More people now ask ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude or Perplexity to recommend a local business instead of searching Google. I wanted to know what those assistants say when someone asks for a web designer in my area, so before offering AI visibility reports to clients, I ran one on NJM Web Design.
What I tested
Ten everyday questions a small business owner might ask, such as “Which web designer would you recommend for a small business website in Melbourne’s inner west?” and “Can you recommend someone near Williamstown to handle updates, backups and security for my WordPress site?” None of them mentioned NJM by name. Each was put to four AI assistants, which gave 40 answers.
What I found
- NJM came up in 4 of the 40 answers, for an AI visibility score of 9 out of 100.
- Almost all of that came from one assistant. Gemini recommended NJM first for both inner-west questions and cited my own website each time. ChatGPT mentioned NJM once, but through a directory listing, not my site. Claude and Perplexity didn’t mention NJM at all.
- Maintenance was the biggest gap. Not one of the 12 answers about WordPress maintenance mentioned NJM, even though care plans are a core service. Those answers went to providers whose pages clearly listed prices and what’s included.
- Some failures had nothing to do with quality. Asked about web design in Altona, one assistant answered for Altona in Hamburg, Germany. Others weren’t sure which Williamstown was meant, and one returned US results.
What that told me
This is what people now call AI SEO: making your business easy for AI assistants to understand, trust and quote. AI assistants recommend what they can clearly understand and quote. The businesses winning these answers weren’t necessarily bigger or better. They had pages that said exactly where they work, what they offer and what it costs, plus listings in the directories the assistants rely on.
What I changed
- Published a WordPress maintenance and care plans page with starting prices and clear inclusions: the kind of facts the assistants were quoting for competitors.
- Added an Altona suburb page and a Service Areas page, with “Melbourne” and the local details spelled out, plus structured data, so there’s no mistaking Altona, Victoria for Altona, Hamburg. More suburbs to follow.
- Started the Bing Places listing, which is what ChatGPT relies on to trust and cite a site.
What’s next
I’ll re-run the same ten questions in November 2026 and add the results here.
Could your business be in the same position?
If you’d like to know what AI assistants say when someone asks for a business like yours, an AI visibility report shows you exactly that, along with what to fix first.
