The get-cited checklist

• Ask ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity your customers' question two ways: “Who's the best [service] in [town]?” and “I need a [service] in [town], who would you recommend?”
• Write down every website they link to, and how often each one comes up.
• Sort them: directories and review sites, best-of lists, news sites, and businesses' own sites.

• Bing Places and Apple Business Connect, next to your Google profile.
• Yelp, the BBB, Facebook, Nextdoor and your chamber of commerce.
• The lead sites AI cited for your trade, like Thumbtack or Angi. Check what's free before you sign up for anything.
• On each: claim the listing that's there before creating one, use exactly the same name, address and phone, fill in every field, and link to your website.

• The sites AI cited that only cover your trade (Avvo for lawyers, Carfax for mechanics, Houzz for landscapers).
• The sites that list your top competitors but not you.
• Your trade association, your state licensing board's lookup, and the dealer or installer finder of each brand you carry.
• Add your licences, certifications and specialties: that's what these sites rank on.

For each list AI cites that doesn't include you: read how it picks, then send whoever runs it a short note. Follow up once after two weeks, then leave it. Never pay for a placement that isn't disclosed to readers.

• Note your rating and review count on the review sites AI cites for your trade.
• Pick one besides Google that allows asking, and add its link to your review request.
• Don't ask for Yelp reviews (Yelp doesn't allow it), but keep your Yelp profile complete and reply to the reviews you get.
• Reply to reviews on every site, and never offer anything for one.

• One local award or readers' choice you can honestly enter.
• A story pitch to the local reporter who covers business or home: a big job, a milestone, a seasonal tip.
• A community page you can be listed on: a team, school event or charity you sponsor.
• On Reddit or local forums, post only as yourself, and only to answer real questions.

• Ask the same questions as in step 1, on each assistant, and note which sites they cite now.
• Count how many of those sites mention you, and whether you're named in the answer.
• Update your list of sites, logins and the date you last checked each one.