Claude, Gemini, and ChatGPT: Which AI Recommends Your Business?
We asked Claude, Gemini, and ChatGPT to recommend local businesses. The results were surprising. Here's what we learned.
We ran an experiment. We asked three of the biggest AI assistants the same set of local business questions and compared their answers. The goal: find out which AI engines are recommending local businesses, how they choose who to recommend, and what you can do to get included.
The three contenders: Claude (Anthropic), Gemini (Google), and ChatGPT (OpenAI).
The Test
We asked each AI the same 10 questions about local businesses across five cities:
- “Best Italian restaurant in [city]”
- “Recommend a reliable plumber in [city]”
- “Top-rated dentist near [neighborhood]”
- “Where should I get my car detailed in [city]?”
- “Best coffee shop for working in [city]”
Plus five more covering home services, retail, healthcare, legal, and personal services.
We evaluated each response on: specificity of recommendations, accuracy of information, citation of sources, and whether they recommended real, verifiable businesses.
The Results
ChatGPT: The Most Willing to Recommend
ChatGPT was the most aggressive about naming specific businesses. It confidently recommended 2-4 businesses per query, often including addresses, phone numbers, and brief descriptions.
Strengths:
- Named specific businesses in most responses
- Included practical details (hours, location, specialties)
- Acknowledged when its information might be outdated
Weaknesses:
- Some recommendations were based on older data
- Occasionally recommended businesses that had closed
- Didn’t always cite sources
This matches what we found in our earlier ChatGPT vs Google plumber test.
Gemini: The Google Data Advantage
Gemini had a natural advantage: access to Google’s data ecosystem, including Business Profiles, reviews, and real-time information.
Strengths:
- Most accurate and current information
- Pulled directly from Google reviews and GBP data
- Included star ratings and review counts
- Recommendations closely matched Google Map Pack results
Weaknesses:
- Sometimes felt like it was just reading Google search results aloud
- Less conversational than ChatGPT
- Occasionally hedged with “based on Google reviews” caveats
Claude: The Most Cautious
Claude was the most careful about recommendations. It tended to describe what to look for in a business rather than naming specific ones, though when it did recommend, the choices were generally well-reasoned.
Strengths:
- Thoughtful explanations of what makes a good choice
- When it did recommend, choices were well-supported
- Transparent about limitations in its knowledge
Weaknesses:
- Less likely to name specific businesses
- Fewer practical details (addresses, hours)
- More useful for general advice than specific recommendations
What Determines Who Gets Recommended?
After analyzing the patterns across all three AI engines, clear factors emerged:
1. Review volume and quality. All three AIs referenced review data. Businesses with more reviews (and more detailed reviews) got recommended more often.
2. Consistent online presence. Businesses that showed up across multiple data sources (Google, Yelp, industry directories, their own website) were recommended more frequently.
3. Content specificity. Businesses with detailed websites describing their services, specialties, and areas served were easier for AIs to recommend confidently.
4. Third-party mentions. Being mentioned in “best of” lists, local media, and industry publications increased the likelihood of recommendation across all three platforms.
5. Recency. Recent reviews, recent content, and recently updated business information carried more weight.
What You Should Do
Based on our experiment, here’s the playbook for getting recommended by AI assistants:
Optimize for Google first. Gemini pulls from Google data, and ChatGPT also references Google’s ecosystem. A strong Google Business Profile is your foundation.
Build review depth everywhere. Don’t just collect Google reviews. Build your presence on Yelp, Facebook, and industry-specific platforms.
Get mentioned in third-party content. “Best of” lists, local media features, and industry publications all feed into AI recommendations. This was a core strategy in our AI citation guide.
Make your website specific and factual. Generic marketing copy doesn’t help AI recommend you. Specific details about your services, areas, and expertise do.
Keep everything current. Outdated information gets you skipped. Update your profiles, website, and content regularly.
The Bigger Takeaway
AI recommendations are becoming a significant source of business discovery, and each AI engine has different strengths and data sources. The good news: the fundamentals of good local SEO (complete profiles, strong reviews, specific content, multi-platform presence) work across all of them.
You don’t need a separate strategy for each AI. You need one strong strategy that covers the signals they all value.
For a deeper comparison of AI search platforms, check out our Perplexity vs ChatGPT vs Google comparison.
Want to find out which AI engines are recommending your business (and which aren’t)? Reach out to us for a GEO audit that tests your visibility across every major AI platform.