business."
- Problem: "My [problem], who can fix it near [city]?" or "How do I [job you do]?"
- Comparison: "[Your business] vs [competitor]" or "Is [your business] good?"
- Brand: "What is [your business name]?" or "What does [your business] offer and how much does it cost?"
Write them the way people talk, not as keywords. "Who's a good accountant for freelancers in Bristol?" beats "accountant Bristol freelancer".
Step 2: Use a clean session
AI assistants personalise answers using your history and memory. To see what a stranger sees:
- ChatGPT: use a temporary chat, or log out.
- Google: use a private or incognito window.
- Perplexity and Copilot: use them logged out.
If you serve another country, a VPN set to that country gives you a closer view of local answers.
Step 3: Ask each tool the same questions
- ChatGPT: make sure search is on, so it looks at the live web, not just what it learned in training.
- Perplexity: it always shows numbered sources, which makes it the easiest tool to learn from.
- Google: search normally and look for an AI Overview at the top. Try AI Mode too where it's available.
- Microsoft Copilot: it draws heavily on Bing, so it often shows how well Bing knows you.
Answers vary from one try to the next. Ask your three most important questions twice and record both results.
Step 4: Score the results
- Named and described correctly: good. Note what it says and whether it's accurate.
- Named but wrong (old address, wrong services, wrong prices): fix the facts on your site, Google Business Profile and directories, as they're usually the source.
- Not named, competitors named: open the cited sources. Those are the sites to get listed or reviewed on.
- "I don't have information about that business": your brand isn't well known online yet. Start with directory listings, reviews and a clear About page.
Step 5: Check the traffic AI already sends you
Google Analytics 4
Go to Reports → Acquisition → Traffic acquisition, set the dimension to Session source, and look for chatgpt.com, perplexity.ai, copilot.microsoft.com and gemini.google.com. Some AI visits arrive with no referrer and show as direct traffic, so treat these numbers as a minimum.
Google Search Console
AI Overviews and AI Mode clicks and impressions are counted inside your normal Performance report. In 2026 Google also began adding a separate generative AI performance view. If your account has it, it shows how often your pages appear in AI features.
Ask your customers
Add "ChatGPT or another AI assistant" as an option in your "How did you hear about us?" field. It's the simplest way to catch AI referrals that analytics misses.
Step 6: Repeat monthly and act on it
Run the same questions on the same day each month. Every month, pick the three most-cited sources where you're missing and get onto them: a directory listing, a review, a guest article or a helpful forum answer. That turns the test into a to-do list. The full list of fixes is in How to get your business recommended by ChatGPT.
Are paid AI visibility tools worth it?
Tools that track hundreds of prompts automatically are useful for bigger brands, agencies and competitive markets. For most small businesses, 10 questions a month by hand is enough to see the trend and decide what to fix. Start manually and pay for a tool only when you're tracking more than you can test in 15 minutes.
Questions people ask
Why does ChatGPT give different answers each time?
AI answers are generated fresh each time and can change with wording, location and the pages it finds. That's why you ask the key questions twice and track trends monthly rather than judging one answer.
How do I see ChatGPT traffic in Google Analytics?
In GA4, open Traffic acquisition, set the dimension to Session source, and look for chatgpt.com. Some AI visits show as direct traffic, so the real number is usually higher.
What should I do if ChatGPT says something wrong about my business?
Correct the information at the source: your website, Google Business Profile and the directories it cites. AI tools pick up the change once those pages are recrawled.
How often should I test AI visibility?
Once a month is enough for most businesses. Use the same questions each time so you can compare.