Blog · · 2 min read
We asked AI to recommend
a plumber in Denver, Colorado
Short answer: each AI gives its own list. 40 answers named 44 different plumbers, and 10 of them came up only once. The answers read businesses’ own websites in 93% of cases, so what your own site says matters.
- 40
- AI answers we counted
- 44
- Different plumbers named
- 3
- Named by all 4 AIs
- 45%
- Same names when asked twice
How we asked
- “Recommend a plumber in Denver, Colorado.”
- “What are the best plumbers in Denver, Colorado?”
- “Which plumber in Denver, Colorado has good reviews?”
- “I just moved to Denver, Colorado. Which plumber should I go to?”
- “Compare a few plumbers in Denver, Colorado for me.”
How many places came up?
Each answer named about 5.8 plumbers. Together the 40 answers named 44 different places.
The most-named place came up in 29 of 40 answers. 10 places came up in just one answer.
21 places were named by two or more of the four AIs. 3 were named by all four.
| AI | Answers | Names per answer | Different names | Answers citing a business’s own site |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT | 10 | 2.8 | 12 | 8 |
| Gemini | 10 | 6.2 | 21 | 10 |
| Claude | 10 | 9 | 29 | 9 |
| Perplexity | 10 | 5.4 | 16 | 10 |
FwdLink’s own measurement, 10 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 Business names were read from each answer by an AI model and merged when they were the same place; we do not publish them.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 45% 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 47 different websites, 211 citations in all. This table groups them by kind.
| Kind of site | Citations | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Businesses’ own websites | 91 | 43% |
| Review and ranking sites | 44 | 21% |
| Booking, map and listing sites | 28 | 13% |
| Other | 19 | 9% |
| News and magazines | 13 | 6% |
| Blogs, forums and social | 10 | 5% |
| Government and associations | 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: consumeraffairs.com (15), angi.com (13), reddit.com (10), local.yahoo.com (9), yelp.com (9), firstindenver.com (9). The number is how many answers cited the site.
How a plumber 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 93% of these answers.
- Keep your facts the same on the sites AI reads, like consumeraffairs.com, angi.com, reddit.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 plumber in Denver, Colorado does AI recommend?
It depends on the AI and on the moment. 40 answers named 44 different places, 3 of them in all four AIs, and only 45% 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 43% of citations went to businesses’ own websites; the rest went to booking, review, community and news sites.
How can my plumber 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