How to get your business recommended by ChatGPT and other AI tools

The local businesses that ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google's AI name are mostly ones with strong Google listings and many reviews, and the sources the tools show are mostly directories and Google listings. In an October 2026 study by Cobalt Bloom of 100 local questions, the businesses the AI tools named had a median of 131 Google reviews, while the businesses passed over in the same neighborhoods had a median of 27. Named businesses also had fuller Google listings, and businesses with a website were named 1.6 to 2 times as often as businesses without one at the same Google Maps position.

Updated: October 21, 2026. Written by Eric Levine, founder of Cobalt Bloom.

What are the key findings?

Cobalt Bloom's October 2026 study of 100 local questions found five things that separate businesses AI tools recommend from businesses they pass over:

• Reviews: named businesses had a median of 131 Google reviews; businesses passed over in the same neighborhoods and categories had 27.
• A complete Google listing: 88% of named businesses had a description on their Google Business Profile, against 63% of businesses passed over. Photos, hours and a claimed listing showed the same gap.
• A website linked from the listing: at the same Google Maps position, businesses with a website were named 1.6 to 2 times as often as businesses without one.
• Directories for each kind of business: the AI tools drew on Zocdoc for dentists, ClassPass for Pilates studios, food guides such as The Infatuation and Eater for restaurants, and mostly the businesses' own websites for plumbers and CrossFit gyms.
• Answers vary: 66% of the businesses named by ChatGPT, Perplexity or Google AI Mode were named by only one of the three tools.

For a business owner, the goal is being named in the AI answer, whichever link the AI tool shows next to the business's name.

How was the study done?

Cobalt Bloom wrote 100 questions the way a customer would ask them, such as "What are the best dentists in Echo Park, Los Angeles?", covering 10 kinds of business in 5 neighborhoods of Los Angeles and 5 neighborhoods of Chicago. The 10 kinds of business were dentists, plumbers, restaurants, hair salons, gyms, law firms, accountants, real estate agents, auto repair shops and coworking spaces. Each question was asked in ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Mode and Google search on October 21, 2026. Google showed an AI Overview for 48 of the 100 questions.

For each question, the study pulled every Google listing in that category within about a mile and a quarter (2 km) of the neighborhood: the businesses the AI tools could have named. That made it possible to compare the businesses each tool named with the businesses it passed over in the same place. 25 of the questions were asked a second time about an hour later, to measure how much the answers change. The same day, Cobalt Bloom ran 60 more questions the same way for gyms, CrossFit gyms and Pilates studios in 20 neighborhoods; the fitness examples on this page come from that follow-up.

Scripts matched business names and did the counting. In a sample checked by hand, about 4% of the matches were wrong and about 4% of real recommendations were missed. Eric Levine designed the test and checked the results. AI tools helped write the scripts and draft the guide, and every figure comes from the saved data.

What can this study not show?

The study shows patterns, not proof of cause. Businesses with more reviews were named more often, but other things come with many reviews too. The study used one question wording, two cities and one day. ChatGPT was asked from a US-wide location, with the city in the question. Perplexity was tested through its developer version (the sonar model), which can differ from perplexity.com. AI answers change from one ask to the next, so every number here is a rough guide.

Where do AI tools get their answers about local businesses?

AI tools get their answers about local businesses mostly from directories and Google Business Profile listings; businesses' own websites made up about a fifth of the sources. Of the 2,455 links that ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Mode and Google AI Overviews showed as sources in Cobalt Bloom's October 2026 study, taken together:

• 34% were directories, booking sites and "best of" list sites, such as Zocdoc, Zillow, Fresha and Yellowpages.
• 22% were Google business listings.
• 21% were the businesses' own websites.
• 8% were Yelp.
• 6% were food and city media, such as The Infatuation, Time Out and Eater.

Google AI Mode relied most on Google's own listings: 78% of the sources Google AI Mode showed were Google business listings. ChatGPT's two biggest single sources were Yelp and Google. OpenAI says ChatGPT may share a user's location "with trusted third-party providers that help provide more local information, such as nearby business listings" (OpenAI, https://help.openai.com/en/articles/9237897-chatgpt-search).

Which sources do AI tools use for each kind of business?

The sources AI tools use depend on the kind of business. In Cobalt Bloom's October 2026 study:

• Restaurants: 52% of sources were food guides and city media, led by The Infatuation, Time Out, Eater and the Michelin Guide.
• Real estate agents: 55% of sources were directories such as Zillow and agent-rating sites; agents' own websites were 12%.
• Dentists: 44% of sources were directories such as Zocdoc, and 27% were dentists' own websites.
• Plumbers: plumbers' own websites came first, at 42% of sources.
• Gyms: gyms' own websites (27%) and directories (26%), led by ClassPass and Wellhub, were about even. Chains such as Orangetheory and LA Fitness were named most often.
• Pilates studios: ClassPass was the most-cited site after Google, with 80 links, followed by Mindbody. Most ClassPass links were ClassPass's "Best Pilates Studios in [neighborhood]" lists.
• CrossFit gyms: the AI tools barely used ClassPass or Mindbody (13 of 529 links). ChatGPT took 48% of its CrossFit sources from the gyms' own websites.

Do reviews matter for being recommended by AI tools?

Yes: review count was the clearest difference between businesses AI tools named and businesses they passed over. In Cobalt Bloom's October 2026 study, named businesses had a median of 131 Google reviews, while businesses in the same neighborhoods and categories that were not named had a median of 27. Ranked by review count within each question's neighborhood and category, the share of businesses named by at least one AI tool was:

The star rating barely differed: 4.8 for named businesses and 4.7 for businesses passed over. The number of reviews mattered more than the stars. A small number of reviews does not rule a business out: 12% of the businesses named had fewer than 20 Google reviews. Google's own guidance for local results says: "More reviews and positive ratings can help your business's local ranking" (Google, https://support.google.com/business/answer/7091).

What to do about reviews: ask every happy customer for a review, with a direct link. Start with Google, then ask for reviews on the directory that matters most in the business's category, such as Zocdoc for a dentist. Reply to reviews, including the bad ones.

Are the Google listings of recommended businesses more complete?

Businesses that AI tools named had fuller Google Business Profile listings than businesses passed over. In Cobalt Bloom's October 2026 study:

Google says "businesses with complete and accurate info are more likely to show up in local search results" (Google, https://support.google.com/business/answer/7091). For Google's AI features, Google lists keeping Business Profile information up to date among its SEO best practices, and says there are no extra requirements to appear in AI Overviews or AI Mode (Google Search Central, https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/ai-features).

What to do about the Google listing: claim the Google Business Profile, fill in the description, hours, categories and services, and add real photos of the place, the team and the work. Keep it current, including holiday hours. OpenAI lists Microsoft among the search providers ChatGPT search works with (OpenAI, https://help.openai.com/en/articles/9237897-chatgpt-search), so claim the Bing Places listing too; Bing Places can import a business's details from Google.

Does a business still need a website to be recommended by AI tools?

Yes: businesses with a website were named much more often by AI tools, even though the AI tools usually showed a directory or Google listing as the source. In Cobalt Bloom's October 2026 study, at the same Google Maps position, businesses with a website on their Google listing were named 1.6 to 2 times as often as businesses without one:

This comparison covers the 905 businesses that appeared in the Google Maps top 20 for their question. Few top-ranked businesses lack a website (19 in the top 3 and 28 in the 4th to 10th positions), so the "without a website" figures are rough. The gap pointed the same way at every position and for all four AI tools, though some gaps were small. The study cannot tell why the website helps: AI tools may read a website without listing it as a source, or a business with a website may keep everything else up to date as well. The study did not measure which parts of a website matter. For what AI tools find on small-business websites, see Cobalt Bloom's check of 95 sites at https://getcobaltbloom.com/guides/what-ai-tools-find-on-small-business-websites.

What to do about the website: have a website with the business's services, the area it serves, its hours and its phone number in plain text, and link it from the Google listing. The name, address and phone number on the website should match the Google listing.

How does a business get on the sites AI tools use for its category?

Each kind of business has its own sources, and an AI tool can only name a business from a site it reads if the business is on that site. In Cobalt Bloom's October 2026 study, the directories that came up most often included Zocdoc for dentists, Fresha for salons, ClassPass and Mindbody for Pilates studios, Zillow for real estate agents, and The Infatuation, Time Out and Eater for restaurants.

What to do about directories: ask an AI tool the question customers would ask, such as "best [service] in [neighborhood]", and look at the sources it lists. Those are the sites to be on, with complete and accurate profiles. For restaurants, food guides such as The Infatuation and Eater made up most of the 52% of sources from food and city media, so a mention from a food writer or a local "best of" list is worth pursuing.

What happened when one business acted on this? (Moss, Venice, Los Angeles)

Moss, a coworking space in Venice, Los Angeles, went from not being cited by ChatGPT to being cited after its website was rebuilt. Moss already had strong reviews (4.9 stars from 131 Google reviews as of October 2026). In mid-2026 Moss's website was not being cited by ChatGPT, and it ranked about fifth on Google for coworking in Venice. Moss's general manager rebuilt the site herself using the method taught by Eric Levine, who runs Cobalt Bloom; Moss is not a Cobalt Bloom client. Afterward ChatGPT began citing Moss, the case study reports Moss went from about fifth to first on Google for "coworking Venice Beach," and Moss reports that weekly tour bookings doubled with no ads. The case study is at https://ericgrows.com/case-studies/moss-venice.

Cobalt Bloom checked Moss again on October 21, 2026, the same way as the study. Moss was named in 8 of the 10 AI answers across three searches, including ChatGPT's and Perplexity's picks for "What are the best coworking spaces in Venice, Los Angeles?", where ChatGPT described Moss as "a premium creative environment." On Google, Moss was first in the map box for that question and the top result for "wellness coworking Los Angeles"; for "coworking space venice beach" it was second in the map box. Moss is one business, with no comparison group, so it shows what can happen rather than proving what caused it. It fits the study: the reviews were already strong, and the website was what changed.

How can a business check what AI tools say about it?

To check what AI tools say, ask the way a customer would, in more than one AI tool, and more than once.

• Use customers' words: "What are the best [service] in [neighborhood]?" shows whether a business is named when the customer does not already know it, which searching for the business's own name does not.
• Ask more than one tool: in Cobalt Bloom's study, 66% of the businesses named by ChatGPT, Perplexity or Google AI Mode were named by only one of the three.
• Ask again on another day: when the study repeated questions an hour later, ChatGPT named 64% of the same businesses and Google AI Mode 70%. One check says little.
• Look at the sources: note which directories and sites the answer lists.

OpenAI says that in ChatGPT search, "placement is not guaranteed" (OpenAI, https://help.openai.com/en/articles/9237897-chatgpt-search). Nothing guarantees an AI tool will name a business. In Cobalt Bloom's study, the businesses with more reviews, a fuller Google listing and a website were named far more often.

Where can I read more?

• What AI tools find on small-business websites: Cobalt Bloom's check of 95 Los Angeles small-business websites, at https://getcobaltbloom.com/guides/what-ai-tools-find-on-small-business-websites.
• The AI search glossary for business owners: plain-English definitions of AI Overview, AI Mode, Google Business Profile and citation, at https://getcobaltbloom.com/glossary.
• About Cobalt Bloom: who runs it and where it stands, at https://getcobaltbloom.com/about.