What would your customer ask?
Use the words a customer would use to find your service, in your market. Run that question in the AI platforms relevant to your customers. Note who appears, who does not, and which sources the answer cites.
What does the answer get right?
If it mentions you, check the description. If it names someone else, look at the evidence behind that recommendation. One answer is a starting point for investigation, not a durable visibility score or proof that you have won the market.
What will you do with the gap?
Decide whether you will do the work yourself or bring in help. Either way, start with clear information about your business, useful answers grounded in your experience, and evidence people can verify. Keep a dated record of the same questions over time. AI-search visibility takes ongoing work; no single update guarantees you a recommendation.
Sources
Sources
- BrightLocal, Local Consumer Review Survey 2026, AI and trust findings, published March 10, 2026. 1,002 US adult consumers. Use of AI for local business recommendations rose from 6% in 2025 to 45%.
- Google Search Central, "AI features and your website," last updated July 10, 2026.
- Jeff Fargo, Fargo Factor Insight: Why AI Recommends Your Competitor When You Know More
- Jeff Fargo, Fargo Factor Insight: Stop Using AI as a Search Engine
Transcript
Verbatim from the Fargo Walks clip, as recorded.
45% of people are currently using AI when searching for local business. Last year that number was 6%. Your customer is using ChatGPT to find you. The question is, are you there? Look, see where you rank right now on whatever platform you think your clientele is using. There's one of three ways you can rank. Number one is put in the time to learn how to do it and do it yourself. You're looking at about ten, probably more like 15 hours for a week to learn how to do it, and then within months, hopefully, depending on your vertical, you can rank. Number two, you hire somebody. You have the budget. Call it 10% of your monthly gross income. And that's my number. That's not vetted. That's just what I say you should be doing. Or third, you do nothing. You bitch and moan and complain. Oh, woe is me. I'm overwhelmed by the online leads and AI is bullshit and I don't know what to do. Woe is me. And if you're in that lane, Amazon is hiring. Go work in a distribution center. But I'm telling you, the good news is this: the barrier to entry has never been lower for you to be recognized for online search. It will take you, depending on your vertical, but the odds are it will take you sooner to get recognized through AI search with a proper program and strategy over traditional Google SEO. The opportunity is there. The question is when and how are you going to take advantage of it. Go forth.