ChatGPT does not appear to recommend local businesses based on a single fixed ranking factor. Its answers can draw on a combination of relevant, credible and accessible information available across the web.
TL;DR: Growth by Design reviewed 15 East Sussex businesses across accountancy, building services and dentistry. All 15 showed clear local relevance, 93% had visible customer evidence, and 87% clearly named their services or treatments. No single feature guarantees a recommendation; instead, a combination of clear local relevance, specific information, customer testimonials, and other factors plays a role.
To test what works on ChatGPT when a search for business information is made, Growth by Design reviewed 15 East Sussex businesses that appeared in local recommendation searches across accountancy, building services and dentistry.
No single feature makes ChatGPT recommend a local business. In Growth by Design’s review, the businesses appearing most often were supported by clear local relevance, specific service information, visible customer evidence and details that could be confirmed through other credible sources.
Whilst your website remains central, it is not the only place where ChatGPT may find information about your business. When several reliable external sources present an accurate picture, generative search platforms such as ChatGPT have more context to understand what the business offers, where it operates and whether the information is accurate and current.
Key findings from the East Sussex review
Growth by Design reviewed five businesses from each sector. Of the 15 individual businesses that were reviewed, we examined how many displayed each of the below ‘visible signals’, and the results are summarised below:
| Visible signal | Number of businesses | Percentage reviewed |
| Clear East Sussex location or coverage | 15 out of 15 | 100% |
| Customer reviews or testimonials | 14 out of 15 | 93% |
| Specific services or treatments clearly named | 13 out of 15 | 87% |
| Professional credentials or trade membership | 11 out of 15 | 73% |
| Independent directory or third party profile | 10 out of 15 | 67% |
| Named people or individual expertise | 8 out of 15 | 53% |
| Case studies, projects or detailed customer evidence | 7 out of 15 | 47% |
These figures show the characteristics visible around the businesses reviewed. They do not, however, prove that any one feature will cause a company to appear.
The clearest shared characteristics were local relevance, visible customer evidence, current and consistent business information, and detailed descriptions of services or treatments.
How the review was carried out
Growth by Design carried out an exploratory review of local business recommendations produced through ChatGPT Search in July 2026.
The purpose was not to reverse engineer ChatGPT’s internal recommendation process or identify a single ranking factor. It was to examine the publicly visible information surrounding businesses that appeared in relevant local recommendation searches and identify recurring patterns.
The searches used
Representative searches were created for accountancy, building services and dentistry in East Sussex. These reflected the type of questions a potential customer might ask when looking for a local provider.
Examples included:
- Recommend an accountant in East Sussex for a growing small business
- Find an accountant in East Sussex that offers payroll and tax planning
- Recommend a builder in East Sussex for a house extension
- Find an experienced renovation company serving East Sussex
- Recommend a private dentist in East Sussex
- Find a dentist in East Sussex that supports nervous patients.
The wording was deliberately varied to include both broad searches and more specific requests involving a service, customer need or area of expertise.
How often the searches were run
Each representative search was run more than once to account for the fact that generative search results can vary between otherwise similar requests.
The review did not treat one response as evidence of a permanent position. Instead, businesses that appeared across the relevant searches were considered as part of the wider sample.
Five businesses were selected from each sector, creating a total review group of 15 businesses.
Use of ChatGPT Search
ChatGPT Search was enabled so that current web information and cited sources could be included within the responses.
The review focused on businesses surfaced through searches that used live web information, rather than relying only on the model’s existing knowledge.
Location and account context
The searches specified East Sussex in the prompt wording.
No attempt was made to claim that every user would receive the same results. Recommendation responses can be affected by the wording of the request, available web sources, timing, location context and other factors.
The review should therefore be understood as a snapshot of the information surfaced during the research period, rather than a fixed ranking of East Sussex businesses.
How businesses were selected
The first five clearly relevant local businesses identified within each sector were included in the review.
Businesses were excluded where they were not genuinely based in or serving East Sussex, where the result referred primarily to a national directory rather than an identifiable business, or where there was insufficient public information to establish what the company offered.
The businesses were anonymised because the objective was to identify shared characteristics, not to endorse, criticise or rank individual companies.
What information was recorded
For each business, Growth by Design reviewed whether the following information was publicly visible:
- clear location or service area
- specific services or treatments
- customer reviews or testimonials
- named people and individual expertise
- professional qualifications or trade memberships
- case studies, completed projects or detailed customer evidence
- independent directories or third party profiles
- current and consistent business information.
The review recorded whether each type of information was visible. It did not assume that ChatGPT had used every item when producing its response.
ChatGPT citations and wider web research
The sources cited directly within ChatGPT’s responses were recorded where available.
Growth by Design then reviewed the wider public web presence of each business separately. This included the company website, professional profiles, trade body listings, directories, review platforms and other relevant third-party sources.
This distinction is important. A source being publicly available does not prove that ChatGPT relied on it for a particular recommendation. The wider review was used to understand the information surrounding each business, not to claim access to ChatGPT’s internal selection process.
Limitations of the review
This was a small exploratory review rather than a controlled academic study.
It examined 15 businesses across three sectors during a defined period. Results may differ according to the wording of the prompt, the date of the search, available sources, the user’s location, changes to business information and variations between generated responses.
Although the findings identify recurring visible characteristics, they do not prove that any one signal caused a business to be recommended, nor do they provide a formula that guarantees future inclusion.
Are customers using ChatGPT to find local businesses?
Generative search is becoming part of the way people discover and compare local companies.
BrightLocal’s 2026 consumer research found that 45% of those surveyed had used AI tools for local business recommendations, compared with 6% in its previous survey. ChatGPT was the most commonly used individual platform, with 31% of respondents saying they had used it for this purpose.
Someone can now ask ChatGPT to recommend an accountant for a growing business, find a builder experienced in Sussex house extensions or suggest a dentist that supports the care of nervous patients. The answer may provide a shortlist before the person has even visited a single company website.
For your local business, the commercial risk is not simply losing a website visit; the concern is failing to appear among the businesses being considered in the first place.
Where does ChatGPT find information about local businesses?
ChatGPT Search can use current information from the web and provide links to relevant sources. OpenAI states that any public website can appear in ChatGPT Search, provided the content is accessible to its search crawler.
| Source type | Share of sources displayed |
| Business websites | 58% |
| Websites mentioning businesses | 27% |
| Business directories | 15% |
Business websites represented the largest individual source category, but 42% of the displayed sources came from elsewhere.
Your website gives you the clearest opportunity to explain your services, expertise and locations in your own words. Reviews, professional profiles, directories and independent mentions can then help confirm and supplement important details.
What appeared in the accountancy search results?
The accountancy results were strongest where firms clearly explained their services, qualifications and intended customers.
| Result | Evidence visible |
| Result 1 | East Sussex location, detailed business accounting services, credentials and testimonials |
| Result 2 | Multiple local offices, fixed fee information and an independent professional profile |
| Result 3 | Chartered status, clear local coverage and detailed customer evidence |
| Result 4 | Long established local presence, qualifications and testimonials |
| Result 5 | Clear location, small business focus and regulatory information |
All five accountancy results had a clear East Sussex location or stated that they served the area. Four described individual services in detail, including payroll, bookkeeping, VAT, annual accounts, auditing, tax planning and business advice.
Four displayed recognised credentials, while every result included visible reviews, testimonials or other customer evidence.
The clearest companies did not rely only on phrases such as “complete accountancy solutions” or “a personal service”. They explained what support was available and who it was intended to help.
What may make an accountancy firm harder to match with a relevant search?
Broad or vague descriptions provide less information about when an accountancy firm may be relevant to a particular request. A business owner might be looking for payroll support, Making Tax Digital advice, fixed monthly fees, management accounts, limited company tax planning or help with a growing workforce. When these services are properly explained, the firm is easier to connect with a specific request.
Qualifications should also be explained rather than shown only as logos. Testimonials need to be visible online if they are to contribute to the wider evidence surrounding the business; the main opportunity is to connect services, qualifications and experiences with the questions that prospects actually ask.
What appeared in the builder results?
The builder results placed greater emphasis on specific project types, service areas, trade recognition and independent references.
| Result | Evidence visible |
| Result 1 | East Sussex coverage, extension and renovation services and independent comparison coverage |
| Result 2 | Recognised trade membership, conversion expertise and local operating area |
| Result 3 | Dedicated East Sussex page, named towns, project types and trade membership |
| Result 4 | Specialist construction focus, established history and directory presence |
| Result 5 | Location-specific information, renovation services and industry credentials |
All five results clearly stated the areas they covered and the types of work they completed. A recognised trade body, professional directory or independent comparison page also supported four out of five businesses.
The searches became more specific when they referred to a particular project. A request for an extension builder, renovation specialist or period property contractor gave ChatGPT more useful, applicable criteria than a general search for a builder.
What information may be missing from a building company’s online presence?
A gallery may show that the finished work looks impressive, but photographs alone do not explain the company’s contribution to the project. They may not reveal whether the builder managed the entire programme, completed structural alterations, worked with architects and building control, supported the customer through planning, coordinated specialist trades or resolved unexpected problems during the build.
A detailed case study can explain the original requirement, the work completed, the challenges involved and the outcome. Descriptive alternative text can also help explain the subject of an image and improve accessibility, but it should support rather than replace useful written project information.
What appeared in the dental results?
The dental results were closely connected to named treatments, patient feedback and information about individual clinicians.
| Result | Evidence visible |
| Result 1 | East Sussex location, named clinicians, treatment pages and patient testimonials |
| Result 2 | Private dentistry, local coverage, professional experience and customer evidence |
| Result 3 | Location relevance, independent directory profile and verified reviews |
| Result 4 | Strong review rating, location information and named treatments |
| Result 5 | Treatment details, availability, patient guidance and testimonials |
All five practices had clear location information and visible patient feedback. Four clearly named individual treatments, while three provided prominent and relevant information about clinicians and their experience.
A practice that appeared for a general private dentistry search was not necessarily the most relevant result when the request referred to implants, emergency treatment or dental anxiety. Dedicated information addressing a specific treatment or patient concern provided a closer match.
What may make a dental practice less relevant to a specific recommendation request?
Patients are not only choosing a treatment. They are also deciding whether they trust the practice and the clinician who may provide it. Therefore, a brief list of implants, cosmetic dentistry and family care does not answer many of the questions behind a recommendation request. A prospective patient may want to know who will carry out the treatment, what experience they have, what the procedure involves, how nervous patients are supported and whether new patients are being accepted.
Visible clinician information, clear treatment pages and detailed patient feedback can reduce uncertainty before the person makes contact.
Is there a fixed number one position in ChatGPT?
No, there is not; rather, ChatGPT recommendations do not behave like a permanent, ordered list of traditional search results like Google.
SparkToro and Gumshoe.ai carried out 2,961 recommendation tests involving 600 participants, 12 prompts and three generative AI platforms. The research found considerable variation between the recommendation lists produced, even when people were asking similar questions.
One search is therefore not enough to prove that a business has secured a lasting position. The wording of the prompt, the sources available, the location, the timing of the search and variations in the generated response can all affect where and which companies appear.
A more realistic objective is to provide enough relevant information for the business to be considered across a range of suitable, personal, customer searches.
What was the strongest pattern in the review?
The strongest pattern we found was that there was agreement and consistency between multiple sources of information; the businesses reviewed usually had a website that explained their services, accurate local information, visible customer feedback, and some form of professional or third-party support, which were all consistent
Problems are more likely to occur when information conflicts or important evidence is missing. A website may say the company serves East Sussex while external profiles name different areas, or a business may claim specialist expertise without showing relevant qualifications, people, projects or examples.
These gaps affect more than generative search visibility. They can also make the business less convincing to potential customers and reduce the likelihood of someone making contact.
What should your business do next?
Start by checking whether your online presence clearly explains what you do, where you work and why customers should trust you.
Make sure your main services have their own useful pages, supported by accurate location information, customer evidence and relevant expertise. Review your website, Google Business Profile, professional profiles and directory listings for outdated or conflicting details.
Focus on quality rather than volume. A few strong service pages, case studies, reviews and credible external profiles will usually be more useful than large amounts of vague or repetitive content.
The objective is to make your business easier for customers and generative search platforms to understand, verify and consider, while gaining greater commercial value from your website and wider online presence.
What this research cannot prove
This exploratory review examined 15 businesses surfaced across three East Sussex sectors in July 2026. Whilst it identifies common visible characteristics, it does not reveal ChatGPT’s internal source selection process or prove that a particular feature caused a company to appear.
Results may change according to a variety of factors, such as the wording of the prompt, the location requested, the date of the search, the sources available, changes to websites and profiles, the version of the generative search platform and variations between generated responses.
No marketing agency can honestly guarantee that ChatGPT will cite or recommend a business. OpenAI states that public websites can be surfaced when they are accessible to its search crawler, but eligibility does not always guarantee selection. Keeping important business information accurate, current and consistent is likely to support customer confidence and wider search visibility, not only visibility within AI-generated results.
How Growth by Design can help your business
Your business may already have the experience, expertise and customer results that potential customers are looking for. The difficulty is that this evidence may be scattered, outdated or difficult to understand. Growth by Design can help you bring it together into a clearer and more credible online presence.
Some of the common issues we find are that services are often described too broadly, valuable customer outcomes may never have been turned into case studies, and professional profiles may not match the website. Reviews may also be concentrated on one platform, while some of the business’s strongest expertise is barely visible online.
Growth by Design reviews how your business appears across your website, conventional Google results, AI-generated search and recommendations, Google Business Profile, reviews, professional platforms, video, social media and other relevant online sources.
We can then identify where important information is missing or inconsistent, and create a practical plan to strengthen it. This may include clearer service pages, stronger case studies, improved local information, better use of customer evidence, updated professional profiles and original content based on genuine expertise.
It is no longer only about getting Google to find your website. It is about giving ChatGPT, Google AI and your potential customers enough reliable information to understand, trust and recommend your business.
A no-obligation 90-minute marketing review can help you identify where your visibility is strong, where opportunities may be being missed and how to focus your marketing investment more effectively.
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Frequently asked questions about what makes ChatGPT recommend one local business over another
How can a local business make its website easier for ChatGPT to understand?
Make sure the website is clear on what the business does, who it helps, where it works and why customers should trust it. Important services should have their own pages, with useful and relevant detail about the work involved, the type of customer it is suitable for and the problems it solves. Qualifications, experience, customer feedback and completed work should also be easy to find.
Clear headings, sensible page titles, internal links, accurate contact details and descriptive image text all help search platforms understand the business properly. Your website does not need to be written for ChatGPT, but it needs to be written clearly enough for customers and search platforms to understand it without having to piece the information together.
Do Google reviews help a business appear in ChatGPT recommendations?
They can help, but they are only one part of the picture. Reviews help to show that the business is active and that real customers have used its services. Detailed reviews are especially useful because they may mention a service, location, team member or result.
However, strong reviews will not make up for vague website content. They work best when they support clear service pages, case studies, professional profiles and accurate business information across the web.
Why might ChatGPT recommend a competitor with a smaller website?
A competitor may be explaining its business more clearly. A small website with specific service pages, clear local information, named expertise and strong customer evidence can be more useful than a larger website filled with broad or repetitive content.
The competitor may also have better supporting information elsewhere, such as reviews, trade listings, professional profiles or independent mentions. Website (or indeed company) size is not the deciding factor; clear, relevant and well-supported information is more important.
How often should a business update its online information for AI search?
Google Business Profile, services, locations, opening hours, contact details, team members, qualifications, and professional profiles should all be kept accurate and up to date. Case studies, customer questions, new expertise and completed projects can also provide useful reasons to update the website.
No set publishing schedule guarantees better visibility. Regular, useful updates are far more valuable than adding weak content simply to make the website look active. The main priority is making sure the information is current, consistent and easy to verify.
Can a business improve its chances of appearing for more specific ChatGPT searches?
A business may improve its relevance for more specific ChatGPT searches by publishing accurate and useful information about their services, customer needs and locations connected to those requests.
An accountant might explain payroll support, management accounts or tax planning for limited companies. A builder might create detailed pages about extensions, renovations or garage conversions. A dental practice might cover implants, emergency appointments or support for nervous patients.
Specific information gives ChatGPT more to work with than broad claims such as “complete solutions” or “high quality service”. The strongest content reflects real services, genuine expertise and the questions customers are already asking.