RankNext, Answers for local businesses

Question 1

Can ChatGPT recommend my business?

Accepted Answer

Yes. When someone asks ChatGPT for a local service, it can name specific businesses, especially with web access turned on. To be one it names, you need a clear, readable website, an accurate Google Business Profile, real reviews, and consistent details across the web. No one can promise it will pick you, but those signals raise your odds.

Question 2

Why does AI recommend my competitor and not me?

Accepted Answer

Usually because the engine trusts their information more than yours. Common reasons: they have more recent reviews, a more complete Google Business Profile, consistent business details everywhere, and a website an AI can actually read. AI names the sources it finds most trustworthy and relevant, which is not always the best business, just the best-prepared one.

Question 3

Can I pay to be recommended by ChatGPT?

Accepted Answer

No. ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity do not sell placement in their recommendations the way Google sells ads. You cannot buy your way into the answer. You earn it by being a trustworthy, consistent, well-structured source the engines choose on merit. Anyone selling paid placement in ChatGPT is misleading you.

Question 4

Do AI engines read my Google reviews?

Accepted Answer

Yes, directly and indirectly. Reviews are one of the strongest trust signals AI engines weigh when deciding which local business to recommend. They consider the star rating, the volume, how recent the reviews are, and increasingly the content of the reviews themselves. Steady, real reviews make you easier to recommend.

Question 5

How do I get my business to show up on Siri?

Accepted Answer

Siri pulls local results largely from Apple Maps and trusted data partners, and it is moving toward AI-generated answers. To show up, claim and complete your Apple Business Connect listing, keep your name, address, and phone identical everywhere, and earn the same trust signals that help every engine. Nearly every iPhone has Siri, so it is worth preparing for now.

Question 6

Does my Google Business Profile help with AI search?

Accepted Answer

Yes, a lot. Your Google Business Profile is one of the most important sources AI engines and the Google map pack use to understand and recommend local businesses. A complete, accurate, active profile, with the right categories, hours, services, photos, and reviews, is foundational to being found by both Google AI and assistants like ChatGPT.

Question 7

How many reviews do I need to show up in the map pack?

Accepted Answer

There is no magic number. What matters more is having more and better reviews than the competitors you are up against in your area, plus a steady, recent flow rather than a one-time burst. Volume, rating, recency, and your responses all count. In competitive trades and cities, that often means dozens, consistently growing.

Question 8

What is NAP consistency and why does it matter?

Accepted Answer

NAP stands for Name, Address, and Phone number. NAP consistency means those details are identical everywhere your business appears online: your website, Google Business Profile, Apple Maps, and every directory. When they conflict, search engines and AI lose confidence in your information, which can keep you out of recommendations. Consistency builds the trust needed to be named.

Question 9

What is the Google map pack?

Accepted Answer

The map pack (or local pack) is the box of three local businesses with a map that Google shows for local searches like plumber near me. It sits above the regular blue links and drives a large share of local clicks and calls. Ranking in it depends on your Google Business Profile, reviews, proximity, and relevance.

Question 10

How often should I post on my Google Business Profile?

Accepted Answer

Aim for at least weekly. Regular Google posts signal that your business is active, which helps your profile's visibility, and they give Google and AI fresh, keyword-relevant content about your services. Consistency matters more than volume: a steady weekly rhythm beats an occasional burst followed by months of silence.

Question 11

What is a citation in local SEO?

Accepted Answer

A citation is any online mention of your business's name, address, and phone number, on directories like Yelp, Apple Maps, and industry sites. Consistent citations across many trusted platforms tell search engines and AI that your business is real, established, and reliable. Inconsistent or missing citations weaken that trust and your visibility.

Question 12

Can a bad website hurt my visibility in AI search?

Accepted Answer

Yes. If your site is slow, not mobile-friendly, or built so an AI cannot read it (for example, content hidden behind JavaScript or buried inside images), engines may struggle to understand and trust it. A clear, fast, server-rendered site with structured data is far easier for AI to read, quote, and recommend.

Question 13

How do I know if customers are finding me through AI?

Accepted Answer

Look for three signals. First, check your server logs for visits from AI crawlers like GPTBot and PerplexityBot. Second, ask the major engines your customers' real questions and see if they name you. Third, ask new customers how they found you. Because AI referrals are hard to track perfectly, combine these rather than relying on one.

Question 14

Does my website need to be mobile-friendly for AI?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Most local searches happen on phones, and Google uses mobile-first indexing, so a site that works poorly on mobile is at a real disadvantage in both search and AI answers. A fast, mobile-friendly, easy-to-read site is one of the baseline requirements for being found and recommended.

Question 15

Does social media help my local SEO and AI visibility?

Accepted Answer

Indirectly, yes. Social media is not a direct ranking factor, but active, consistent profiles reinforce that your business is real and established, send people to your site, and create more places your name, address, and phone appear consistently. It supports the trust signals AI weighs, even if it is not the main driver.

Question 16

Is AEO worth it for a one-person business?

Accepted Answer

It can be, especially if you rely on local customers finding you. The same fundamentals that help AEO, a clear site, a strong Google profile, real reviews, and consistent details, also bring in calls today. A solo operator with limited time often benefits most from having it done for them, so marketing does not compete with the work.

Question 17

Do I need AEO if I already rank well on Google?

Accepted Answer

Probably yes. Ranking on Google's blue links is not the same as being the business an AI assistant names when someone asks who to hire. More customers now ask ChatGPT, Gemini, and Google's own AI first, and those answers can skip the traditional rankings entirely. Strong Google rankings help, but they no longer ensure you are the answer.

Question 18

What's the difference between the map pack and organic results?

Accepted Answer

The map pack is the boxed set of three local businesses with a map, ranked mainly by your Google Business Profile, reviews, and proximity. Organic results are the traditional blue links below it, ranked mainly by your website's content and authority. Local businesses usually want both, plus a place in the AI answers that now sit above them.

Question 19

Can I do AEO myself?

Accepted Answer

Yes. None of it is secret: a clear, fast website, a complete Google Business Profile, steady real reviews, consistent business details, structured data, and content that answers your customers' questions. The catch is that it is ongoing weekly work while the AI engines keep changing, so the real question is whether your time is better spent on the marketing or on the jobs.

Question 20

How much does it cost to get my business recommended by ChatGPT?

Accepted Answer

You cannot buy the recommendation itself; ChatGPT does not sell placement. What you pay for is the work that earns it. Doing it yourself costs mainly your time. A done-for-you service that handles your site, profile, reviews, and content typically runs about $900 to $2,500 a month, depending on whether a new website is included and how many areas you cover.

Question 21

How do I prove my marketing is actually working?

Accepted Answer

Tie every result to evidence, not adjectives. Track calls and booked jobs, logged visits from AI crawlers, your appearance when you run real customer questions across the engines, and your map-pack visibility over time. A trustworthy provider shows you the proof behind each number rather than a vanity percentage in a slide.

Question 22

Should I trust an agency that promises me rankings?

Accepted Answer

No. No one controls whether Google or an AI engine ranks or names you, so a promised position or placement is a red flag, not a selling point. A trustworthy partner does the real work, explains what they cannot control, and proves results with evidence. If the pitch leans on promised rankings, walk away.

Question 23

How fast can I get more calls from this?

Accepted Answer

It varies, and anyone promising results in days is not being honest. Profile and review improvements can show within weeks. Being named consistently across AI and climbing the map pack usually builds over a few months and depends on your market and competition. The trust these engines reward accumulates, so the gains compound over time.

Straight answers about getting found by AI.

AI and your business

Google and local visibility

Getting found

Doing AEO

Proof and trust