Blog · · 2 min read
We asked AI to recommend
a dentist in Austin, Texas
Short answer: each AI gives its own list. 40 answers named 72 different dentists, and 25 of them came up only once. The answers read businesses’ own websites in 73% of cases, so what your own site says matters.
- 40
- AI answers we counted
- 72
- Different dentists named
- 0
- Named by all 4 AIs
- 43%
- Same names when asked twice
How we asked
- “Recommend a dentist in Austin, Texas.”
- “What are the best dentists in Austin, Texas?”
- “Which dentist in Austin, Texas has good reviews?”
- “I just moved to Austin, Texas. Which dentist should I go to?”
- “Compare a few dentists in Austin, Texas for me.”
How many places came up?
Each answer named about 6.6 dentists. Together the 40 answers named 72 different places.
The most-named place came up in 19 of 40 answers. 25 places came up in just one answer.
17 places were named by two or more of the four AIs. 0 were named by all four.
| AI | Answers | Names per answer | Different names | Answers citing a business’s own site |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT | 10 | 2.7 | 13 | 8 |
| Gemini | 10 | 7.1 | 26 | 10 |
| Claude | 10 | 9.2 | 33 | 7 |
| Perplexity | 10 | 7.3 | 26 | 4 |
FwdLink’s own measurement, 8 November 2026: 5 English questions × 4 AIs (ChatGPT with web search, Gemini with Google Search, Claude with web search, Perplexity Sonar) × 2 repeats = 40 planned, 40 collected. Market: US. Business names were read from each answer by an AI model and merged when they were the same place; we do not publish them.
Ask twice, get a different list
We asked every question twice. On average only 43% of the names were the same both times.
So one answer is like one roll of the dice. To know whether AI really names you, ask several times and count.
Where did the AIs look?
The answers cited 65 different websites, 226 citations in all. This table groups them by kind.
| Kind of site | Citations | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Businesses’ own websites | 106 | 47% |
| Review and ranking sites | 56 | 25% |
| Booking, map and listing sites | 40 | 18% |
| Blogs, forums and social | 10 | 4% |
| Government and associations | 8 | 4% |
| News and magazines | 6 | 3% |
Same answers. Each cited website was labelled once by an AI model.
Sites the AIs read most
Not counting businesses’ own websites, these sites were cited most: toprateddentist.com (19), opencare.com (11), zocdoc.com (11), reddit.com (10), yelp.com (10), dentistsranked.com (7). The number is how many answers cited the site.
How a dentist can get named
- Say clearly on your own website what you do, where you are, who you treat or serve, and your prices. AI read businesses’ own sites in 73% of these answers.
- Keep your facts the same on the sites AI reads, like toprateddentist.com, opencare.com, zocdoc.com.
- Ask the same questions again after 2 to 4 weeks, more than once, and count.
- The free check asks 10 questions to 4 AIs, twice each, and shows the answers and the pages they read.
Questions people ask
Which dentist in Austin, Texas does AI recommend?
It depends on the AI and on the moment. 40 answers named 72 different places, 0 of them in all four AIs, and only 43% of names repeated when we asked the same question twice.
Where does AI get its recommendations?
From the web pages it reads at that moment. In these answers 47% of citations went to businesses’ own websites; the rest went to booking, review, community and news sites.
How can my dentist show up?
Put clear facts on your own site, keep them the same on the sites AI reads, then ask again in 2 to 4 weeks. Free check