Here is a number that should sting a little. PressGEO analyzed 13,534 AI-generated answers across 23 U.S. metros and found that only 27.8% of local service businesses got named by an AI engine even once in 90 days. The other 72.2% were invisible.
That means when someone asks ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Claude or Copilot for a plumber, lawyer or dentist in their area, most local businesses never come up at all.
The report, published November 3, 2026, covers 902 checked firms across 20 metros and 13 service categories. It is the most granular look we have at how AI search engines actually recommend local businesses right now.
What the PressGEO AI Visibility Report Found
PressGEO tracked AI answers over 90 days, recording which businesses ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Claude and Copilot named when people asked for local service providers. The headline finding: 251 of 902 checked firms were named at least once. 651 were not named in any recorded AI answer.
Some cities performed far better than others. Seattle topped the list with 48.4% of checked firms getting named. Nashville and Los Angeles tied at 41.7%. Phoenix came in at 34.6%. At the bottom, Miami, Orlando, Boston and Las Vegas each had only 8.3% of checked firms named.
The gap is not random. Cities with more AI-savvy businesses and stronger web content tended to have higher visibility rates. But even the best city left more than half its businesses unnamed.
Why Most Local Businesses Are Invisible to AI
AI search engines do not have a master directory of local businesses they pull from. They generate answers based on what they can find online: your website, reviews, directory listings, news mentions, and structured data. If your business has a thin website, no schema markup, and barely any web mentions outside your Google Business Profile, the AI has very little to work with.
We see this consistently in our AEO and GEO work. Businesses that invest in clear, well-structured web content get cited by AI engines. Businesses that rely on their Google Business Profile alone usually do not.
A separate finding from diib, published the same week, scanned 225 local service businesses and found that about 3 in 4 sources cited by Google’s AI came from business websites, not directories or social media. Your website content is the primary feed for AI recommendations. You can read the full study on diib’s AI search insights page.
How to Check Your Own AI Visibility
You do not need a paid tool to get a rough sense of where you stand. Try this right now: open ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity, and ask each one “who are the best [your service] in [your city]?” See if your business comes up.
Try a few variations. Ask for specific services, not just your category. A bakery should check “best birthday cakes in Chandigarh” and “custom cake delivery near me”, not just “bakery in Chandigarh”.
If you are not showing up, the likely reasons are: your website content is too thin for AI to extract useful information, you have no structured data telling engines what you do and where, or you have very few web mentions outside your own domain.
What Actually Improves AI Visibility
Based on what we see across client work and what the PressGEO data confirms, here are the steps that matter most:
- Write detailed service pages. Each service you offer should have its own page with 800+ words explaining what it includes, who it is for, and how it works. AI engines extract from these pages.
- Add local schema markup. Structured data tells AI engines your business name, address, services and service area in a format they can parse reliably.
- Build web mentions beyond your site. Press coverage, industry directories, guest posts and partnerships all give AI engines more sources to cite.
- Keep your Google Business Profile complete. While GBP is not the only source AI uses, it still feeds into recommendations, especially for location-based queries.
These are not quick fixes. They are the same fundamentals we cover in our local SEO services, adapted for AI search. The businesses that win in AI recommendations are the ones with the strongest, most structured web presence.
What This Means for Businesses in India
The PressGEO study covers U.S. metros, but the pattern applies everywhere AI search is growing. In India, where ChatGPT and Gemini usage is rising fast among urban consumers, the same dynamics are starting to play out. Businesses in Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula that want to be recommended by AI need the same foundation: strong web content, structured data, and credible web mentions.
The difference is that Indian markets are less saturated with AI-optimized content, which means there is a real first-mover advantage. A business that gets its AEO basics right now has a better chance of becoming one of the names AI engines reliably recommend.
If you want a structured plan, our packages include AI visibility audits and implementation. You can also start with a quick self-check using the steps above.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the PressGEO AI visibility report?
PressGEO’s November 2026 report analyzed 13,534 AI-generated answers across 23 U.S. metros to measure how often AI search engines like ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity name local service businesses. It found that only 27.8% of 902 checked firms were named at least once in 90 days.
How does AI search decide which local businesses to recommend?
AI engines generate recommendations from web content they can access: business websites, reviews, directory listings, structured data and news mentions. Businesses with detailed service pages, local schema markup and multiple web sources are more likely to be cited.
Is AI visibility important for businesses in India?
Yes. While most AI visibility studies focus on U.S. markets, the same patterns apply in India. ChatGPT and Gemini usage is growing among urban consumers, and businesses with strong, structured web content have a first-mover advantage in being recommended.
How can I check if AI engines recommend my business?
Open ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity and ask each one for the best providers of your service in your city. Try several query variations. If your business does not appear, your web content may be too thin or lack the structured data AI engines need to parse it.
What is AEO and how is it different from SEO?
AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) focuses on getting your business cited in AI-generated answers, while SEO focuses on ranking in traditional search results. Both share fundamentals like quality content and structured data, but AEO emphasizes clear, extractable answers and web mentions AI engines can cite.