Matt Turley, Continuum. Updated November 5, 2026.
What the answers actually read, what we measured, and what to do about a competitor who keeps getting named.
ChatGPT tends to name the businesses that other websites write about, not the ones with the best own site. Your competitor is probably listed, reviewed and mentioned in more of the directories, review sites and lists the answer reads. In our research most citations for local trades went to directories and review sites.
When ChatGPT searches the web for an answer, it reads a few pages and names the businesses described on them. A business with a thin presence off its own site has little for the tool to quote. A competitor with listings, reviews and mentions across several sites gives it plenty.
In our research across 17 Dallas trades, 27.9% of citations on average went to directories and review sites. For software categories, 54.3% of citations went to best-of lists. Those are other people’s pages, not the business’s own site. The data and method are in Who AI recommends in 2026.
It does not mean the competitor is better, and it does not mean they paid for it. None of the answers we logged mentioned an ad. It means their presence on the sites the tool reads is stronger. The research logs who was named on a given day; it is not a ranking of quality.
The free AI visibility check shows whether the tools name you today. The AI Answer Check lists who is named instead and which sites were read. If you want the listing work done for you, that is Get Users.
Enter your business and the free check asks four AI engines the questions your customers ask, then shows whether you were named. No signup. It is a first look; the paid reports repeat each question several times.
Run the free AI visibility check. Or book a call and talk it through.