How AI assistants decide which businesses to recommend

Ask an AI assistant “Who’s the best physio near me?” and you won’t get ten blue links. You’ll get a short answer that names two or three businesses, with a reason for each. If yours isn’t one of them, that customer may never find you.

Where the answer comes from

Assistants don’t keep a list of favourite businesses. They put an answer together from what they can find and what they have learned about you: your own website, your listings on maps and directories, reviews, and what other sites say about you.

That means the answer is only as good as the information behind it. If that information is thin, out of date, or contradicts itself, the assistant has little reason to recommend you, or it may describe you wrongly.

What helps you get recommended

• Say clearly what you do, and where. A page that plainly says “sports physiotherapy in Leeds, with evening appointments” is easier to quote than a vague one.
• Keep your details consistent. Your name, address, opening hours, and services should match everywhere they appear.
• Earn reviews that mention specifics. “Fixed my running injury in three sessions” tells an assistant far more than “Great service”.
• Answer the questions customers ask. Prices, availability, who you help, and what makes you different. If you don’t say it, an assistant can’t repeat it.
• Get mentioned elsewhere. Local press, industry directories, and partner sites all add to the picture an assistant builds of you.

Check before you change anything

Every business starts in a different place. One may be missing entirely; another may be recommended by ChatGPT but passed over by Claude. The first step is to see what each assistant says today, so you fix what matters most first.

That is what Momentous does: it asks the questions your customers ask, shows you where you appear, and tells you what to change when you don’t.