Research
We put the questions Brisbane customers ask about plumbers, electricians, accountants, dentists, physios and mortgage brokers to ChatGPT, Perplexity and Claude through their APIs. Here is who they named, which websites they cited, and what the named businesses had in common.
26 of 72businesses were never named in any of the 36 answers for their trade
216AI answers read, 36 for each trade
90%of the answers that named a business linked to its own website
See what AI says about your business
Key findings
- 26 of the 72 businesses were never named by ChatGPT, Perplexity or Claude in any of the 36 answers for their trade.
- When an answer named a business, it linked to that business's own website 90% of the time. All 46 named businesses had their site linked at least once.
- The rated ChatGPT listings linked 141 business websites, including 21 of the 72 we sampled.
- Businesses higher in the Google results we selected from were named more often. Those in the top three were named in 4.5 answers on average, and those 11th or further down in 2.7.
- Each trade had its own listing sites. Dentists' answers cited Doctify, plumbers' cited Localsearch and hipages, and mortgage brokers' cited ourtop10 and RateMyAgent.
How many businesses did AI never name?
Named at least once, by trade (12 businesses each)
Physiotherapists6 never named
Dentists5 never named
Mortgage brokers5 never named
Accountants4 never named
Plumbers4 never named
Electricians2 never named
Named at least onceNever named
More than half of the 72 came up in two answers or fewer. Only 3 were named in a third of the answers or more.
Which businesses did AI name most?
The most-named business in each trade, out of 36 answers, with its position in the Google results we selected from.
Mortgage brokers
MC Mortgage Solutions
22 of 3613th on Google
Physiotherapists
Barefoot Physiotherapy
12 of 369th on Google
Accountants
Y&S Accounting and Empire Accountants
11 of 36 each5th and 3rd on Google
Plumbers
Jetset Plumbing
10 of 362nd on Google
Dentists
Brisbane Smiles
9 of 3612th on Google
Electricians
Crusader Electrical & Air
6 of 368th on Google
We haven't published the names of the other businesses.
What did the named businesses have in common?
AI cited their own website
How often an answer linked to a business's own website
90%of answers that named the business (205 of 228)
4%of answers that didn't name it (86 of 2,364)
Businesses higher in the Google results we selected from were named more often
Average answers naming a business, by its Google position
ChatGPT listed highly rated businesses
ChatGPT showed 302 business listings with a star rating and review count, in 60 of its 72 answers. 98% were rated 4.5 stars or higher, and the median listing had 70 reviews.
Which websites did AI cite?
Most answers cited business websites. About a third also drew on listing and review sites: Localsearch, Word of Mouth, ourtop10, ProductReview, Doctify, Airtasker, hipages and Starworks.
Where each engine's links pointed
ChatGPT
17%61%22%
Perplexity
18%68%14%
Claude
18%78%4%
The 72 businesses' own sitesOther websitesListing and review sites
The listing sites cited most for each trade, in answers out of 36:
| Trade | Listing sites cited most |
|---|---|
| Dentists | Doctify (7) |
| Plumbers | Localsearch (7), hipages (6) |
| Mortgage brokers | ourtop10 (7), RateMyAgent (6) |
| Accountants | Word of Mouth, Oneflare and ourtop10 (4 each) |
| Electricians | Airtasker (4), Localsearch and hipages (3 each) |
| Physiotherapists | Fresha (4), Healthshare, Starworks and Doctify (3 each) |
Which AI engine named local businesses most?
Times each engine named one of the 72 businesses
How to get your business named by AI
- Say what you do and where, on your own site.AI linked to the named business's own website in 90% of the answers that named it. Give each service and suburb a plain page.
- Make sure AI can read your site.Of the 26 businesses never named, 21 never had their site linked in any answer. Check that AI crawlers can reach your pages with our free crawler checker.
- Keep your rating and reviews up.ChatGPT showed a star rating beside most businesses it listed, and 98% of those had 4.5 stars or more.
- Get listed where AI looks for your trade.Start with the listing sites in the table above.
- Check what AI says about you.The free scan asks two AI engines two buyer questions and shows whether they name your business.
How we measured it
- Businesses: 12 per trade, selected from Google results for searches like “plumber Brisbane”, with their position in those results. This is a sample of 72 businesses, not every business in Brisbane. We name only the most-named business in each trade.
- Questions: six per trade, written the way a Brisbane customer asks. None names a business. The full list is below.
- AI engines: each question went twice to ChatGPT (GPT-4.1 mini), Perplexity (Sonar) and Claude (Haiku 4.5) through their APIs, which makes 36 answers per trade and 216 in total. Answers in the apps people use can differ.
- Counting: a business counts as named only when the answer's text names it. A link to its site on its own doesn't count. Across all 216 answers, the 72 businesses were named 228 times.
- Links: 182 answers carried links, 3,324 in total across 509 websites.
- Date: answers collected on 2 October 2026. Page updated 4 October 2026.
The 36 questions
Accountants
- Who are the best accountants in Brisbane for a small business?
- Can you recommend a tax accountant in Brisbane?
- Which Brisbane accounting firm should I use for bookkeeping and BAS?
- I'm starting a business in Brisbane. Which accountant should I talk to?
- Who's a good accountant in Brisbane for sole traders?
- Which accountants in Brisbane are best for property investors?
Plumbers
- Who's the best plumber in Brisbane?
- I need an emergency plumber in Brisbane tonight. Who should I call?
- Can you recommend a plumber in Brisbane for a blocked drain?
- Which Brisbane plumbers install and repair hot water systems?
- Who's a reliable plumber for a bathroom renovation in Brisbane?
- Which plumbing companies in Brisbane do gas fitting?
Electricians
- Who's the best electrician in Brisbane?
- Can you recommend an emergency electrician in Brisbane?
- Which Brisbane electricians install solar panels and batteries?
- Who should I use to install an EV charger at home in Brisbane?
- I need my switchboard upgraded in Brisbane. Which electrician should I call?
- Which electricians in Brisbane do commercial work?
Dentists
- Who's the best dentist in Brisbane?
- Can you recommend an emergency dentist in Brisbane?
- Which Brisbane dentists are good for children?
- Where can I get teeth whitening in Brisbane?
- Which dentists in Brisbane do dental implants?
- I'm nervous about the dentist. Which Brisbane dentist is gentle with anxious patients?
Physiotherapists
- Who's the best physio in Brisbane?
- Can you recommend a sports physio in Brisbane?
- Which Brisbane physiotherapists treat back pain?
- I need rehab after knee surgery in Brisbane. Which physio should I see?
- Which physios in Brisbane offer dry needling?
- Where can I find a physio in Brisbane who does Pilates?
Mortgage brokers
- Who's the best mortgage broker in Brisbane?
- Can you recommend a mortgage broker in Brisbane for a first home buyer?
- Which Brisbane mortgage brokers help with refinancing?
- I'm self-employed. Which mortgage broker in Brisbane should I talk to?
- Who's a good mortgage broker in Brisbane for investment property loans?
- Which mortgage brokers in Brisbane have access to the most lenders?