AI Visibility Hub
Data note, first edition, September 11, 2026
AI visibility in Illinois, September 2026: 26 percent of local businesses get named
We checked 1,670 local service businesses with a website across 48 Illinois markets against the six questions a buyer asks in their trade and town. 435 of them, 26 percent, were named in at least one answer from ChatGPT, Gemini or Perplexity. The other 1,235 were not named once. These are our own counts from September 9 to 11, 2026, published with the real sample size.
Named at least once, by trade
Businesses with a website, Illinois, six questions per trade and town.
| Trade | Businesses checked | Named at least once | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roofing | 464 | 106 | 23% |
| HVAC | 421 | 117 | 28% |
| Plumbing | 250 | 56 | 22% |
| Auto repair | 221 | 76 | 34% |
| Landscaping | 210 | 43 | 20% |
| Garage doors | 58 | 26 | 45% |
| Windows and doors | 46 | 11 | 24% |
Garage door companies and auto repair shops get named most often, roughly one in three to one in two. Landscapers and plumbers get named least, about one in five. The pattern matches what the assistants cite: trades with strong directory coverage and review volume get pulled into answers, trades where most businesses run a one-page site do not.
Spanish-language sites
139 of the businesses run a Spanish-language site or say on the site that they serve customers in Spanish. 28 of them, 20 percent, were named in at least one answer to the six questions asked in Spanish. That is below the overall rate, and it is the gap we built the Spanish check for.
Questions owners ask
Short answers, no promises.
Where do the businesses come from?
Better Business Bureau listings and Google Places results for each trade and town in Illinois. Only businesses with a website are counted.
What does named mean?
The business appears by name or website in at least one of the eighteen answers for its market, six questions on each of three assistants.
Is this a national number?
No. Illinois only, September 9 to 11, 2026. The next edition adds other states as the counts come in.
Can I see my own business?
Yes. The free check at /ai-check/ runs the same six questions on your website, no account needed.
How the numbers were made
- Business lists came from the Better Business Bureau directory and Google Places for each trade and town. Only businesses with a website are counted.
- For each trade and town we asked ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity six questions written the way a local buyer types them, with live web search on, between September 9 and 11, 2026. The same stored answers back the free check on this site.
- Named means the business appears, by name or website, in at least one of the eighteen answers for its market. Not named means it appears in none.
- Illinois only. The same check runs for any US city, and we will publish the next edition with more states as the counts come in.
Want your own line in this table? Run the free check at /ai-check/. If you want the work done, the pilot is $397 once: start the 14-day pilot.