Cherie CK and Jones

When someone asks ChatGPT or Perplexity “who’s the best [service] near me,” a name comes back in the answer. Not a list of links. A name. A recommendation.

Here’s what most small business owners don’t realise: that recommendation isn’t random. AI engines are checking specific things before they decide who to suggest.

Four signals come up consistently across all three platforms:
1️⃣ Your Google Business Profile Complete, accurate, and regularly updated. For Google AI Overviews, this alone accounts for 25% of the recommendation decision. If it’s half-finished, you’re invisible.
2️⃣ Reviews - but not just the star rating AI engines read what your reviews actually say. Specific mentions of services, outcomes, and staff carry far more weight than a string of “great service!” five-stars. Businesses with 4.5+ stars and 100+ detailed reviews appear in AI shortlists 3.7x more often.
3️⃣ Third-party mentions Your own website barely counts here. AI engines want to see other sources - directories, industry sites, press mentions - talking about you. The more places you appear consistently, the more confident the AI is in recommending you.
4️⃣ Clear, specific content on your site Pages that answer real customer questions in plain language. A clear explanation of what you do, who you help, and where you operate. Vague or outdated content gets passed over.
None of this is complicated. But most small businesses haven’t checked any of it.

Have you searched for your own business in ChatGPT or Perplexity recently? Drop a comment - happy to share what to look for.

5 things to stop doing today if you want to be found in 2026.
1. Hiding your prices. If a machine can’t find the number, it can’t recommend you to someone with a budget.
2. Putting your services inside images. Gorgeous, and completely invisible.
3. Writing “we’re passionate about” instead of what you actually do. Nobody searches for passionate.
4. Ignoring your Google Business Profile. Half of it is empty and it’s feeding every local AI answer about you.
5. Having no page that answers a real question a client actually asks.
Every single one of those makes you harder to recommend. And every single one is free to fix.
👉🏼 Follow . I post the free fixes, not the sales pitch.

Your dream client already asked AI who to book. You just weren’t in the answer.
“Who should I book - Menopause coach for women over 40.”
Don’t type your own business name. That’s cheating, and it tells you nothing.
Whatever comes back is your real competition. Those are the businesses AI is quietly handing your clients to, every single day, while you’re busy posting.
If you’re not on that list, you’re not just invisible on Google. You’re invisible to the thing people ask first now.
Run it tonight. Screenshot what comes back. That screenshot is your starting point.
👉🏼 Follow . I break down how to show up in AI search before your competitor does, one thing at a time.

Ask AI this tonight. It’s brutal. 🙀
Open ChatGPT and type the exact sentence your dream client would type.
“Best beauty spa in Brighton.”
“Menopause coach for women over 40.”
Don’t type your own business name. That’s cheating, and it tells you nothing.
Whatever comes back is your real competition. Those are the businesses AI is quietly handing your clients to, every single day, while you’re busy posting.
If you’re not on that list, you’re not just invisible on Google. You’re invisible to the thing people ask first now.
Run it tonight. Screenshot what comes back. That screenshot is your starting point.
👉🏼 Follow . I break down how to show up in AI search before your competitor does, one thing at a time.