How do I find out if ChatGPT is recommending my business or my competitors?
Ask ChatGPT the unbranded questions your customers ask — "what's the best [category] for [need]", "who should I use for [service]" — and read which businesses it names. Run each question several times because answers vary. To turn this into a clear scoreboard, an AI visibility tool like CiteLens runs these prompts at scale and shows your mention rate against each competitor, plus the sources ChatGPT used to pick them.
Key takeaways
- Test with unbranded buying questions, not your company name — that's how real customers ask.
- Note who ChatGPT names instead of you; those are the competitors winning the recommendation.
- Repeat each prompt to get a reliable picture; one answer isn't representative.
- CiteLens turns this into a head-to-head mention rate plus the sources behind each recommendation.
Ask the way your customers ask
People rarely type your brand name into ChatGPT before they've chosen you — they ask for a recommendation. So test the decision-stage prompts: "best [category] in [city]", "most reliable [product] for [use case]", "alternatives to [a known competitor]". Whoever ChatGPT names in those answers is winning the moment of choice.
Keep a simple tally: for each prompt, did it name you, a competitor, both, or no one? Patterns emerge fast — often a handful of rivals dominate while you're absent on the exact questions that matter most.
From spot-check to scoreboard
Manual testing reveals the problem; it doesn't measure it. To know whether you're gaining or losing, you need the same prompts run repeatedly and scored. That's what an AI visibility platform does.
CiteLens shows your mention rate next to each competitor across ChatGPT and other engines, flags the prompts where a rival overtook you, and surfaces the sources ChatGPT cited — so you can see not just that a competitor is recommended, but why, and where to intervene.
Measure your brand in AI answers
CiteLens tracks your brand across ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude and Google AI Overviews — where you're named, where rivals lead, and which sources to win. Start free.
Frequently asked questions
Does ChatGPT recommend specific businesses?
Yes. For many category and 'best of' questions ChatGPT names specific brands and businesses, especially with browsing enabled, drawing on the sources it can find about your market.
How do I see who it recommends instead of me?
Ask the unbranded buying questions in your category and note the names. A tool like CiteLens automates it and ranks each competitor by how often they're named versus you.
Can I influence what ChatGPT recommends?
Indirectly, yes — by earning presence on the sources ChatGPT draws from (reviews, editorial, authoritative listings) and making your own pages clear and citable. That's the core of generative engine optimization.