I asked 50 business owners one question

Two weeks ago I spoke at an online class for 50 business owners and consultants.

I asked them one question:

"Does ChatGPT recommend your business?"

Most of them had no idea. So I had them check, right there on the call.

A few of them showed up. Most did not. Their competitors did.

Here's what I walked them through. You can do all of it yourself.

Step 1: Run the test

Open ChatGPT and ask these three questions:

• "What's the best [your service] in [your city]?"
• "Who are the top [your trade] companies near me?"
• "What do you know about [your business name]?"

Write down every company it names. Those are the people you are really up against now. If your name isn't there, a competitor is getting that call, and you never see it happen.

Step 2: Know why it matters

More people ask AI who to call every month.

• ChatGPT passed 1 billion people a week in August.
• Google's AI Mode passed 1 billion people a month.
• About half of buyers now use AI search when deciding what to buy.

Google gives ten links. ChatGPT gives two or three names. If you're not one of them, you're out.

Step 3: Don't throw out your SEO

This surprised a lot of people in the class. The work that helps you on Google is the same work that helps you show up in AI. Google even said so in May.

ChatGPT and Google's AI read the same web pages Google does. If Google can't find your page, AI can't either.

Step 4: Answer the question first

When ChatGPT names a business, it often pulls a line or two straight off a website.

So write the answer first. If someone asks "how much does a furnace repair cost?", your page should answer that in the first two sentences. The details come after.

One test: can each paragraph on your page make sense on its own? If it needs the paragraph above it, AI can't quote it.

Step 5: Get other people talking about you

AI trusts what other sites say about you more than what you say about yourself. That means Google reviews, HomeStars, local listings and mentions in local news.

Make sure your name, address and phone number match on every one of them.

Step 6: Check the basics

• Make sure your website isn't blocking AI tools from reading it. Some sites do this by accident.
• Make sure Google can find and show each page.
• Update your key pages. Old pages slowly drop out of the answers.

Step 7: Track it for free

You don't need to pay for anything to start:

• Google Search Console shows when your pages appear in Google's AI answers.
• Google Analytics shows visits that came from ChatGPT and other AI tools.
• Bing Webmaster Tools shows which of your pages Microsoft's Copilot quotes.

The 30-day plan I gave them

• Week 1: Run the test. Write down where you stand today.
• Week 2: Rewrite your 3 most important pages so they answer the question first.
• Week 3: Fix the basics. Ask your happiest customers for reviews.
• Week 4: Run the test again and compare.

Then do it again every month.

The good news

Most of your competitors haven't started.

In September my team checked the websites of 1,290 trade and home service companies in 10 Ontario cities. 78% don't answer a single customer question on their home page.

The bar is low. The first company in your area to fix this has the best shot at getting named.

Don't want to do the test yourself?

My team will do it for you. For $27 we ask ChatGPT, Gemini and Google's AI the questions your customers ask. Then we send you:

• What each one says about your business
• Who it recommends instead of you
• The 3 fixes that will move you up first

You get it in 48 hours. If it doesn't show you something new, we give you the $27 back.

Get my report for $27

Marlon