Free checklist · October 2026

The AI visibility checklist
for local businesses

The 12 things that decide whether a local business gets named when someone asks ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude or Perplexity for a recommendation: the core of AEO and GEO for local businesses. Based on our study of 6,682 local businesses in 25 US markets, where 6 in 7 were never named by any of the four.

First Know where the client stands

Does AI name the client at all, and in which assistants? Each one has to be checked on its own: 70.7% of the businesses they recommended were named by only one of the four, and only 4% by all four.

With Seeably: one scan shows this for every business in a niche and city in a few minutes: who each assistant recommends, and who it leaves out.

Part 1 Presence on the sites AI reads

Only about 1 in 5 pages the assistants cited was the business's own website (20.5%). The rest were lists, articles, directories and review sites.

1. Listed on the directories AI relies on.Assistants lean on directories and review sites when they choose whom to name. A business missing from the ones that matter in its niche is easy to leave out.
2. Named on the "best of" lists AI quotes.Lists and articles were the largest group of pages AI cited. Businesses named on them get recommended; businesses left off them rarely do.
3. Mentioned where locals talk.Independent mentions, in local discussions and local news, give AI more sources that name the business. Reddit alone was cited in 12.1% of answers.

With Seeably: see which directories and lists AI cites in your client's market and which competitors are on them, with a claim link or a ready-to-send request for each.

Part 2 Google profile and reviews

Reviews help, but they are not enough: even among businesses with 1,000+ Google reviews, 47% were never named. A 4.8 to 5.0 star rating made almost no difference.

4. A complete, up-to-date Google Business Profile.What Google shows about a business is what AI assistants and Google Maps repeat. Gaps and outdated details work against it.
5. A steady flow of new reviews.The total matters less than many think. Recent reviews, in customers' own words, tell AI what the business does and where.
6. Reviews that get answered.An active, responsive profile is a sign of a business that is open and cares.

With Seeably: compare the client's reviews with the businesses AI recommends most. The fix kit adds a monthly review target, ready-to-send review requests with a QR code, and texts for the Google profile.

Part 3 The website

Businesses with a website were named about four times as often as those without one (17.5% against 4.4%).

7. Pages that answer customers' questions.AI quotes pages that answer what people actually ask. A site that only lists its services gives it little to quote.
8. Business details AI can read without guessing.Name, address, hours and services stated in a form machines read reliably, not only in the page design.
9. A site AI is allowed to read.Some sites block AI crawlers without the owner knowing. A site that can't be read can't be cited.
10. A homepage that says what and where.The service and the city, stated plainly where search engines and assistants look first.

With Seeably: on the Pro and Max plans, each audited business gets a fix kit: what its site is missing, the code with its details filled in, outlines for the pages AI is looking for, and full pages written on request.

Then Measure and repeat

11. Regular checks in all four assistants.Answers vary from day to day, and each assistant names different businesses. The trend over several checks says more than any single answer.
12. Progress the client can see.Where they are named, where not yet, and which competitors AI recommends instead.

With Seeably: on the Pro and Max plans, track each client over time, with a progress page you can send them.

Selling this to clients? Read how to sell AI visibility to local clients.

Seeably

Run this check on a whole market in minutes

Seeably shows who ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Perplexity and Google AI Mode recommend in any niche and city, who they leave out, and, on the Pro and Max plans, a fix kit for each business. The first scan is free.

Run a free scan

From Seeably's study "AI never names 6 in 7 local businesses" (22 October 2026), seeably.ai/research/ai-local-visibility-2026. Free to share with your team and your clients.