Findings
- Only 47 of 449 businesses (10.5%) were named in any of five AI answers to customer-style questions.
- Strong reviews didn't protect anyone: 188 of 216 businesses with at least 4.5 stars and 50 reviews were never named. Of the 63 businesses with 200 or more reviews, 53 were never named.
- The most-reviewed business AI ignored had 2,778 Google reviews.
- AI repeats a small set of names. Across a city, the same two or three businesses appear again and again, usually the ones listed on local best-of articles and directories.
Reviews are not enough
Named businesses had a median of 67 Google reviews, unnamed ones 46. The gap is small. What separated them was where else they could be confirmed: complete profiles, consistent directory listings and mentions on the local lists AI reads. See how to get recommended by ChatGPT.
Method
Businesses were sampled from Google Maps listings for plumbers, electricians, dentists, roofers and home builders in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide and the Gold Coast. For each business we sent five customer-style questions about its trade and city to Google's Gemini with live Google Search, recorded every business named and every source cited, and scored visibility from 0 to 100. Checks ran on 6 October 2026. AI answers vary between runs; treat single answers as snapshots.
| Trade | Businesses | Named at least once |
|---|---|---|
| Plumbers | 200 | 21 (10%) |
| Electricians | 116 | 5 (4%) |
| Dentists | 57 | 10 (18%) |
| Roofers | 42 | 8 (19%) |
| Home builders | 34 | 3 (9%) |
| Total | 449 | 47 (10.5%) |
Using this data
You're welcome to cite this study with a link to this page. Journalists can email hello@saysyouai.com for the full anonymised dataset. See which businesses AI names in each market on the AI Shortlist.
