On 2026-10-21 we sent three local questions to the five assistants we track: an accountant for a small business in Manchester, a dentist in Austin for a new patient, and a plumber for a boiler repair in Leeds.
| Question | ChatGPT | Perplexity | Gemini | Claude | Google AI Overviews |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Who is the best accountant for a small business in Manchester? | 2 sources | 10 sources | 10 sources | declined to name a business | 3 sources |
| Which dentist in Austin should I go to as a new patient? | 4 sources | 10 sources | 5 sources | declined to name a business | no answer |
| Which plumber should I call for a boiler repair in Leeds? | 2 sources | 10 sources | 7 sources | declined to name a business | 3 sources |
ChatGPT named businesses in all three answers and showed where each fact came from. For the dentist it quoted a 5.0 rating from 191 reviews on Healthgrades and a 4.92 from 295 reviews on Zocdoc. For the plumber it listed Checkatrade scores and review counts. For the accountant it cited a Clutch directory page and a local "best accountants" roundup. It did not cite a single business's own website.
Perplexity cited ten sources per question, a mix of directories (Zocdoc, TrustATrader, Which? Trusted Traders, Clutch) and the firms' own sites. Gemini named firms too, but returned its citations as redirect links we could not read. Google AI Overviews showed a local pack with Google ratings for the accountant and the plumber, and nothing at all for the dentist.
Claude was the exception. It declined all three times, said it had no access to current listings, and told the user to check Google reviews, Yelp or Healthgrades instead.
What this means for a local business
The assistants are not reading your website first. They read the directory or review platform for your trade and repeat its rating, its review count and its description of you. The site that gets you recommended is the one ChatGPT already trusts for your category: Healthgrades or Zocdoc for clinics, Checkatrade or TrustATrader for trades, Clutch for agencies, and your Google Business Profile for the AI Overviews pack.
Three questions on one day are a small sample, and a different trade or city will cite different directories. Ask the assistants your own question in a fresh session and write down which site each one cites. That list is your to-do list.
