AI visibility: what it is and why it matters for local businesses

Anyone looking for an electrician, a physiotherapist or a restaurant today no longer only types into Google. Many ask ChatGPT, Gemini or Perplexity: “Which electrician in Linz can you recommend?” The answer is not ten links but a handful of names. AI visibility describes whether your business is one of those names.

What AI visibility means

It means how often, and in what context, an AI assistant names your business when someone asks for a recommendation in your trade in your town. Experts also call the field Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) or Answer Engine Optimization (AEO). It always means the same thing: not appearing in a list of results, but appearing in the answer.

How this differs from classic search

• A results page shows many hits, and an entry in seventh place still has a chance. An AI answer often names only two to five businesses.
• The answer reads like a personal recommendation. Whoever is named gets attention; whoever is missing does not appear in that moment.
• The answer is not the same for everyone. It depends on how the question is worded, on the place, on the time and on the assistant.

Where assistants get their recommendations

Roughly, there are two sources: what a model learned about businesses during training, and what the assistant looks up on the web when it is asked. For local questions, looking things up usually matters more, because opening hours, reviews and new businesses keep changing. Perplexity shows its sources openly; with ChatGPT and Gemini they appear depending on the question.

How exactly the providers weigh their sources is not public. Anyone who offers you a fixed formula, “this is how you get into ChatGPT for sure”, knows no more than everyone else. Honest advice names what raises the likelihood, not guarantees. An overview is in How does ChatGPT come to recommend my business?.

Why a single test says little

Ask the same question twice and the answer can differ. It changes with the wording (“best” or “cheapest” plumber), with the place and with the assistant. The model behind it is also updated from time to time. Missing in one test does not mean you are never named. Appearing once does not mean it will stay that way.

It only becomes meaningful when you ask several typical customer questions at several assistants and count in how many answers your name appears. That share is the figure that matters. How to do it by hand is described in How to check whether AI assistants name your business.

What you can do now

1. Ask the way a customer would, and write down who is named.
2. Check that your name, address, phone number and opening hours read the same everywhere, on your own website and in directories.
3. Keep your Google Business Profile up to date and answer reviews.
4. Describe clearly on your website what you offer and in which area.

How Nennquote measures it

Nennquote asks ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity typical customer questions about your trade and your town, counts in how many answers you appear, and shows which competitors are named instead. The first scan is free. Nennquote does not promise a placement: the results show what the assistants answered at the time of the scan.