How to Test If AI Mentions You

Once you've been doing this work consistently for 60–90 days, it's time to check whether it's working. Here's exactly how to test your AI visibility — and what to do if you're not showing up yet.

Your Monthly AI Visibility Test

Open each of the following AI tools and run the prompts below. Note what comes up. If your business is mentioned, celebrate. If it isn't, keep going — and look at the results for clues about what to improve.

Run each of these in ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and Perplexity:

1. Who is the best [YOUR TRADE] in [YOUR CITY]?
2. Can you recommend a reliable [YOUR TRADE] near [YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD / AREA]?
3. What [YOUR TRADE] companies in [YOUR CITY] have the best reviews?
4. I need a [SPECIFIC SERVICE] in [YOUR CITY] — who should I call?
5. Who does [YOUR TRADE] work in [YOUR CITY] and has good customer service?

Record what businesses appear. Are you there? Are your competitors there? Use this as your monthly benchmark.

Reading the Results

You appear — great!

Make sure your online content matches how you want to be described. If there's a gap between how AI describes you and how you want to be known, create content that closes it.

Competitors appear but you don't

Go look at those competitors. How many reviews do they have? How many directory listings? How active is their Google Business Profile? That's your roadmap. They're not smarter — they just started earlier or were more consistent. You can close the gap.

Nobody local appears — only generic answers

This is actually the biggest opportunity. Don't hold back on Google Business posts, get more reviews, and make sure your NAP is consistent. You're early — there's a real opportunity to be first.

Track Your Progress Over Time

Keep a simple tracking document — a Google Sheet or note — with the date, the prompt you used, the AI tool, and whether your business appeared. After 6 months, you'll have a clear picture of how your visibility is growing.

Progress is rarely linear. You may see nothing for the first 3 months and then start appearing regularly in month 4. This is normal. The actions you're taking are building a foundation. Trust the process.