Write about ten questions your customers would really ask, put them to ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google’s AI Mode in a fresh or logged-out session, and record whether your business is mentioned, how it is described and which sources are cited. Repeat the same check every month so you can see what changes.
Why not just ask “Do you know my business?”
Asking an assistant about your business by name only tells you whether it has heard of you. It does not tell you whether it recommends you.
Your customers do not ask for you by name. They ask for a type of business, a solution to a problem, or a comparison. “Which clinic in Cyberjaya does evening appointments?” “Who can fix a leaking aircond in Subang?” Those are the questions that matter, and the only way to know how you do is to ask them yourself.
How do you write the right questions?
Aim for about ten questions, written the way a customer would type or say them. Mix these types:
- Category and place: “Best renovation contractor in Shah Alam”
- Problem: “My kitchen cabinets are water damaged, who can replace them in Shah Alam?”
- Price: “How much does a kitchen renovation cost in Selangor?”
- Comparison: “Should I hire a contractor or an interior designer for a kitchen renovation?”
- Trust: “Is [your business name] reliable?”
- Other languages: “Kontraktor renovasi dapur yang bagus di Shah Alam”
Include one or two questions that name you, but keep most of them open. Write the list down and do not change the wording from month to month, or you will not be able to compare results.
How do you run the check fairly?
Assistants can tailor answers to the person asking, so remove as much of that as you can:
- Use a logged-out session, a private browser window or a temporary chat, with memory and personalisation turned off.
- Ask each question in a new conversation, not one after another in the same chat.
- Do not tell the assistant anything about your business before you ask.
- Use the same four tools each time: ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google’s AI Mode where it is available to you.
- Record the first answer you get. Do not keep asking until you like the result.
Answers vary between runs, even with the same question. One check is a snapshot, not a verdict.
What should you record?
A simple spreadsheet is enough. For each question and each tool, note:
| Column | What to write |
|---|---|
| Date | When you ran the check |
| Tool | ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity or Google AI Mode |
| Question | Exactly as asked |
| Mentioned? | Yes or no |
| How described | The words used about you, and whether the facts are right |
| Others named | Competitors mentioned in the same answer |
| Sources cited | The websites the answer links to or credits |
Ten questions across four tools gives you forty answers a month. That is enough to see a pattern without taking a whole day.
What do the results tell you?
Look for patterns, not single answers.
You are not mentioned, but competitors are. Check the sources cited next to their names. Those sites, whether directories, review pages, local news or the competitors’ own pages, are where the assistant is getting its information. Ask whether you are present there too, and whether your own pages answer the same questions as clearly.
You are mentioned, but with wrong details. An old address, a service you no longer offer, the wrong opening hours. This usually means your details differ across the web. Fix them at the source: your website, Google Business Profile and any directory listings you control.
You are mentioned in English but not in Bahasa Melayu. Your site may only describe your services in one language.
No sources are cited at all. The assistant may be answering from its training data rather than a live search. Changes you make may take longer to show up in those answers.
How often should you repeat it?
Once a month is a good rhythm. It is often enough to notice change and not so often that normal variation looks like a trend.
Also run the check after a significant change, such as a new website, a new service page or an update to your Google Business Profile, but expect results to take time. Each assistant updates on its own schedule, and nobody can force a change in what it says.
Keep every month’s results in the same spreadsheet. After three or four months, you will have a clear picture of which questions you win, which you lose and where the assistants are getting their information.
If you would like us to run this for you, our AI Search (AEO & GEO) service includes a monthly visibility check across ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity, alongside the fixes that improve what they can find about you.
FAQ
Why do I get a different answer each time I ask?
AI assistants write each answer fresh, and the result can depend on the tool, the model version, whether it searches the web and where you are. Treat each answer as a sample, and look at the pattern over several months.
What if an assistant says something wrong about my business?
You cannot edit the answer directly. Look at the sources it cites, correct the details on your website, Google Business Profile and directory listings, and check again next month.
Are there tools that do this automatically?
There are paid tools that track AI answers. Whatever you use, the quality of your question list matters most, and a manual check costs nothing to start.