How to Check If ChatGPT Recommends Your Brand (Free Test)

Key takeaways

Write 15 to 20 prompts a real buyer would ask, then run them in each AI assistant using a temporary or logged-out chat.
Score each answer: were you mentioned, linked as a source, in what position, and was the description accurate?
Track the visits that result. ChatGPT usually tags cited links with utm_source=chatgpt.com, and a GA4 custom channel can group all AI referrals.

To check whether ChatGPT recommends your brand, ask it the questions your customers ask, in a clean chat, and record whether you are mentioned, cited and described correctly. Do the same in Gemini, Perplexity, Copilot and Google AI Mode, because each one uses different sources. Repeat the same prompts every month so you can see the trend, not a one-off answer.

Paid "AI visibility" tools automate this, but a spreadsheet and ten minutes give you a reliable baseline for free.

Step 1: write prompts real buyers would ask

Do not test with your brand name. Of course ChatGPT knows a brand you type in. Test the category and problem questions where a buyer has not chosen yet. Mix four types:

Prompt type	Example	What it shows
Category	best free invoice generator for freelancers	Whether you make the shortlist
Problem	how do I work out the ROAS I need to break even	Whether your content is used as the answer
Comparison	Trendifico vs Calculator.net for business calculators	How you are positioned against rivals
Constraint	free CTR calculator with no signup	Whether your specific strengths come through

Aim for 15 to 20 prompts. Pull them from your Search Console queries, customer emails and sales calls, written the way people talk.

Step 2: run the test in a clean session

Use a temporary chat (ChatGPT) or a logged-out browser window so memory and past chats do not bias results.
Turn on web search where the assistant offers it; that is where links and citations appear.
Run each prompt twice. AI answers vary between runs, so one answer is not a ranking.
Note the date, the assistant and the country you tested from.

Step 3: score every answer

Metric	How to score
Mentioned	Yes or no: does your brand appear anywhere?
Position	1st, 2nd, 3rd recommendation, or "listed later"
Cited	Is one of your pages linked as a source?
Accuracy	Are price, features and description correct?
Competitors	Which brands appear instead of you?

Your share of voice is simple: prompts where you were mentioned ÷ total prompts × 100. If you appear in 4 of 20 prompts, that is 20%. Track it monthly alongside a competitor or two.

Step 4: measure the traffic AI sends you

Mentions matter only if they turn into visits. In Google Analytics 4, create a custom channel group called "AI assistants" with a source rule that matches referrers such as chatgpt.com, perplexity.ai, gemini.google.com, copilot.microsoft.com and claude.ai. ChatGPT usually adds utm_source=chatgpt.com to links it cites, so those visits are easy to spot. For links you share yourself, tag them with the UTM link builder; our UTM guide explains how.

Why you are not being recommended

Crawlers are blocked. If robots.txt blocks OAI-SearchBot, PerplexityBot or Claude-SearchBot, those assistants cannot fetch your pages for search answers. See our guide to AI crawlers and robots.txt.
You are not in the search index. ChatGPT, Copilot and Google AI Mode lean on web search results. If a page is not indexed in Google or Bing, it is unlikely to be cited.
Your pages do not answer the question directly. Put the answer in the first two sentences, then the detail.
Other sites do not mention you. Assistants trust brands that reviews, lists and forums talk about.
Your facts are vague. Specific numbers, prices and features are easier to quote than marketing copy.

How to improve your AI visibility

Make sure your key pages are indexed in Google and Bing, then fix any crawl blocks.
Rewrite your most important pages answer-first, with clear headings, tables and an FAQ that matches what buyers ask.
Publish original data or tools that others will cite. A calculator or a benchmark is easier to reference than an opinion.
Earn mentions on review sites, comparison lists and communities in your niche.
Keep facts consistent everywhere: name, pricing, features and categories.
Re-run the test monthly and log the changes.

Google says there are no special requirements for AI Overviews or AI Mode beyond being indexed and eligible for a snippet, so solid SEO is still the foundation. Our guide to writing the right length for a search and the SERP snippet preview help with that side.

FAQ

Does ChatGPT give everyone the same answer?

No. Answers change between runs, users, locations and model versions. That is why you test each prompt more than once and track averages over time.

Can I pay to be recommended by ChatGPT?

Organic answers cannot be bought. Ads, where they exist, are labelled separately. The reliable path is being findable, clear and widely mentioned.

How often should I run an AI visibility check?

Monthly is enough for most small businesses. Re-check sooner after a big site change or launch.

Is AI visibility the same as SEO?

They overlap heavily. Most AI assistants with web search pull from search indexes, so pages that rank and answer clearly are more likely to be cited.

How to check if ChatGPT recommends your brand (free 10-minute test)