Does ChatGPT Know Your Business? How to Check and Fix It

A growing number of people skip the search results entirely. They ask ChatGPT, Gemini, or Google’s AI answer box something like “who’s a good roofer in Crystal River?” and call whoever it names.

That raises a question most owners haven’t asked yet: what do those tools say about you? In a 2026 Squarespace survey of more than 1,000 small business owners, about two-thirds hadn’t checked, and 40% of those who had checked found wrong information about their business.

Here’s a simple way to check yours, and what to do about what you find. If you want the bigger picture of how AI search works, start with AI search in 2026: what local businesses need on their websites.

The 15-minute check

Open ChatGPT, Gemini, and a regular Google search on your phone. Ask each of them the same four questions, worded the way a customer would.

1. “What is [your business name] in [your town]?” Does it know you exist? Is the description right?
2. “What are the hours and phone number for [your business name]?” Is it current, or is it pulling an old number?
3. “Who’s a good [your service] in [your town or county]?” Are you named? Who is?
4. “Does [your business name] do [a specific service you offer]?” Does it know your full list of services, or only your main one?

Write down what each tool says. Screenshot anything that’s wrong.

What you’re likely to find

It doesn’t know you at all. This is common for businesses with no website or a very thin one. AI tools lean on what’s written about you online. If the only thing out there is a Facebook page and a Google listing with no description, there isn’t much for them to work with.

It knows you, but the details are wrong. Old hours, a previous address, a phone number from 2019, a service you stopped offering. These usually come from outdated directory listings or an old version of your website.

It recommends competitors instead. When you ask “who’s a good electrician in Inverness,” the businesses AI names tend to be the ones with clear websites, plenty of reviews, and consistent information across the web.

How to fix it

There’s no form to submit to ChatGPT asking it to update your listing. These tools learn from the public web, so the fix is to make the public web say the right thing, clearly and consistently.

1. Say it plainly on your own website

AI tools are good at reading plain sentences. Make sure your site states, in words, what you do, which towns you serve, your hours, and how to reach you. “We repair and replace residential roofs in Citrus County, including Crystal River, Homosassa, and Inverness” is far more useful than a slogan.

A short FAQ section that answers the questions customers actually ask (do you offer free estimates, do you handle insurance claims, are you licensed) gives AI direct answers to quote.

2. Clean up your Google Business Profile

Google’s AI answers lean heavily on Google’s own data. Fill out every field: categories, services, hours, description, service area. My Google Business Profile checklist covers each one.

3. Fix the old listings

Search for your old phone number and old address. Wherever they still appear (Yelp, Yellow Pages, Bing Places, Apple Maps, the Chamber directory, industry directories), update them or claim the listing so you can.

4. Build up reviews

Reviews are one of the strongest signals AI tools use when deciding who to recommend. They also give the tools words to describe you: “fast,” “fair price,” “showed up on time.” Here’s how to get more Google reviews without feeling pushy.

5. Add structured data to your site

Structured data is a small block of code, invisible to visitors, that labels your business name, address, phone, hours, and services in a format machines read easily. A developer can add it in under an hour. It won’t transform your results alone, but it removes guesswork.

How long does it take?

Changes don’t show up overnight. Google’s AI answers usually reflect profile and website updates within weeks. ChatGPT and other tools vary. Some search the web live, so updates can appear quickly, while others rely on older snapshots. Re-run the four questions every couple of months and keep notes.

What not to bother with

• Paying for “AI ranking” guarantees. No one controls what these tools say. Be skeptical of anyone who claims they do.
• Writing pages stuffed with keywords for robots. AI tools reward clear, specific writing that would also help a human customer.
• Panicking about it. Most of what helps you in AI answers (a clear website, a complete Google profile, good reviews, consistent listings) is exactly what helps you on regular Google too.

Want help checking?

Request a free 100-point website report. AI search visibility is one of its six scored areas: I ask AI tools the questions your customers ask, screenshot what comes back, note anything wrong or missing, and include the fixes alongside your website, Google and reviews results.