Tayyab HussainSEO & AI search Contact
Research

Learning in public.

Studies and field notes on what gets a business found by Google and recommended by AI. Real data where I have it, every number linked to its source.

StudyA question, my data, its limits Field noteOne finding from real work, short

StudyAI search

How do ChatGPT and other AI tools choose local businesses? I checked 1,352 picks against Google Maps

I asked five AI tools 24 local questions and checked all 1,352 businesses they named against Google Maps. ChatGPT followed Google most. Every tool liked businesses with lots of reviews.

3 October 2026
The short answer

Mostly from the businesses Google Maps already shows, but not in Google’s order. On 2 October 2026 I asked ChatGPT 24 local questions, three times each. 70% of the 540 businesses it named were in Google Maps’ top 20 for the same search. Gemini, Claude, Perplexity and Google’s own AI Mode followed Maps less, at 35% to 50%. But all five had the same habit: their picks typically had more than twice the reviews of the ones they skipped.

Send me your URL.

I’ll tell you what Google and AI actually see when they look at Your Brand, and what I’d fix first.

Send it

No obligation. If we’re a good fit, we’ll plan the next step together. If not, the findings are still yours to keep.