# Locals ask AI. Who gets the customer?

For cafes, salons, trades and clinics. People ask AI for the best place nearby and go to one it names. See if it names you, with a real local case and prices.

By Dasha. Updated November 11 2026. https://heardofyou.io/for/local-businesses

A person new to town opens ChatGPT and types "best pelmeni in Miami". Or "dog groomer near me open Saturday". Or "emergency plumber in [your city]". The AI names two or three places. The person goes to one of them.

If you are not one of the names, you never hear about that customer.

## What people ask about local businesses

Local questions are short and they carry a place in them. A few examples of the kind we would ask for you:

1. **best [what you sell] in [your city]**, for example "best bakery in [your city]"
2. **[service] near me**, for example "hair salon near me that does curly cuts"
3. **where to get [thing] in [neighbourhood]**, for example "where to buy fresh pasta in [neighbourhood]"
4. **[trade] in [your city] who can come today**
5. **[your business name] reviews**, to see what the AI says about you

The free check asks five questions like these, three times each, on ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Perplexity and Muse. That is 75 answers. For each one you see whether you were named, who was named instead and which pages the AI cited.

## A real local case: Daily Dumplings

We ran this on a real one-person business first. [Daily Dumplings](/research/daily-dumplings-case-study) is a home dumpling business in Hollywood, Florida. It sells at a farmers market booth and delivers across Miami-Dade and Broward.

On day 0, before any work, five buyer questions on four AIs named the shop in 5 of 20 answers.

**5 of 20:answers named Daily Dumplings on day 0, before any work started:Our own case study**
| Assistant | Named |
|---|---|
| ChatGPT | 3 of 5 |
| Gemini | 2 of 5 |
| Claude | 0 of 5 |
| Perplexity | 0 of 5 |

The shop's own site was cited in 5 of the 20 answers. ChatGPT and Gemini read it. Claude and Perplexity named other places instead, and they lean on review sites, maps listings and delivery apps for local food questions. That is where the shop was thinnest, so that is where the work went. The case study page gets a new row at day 30 and day 60, whatever the numbers say.

## What matters most for a local business

**Your Google Business Profile.** The right name, hours, service area, photos and category. For local questions this is one of the first places to fix, and it costs nothing.

**Reviews from real customers.** On Google and on the review sites that show up in your answers. Ask at the counter, in your own words. Never buy them.

**Your own website, with plain facts.** What you sell, where you are, your hours, prices, delivery zones. AI can only quote what is written down. Daily Dumplings was named partly because its site says these things plainly.

**The local lists.** "Best brunch in [city]" articles, neighbourhood guides and local Reddit threads. The check shows which ones the AIs actually cite for your questions.

## ChatGPT Business Hub

OpenAI launched [ChatGPT Business Hub](/guides/chatgpt-business-hub) on November 10 2026. It accepts businesses that sell at a physical location. You claim your profile, verify it and see how often ChatGPT mentioned you.

It is worth claiming. But for a small business the mentions chart often shows a dash, because it only reports once you pass a threshold. It does not show the questions, the answers or who was named instead. And it covers ChatGPT only, not Claude, Gemini, Perplexity or Muse. The free check fills those gaps.

## Ask more than once

AI answers move from one run to the next. Across 1,325 sets of three identical questions, the first product named was the same all three times only 73% of the time. One screenshot proves nothing. That is why every question in the check runs three times.

## What we will not do

- Guarantee a mention or a ranking. Nobody honest can.
- Write, buy or swap reviews.
- Make fake accounts or post as a fake customer.
- Hide a paid listing. If a list sells spots, we say so or skip it.

Dasha runs it, reads every report and answers for the result.

## Price

| | What you get | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Free check | 5 questions x 3 runs x 5 AIs = 75 answers, with who was named instead and which pages were cited. By email in 2 working days. | $0 |
| Audit | 25 questions x 3 runs x 5 AIs, plus a written list of the exact listings, review sites and pages to get onto. 2 or 3 missing pages written for you. A re-check at day 30. | $149 ($99 for the founding 20) |
| Project | The work done for you over 90 days, re-checked at day 30, 60 and 90. | $799 |

Full details are on the [pricing page](/pricing).

## Questions

**Do people really ask AI where to eat or who to call?**

Some do, and they ask the way they talk: "best dumplings in Miami", "a plumber near me who can come today". Our own case study asks five questions like that every day. The free check shows you what the AIs say for your town before you spend anything.

**Is my Google Business Profile enough?**

It matters a lot for local questions, and it is the first thing we look at. But each AI reads different places. In our case study, ChatGPT and Gemini named the shop from its website, while Claude and Perplexity named nobody from it. The check shows which sources each AI cited for your questions.

**Should I claim my business in ChatGPT Business Hub?**

If you sell at a physical location, you can, and it is free. It shows how often ChatGPT mentioned you once you pass a threshold. It does not show the questions, the answers or who was named instead, and it covers ChatGPT only. Our guide walks through the setup.

**Can you get me to number one for my town?**

No, and nobody honest can promise that. We find the listings, review sites and pages the AIs read for your questions, help you get onto them with true facts, and re-ask the same questions so you can see what changed.

**Do you write reviews for me?**

Never. No bought reviews, no review swaps, no fake accounts. We help you ask real customers, in their own words.