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Anonymized sample

AI visibility audit · October 9, 2026 · Anonymized sample

A bookkeeping firm missing from the recommendations.

A bookkeeping firm checked across ChatGPT, Gemini and Google AI Overviews. What appeared, what was missing and where to start.

Firm and website
Withheld
Location
Withheld
Prepared as
A public-information sample, not a client report
Checked in the audit
  • ChatGPT
  • Gemini
  • Google AI Overviews

Summary

Asked by name, ChatGPT described the firm fairly. Asked to recommend a bookkeeper without naming it, ChatGPT didn’t mention it in any of the 21 answers recorded.

0 of 21ChatGPT answers
0 of 21Gemini answers
0 of 7Google AI Overviews

Gemini also recorded no mentions in 21 answers. Google AI Overviews recorded none in seven overviews. These are separate checks, not a combined score.

The answers referred to reviews and published prices when discussing other firms. That suggests information worth checking. It doesn’t prove why a firm appeared.

Important: This sample preserves prompts and result summaries, not the original repeated-run answers. You can review the method and recorded counts here, but you can’t independently check each answer.

Start here

  1. Check the live business profile and review record.
  2. Ask clients for honest reviews.
  3. Publish a useful starting price or range.

Allow about three hours of work, plus waiting for reviews. Time estimates are rough. No change guarantees a future mention.

Questions and counts

A card titled 'Buyer questions' lists three prompt snippets: Monthly bookkeeping, Behind on the books, QuickBooks help. A small companion card titled 'Checked more than once' shows a stack of repeated question cards.

Questions that name the firm. Questions that don’t.

Seven questions asked for a provider without naming the firm. Two asked about the firm directly. Each question was asked three times on ChatGPT and Gemini.

Nine questions, three checks each
Redacted promptSample firmOther firms recorded
Who is a good bookkeeper for a small business in [city]?0 of 3Backyard Bookkeeper, B&B, Book Ease, Avenues Financial (3 of 3 each)
Best bookkeeping firm for contractors in [state]?0 of 3Bookkeeping For Contractors, Integrated Companies, Powerful Whys (3 of 3 each)
I run a small business in [city] and need a bookkeeper. Who would you recommend?0 of 3Backyard Bookkeeper, B&B, Rival B (3 of 3 each)
Tell me about [sample firm] in [city]. Is she any good?Described, 3 of 3Fair, but limited independent evidence; no reviews found in recorded answers
Best bookkeepers for a small service business near [city], I use QuickBooks Online0 of 3Book Ease, B&B, Rival B, Flat Top (3 of 3 each)
Best bookkeeper [city] for a small LLC that is behind on its books0 of 3Backyard Bookkeeper, Book Ease (3 of 3 each)
Independent QuickBooks bookkeeper in [state], ideally a solo practitioner0 of 3Dollar Mountain, Rival B (3 of 3 each)
Best bookkeepers [city] 2026, who should I hire for my small business?0 of 3Book Ease, Avenues Financial, Flat Top (3 of 3 each)
Choosing between [sample firm] and Rival B Bookkeeping, which should I pick?Rival favored, 3 of 3Rival B recommended: more reviews, published pricing

The table is ChatGPT only. Firm and location identifiers are replaced for anonymity. Prompts are shown as redacted versions of the recorded wording, not as new test prompts.

Coverage

Results by assistant

ChatGPT

0 of 21 answers to the seven questions that didn’t name the firm.

27 answers in total: nine questions, three checks each.

Asked by name: described fairly in 3 of 3.

Head-to-head: rival favored in 3 of 3.

Temporary chats, signed in, web search on. Setting shown: Medium. Exact model not displayed.

October 9, 3:50-4:15 PM MDT, plus a replacement for one failed submission on question 8.

Gemini

0 of 21 answers to the seven questions that didn’t name the firm.

27 answers in total: nine questions, three checks each.

Asked by name: described favorably in 3 of 3.

Head-to-head: balanced choice in 3 of 3, rather than an outright rival recommendation.

Temporary chats, signed in, Auto mode, web search.

October 9, 5:22-5:30 PM MDT.

Google AI Overviews

0 of 7 overviews for questions that didn’t name the firm.

Nine searches, one check each. Eight showed an overview. The head-to-head question didn’t.

Asked by name: described favorably.

October 9, 5:41-5:43 PM MDT.

This is a single check per question, not a repeated result.

An earlier ChatGPT check also recorded no mentions across seven questions asked once each. It is a separate test, not a trend or a change in visibility. Claude and Perplexity were not checked.

Evidence

What the record supports.

A report-viewer style panel titled 'Audit record' has three labeled sections, Prompt, Recorded summary and Finding, each filled only with light abstract lines. A companion card titled 'What the record supports' shows blank lines.

Open a question for its redacted prompt and recorded summary. The counts come from the sample audit notes. They are not backed by a full answer archive in this sample.

Q1. Local provider Recorded summary

Redacted prompt: Who is a good bookkeeper for a small business in [city]?

Recorded summary: Backyard Bookkeeper, B&B, Book Ease and Avenues Financial were recorded in 3 of 3 answers each.

Q2. Contractor niche Recorded summary

Redacted prompt: Best bookkeeping firm for contractors in [state]?

Recorded summary: Bookkeeping For Contractors, Integrated Companies and Powerful Whys were recorded in 3 of 3 answers each; TRUEquity in 2 of 3.

Q3. Conversational recommendation Recorded summary

Redacted prompt: I run a small business in [city] and need a bookkeeper. Who would you recommend?

Recorded summary: Backyard Bookkeeper, B&B and Rival B were recorded in 3 of 3; Avenues Financial and S&S in 2 of 3.

Q4. Asked by name Recorded summary

Redacted prompt: Tell me about [sample firm] in [city]. Is she any good?

Recorded summary: The recorded summary says the firm was described in 3 of 3 answers: legitimate, limited independent evidence, no Google reviews found. Those statements are assistant observations, not verified profile facts.

Q5. QuickBooks Online Recorded summary

Redacted prompt: Best bookkeepers for a small service business near [city], I use QuickBooks Online

Recorded summary: Book Ease, B&B, Rival B and Flat Top were recorded in 3 of 3; Backyard Bookkeeper in 2 of 3.

Q6. Behind on books Recorded summary

Redacted prompt: Best bookkeeper [city] for a small LLC that is behind on its books

Recorded summary: Backyard Bookkeeper and Book Ease were recorded in 3 of 3; Rival B, Wasatch Bookkeeping and S&S in 2 of 3.

Q7. Independent specialist Recorded summary

Redacted prompt: Independent QuickBooks bookkeeper in [state], ideally a solo practitioner

Recorded summary: Dollar Mountain and Rival B were recorded in 3 of 3; Balancing Books in 2 of 3.

Q8. Year and hiring intent Recorded summary

Redacted prompt: Best bookkeepers [city] 2026, who should I hire for my small business?

Recorded summary: After replacing the failed submission, Book Ease, Avenues Financial and Flat Top were recorded in 3 of 3; Backyard Bookkeeper and B&B in 2 of 3; Rival B in 1 of 3.

Q9. Head to head Recorded summary

Redacted prompt: Choosing between [sample firm] and Rival B Bookkeeping, which should I pick?

Recorded summary: The record says Rival B was favored in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answers. The earlier single-run record preserves the phrases credible and limited review evidence for the sample firm, and cites rival reviews and published pricing. These quotes are from the earlier check, not assigned to the repeated runs.

All nine summaries refer to ChatGPT, setting Medium; exact model not shown. Checked October 9, 2026, three repetitions per question. Q8 includes a replacement for one failed submission. Source: sample audit notes, not verbatim answers.

Gemini notes

All nine questions, three repetitions each, Auto mode, Temporary chat, October 9, 5:22-5:30 PM MDT. The record reports 0 of 21 answers to questions that didn’t name the firm and favorable name-checks in 3 of 3. Q1: Ashford Sky, Paramount Tax & Accounting and SheCounts in 3 of 3 each. Q3: Butler in 3 of 3; SheCounts and Manifest in 2 of 3. Other-firm summary counts are approximate. Individual answers are not retained.

Google AI Overviews notes

Nine questions, one search each, October 9, 5:41-5:43 PM MDT. Eight overviews appeared; Q9 had none. The firm was absent from all seven overviews for questions that didn’t name it and described favorably in Q4. Recorded approximate appearances: SLC Bookkeeping 5 of 7, Haynie & Company 4, SheCounts 3, Bottom Line Bookkeeping & Tax 2. No verbatim per-search excerpts are retained.

Other firms

Different questions named different firms.

For the general local-provider question, Backyard Bookkeeper, B&B, Book Ease and Avenues Financial were recorded in all three ChatGPT answers.

Contractor questions named a different set: Bookkeeping For Contractors, Integrated Companies and Powerful Whys appeared in all three.

The notes also describe reviews, starting prices and service-specific pages for other firms. The review counts conflict in the earlier record, so no review-count range is used here. Rival prices haven’t been checked again and aren’t presented as current prices.

These are recorded appearances, not a ranking of providers or proof of why they were named.

Strengths

The firm has something to build on.

Asked by name, ChatGPT described its experience, QuickBooks work and cleanup services fairly.

The research notes include a detailed client story on the website and an Alignable recommendation. Check permission before reusing either.

Gaps

What needs checking.

These are gaps in the recorded public information, not proven causes of the result.

Ten recommendations

A card titled 'Your next steps' lists 01 Clarify the services on your site, 02 Keep business details consistent, 03 Make useful proof easy to find, with the note 'Prioritized from the answers we review'. A small slip headed 'Answer evidence' shows blank lines marked with a yellow rule.

Work through these in order.

  1. 01

    Check and complete the Google Business Profile.

    Confirm it belongs to the firm. Check reviews, services, area, hours, photos and the website link. Fix missing or incorrect details first.

    About 1 hour
  2. 02

    Ask clients for honest Google reviews.

    Send a short request with the review link. Don't offer a reward, ask for a rating or limit requests to people likely to leave a positive review.

    About 1 hour, plus waiting for replies
  3. 03

    Publish a starting price or range.

    Explain what your common jobs cost and what's included. If the price depends on the books, say what changes it.

    About 1 hour
  4. 04

    Put useful client proof in one place.

    The notes include a client story and an Alignable recommendation. Confirm permission, then publish them with enough detail to be useful.

    About 2 hours
  5. 05

    Give each main service its own page.

    Start with cleanup, monthly bookkeeping and QuickBooks setup. Say who it's for, what you do and where you work.

    About 1 day
  6. 06

    Answer the catch-up question.

    Explain what happens when someone's books are behind: the steps, timing, price factors and what you need to get started. Include QuickBooks Online if you support it.

    About 3 hours
  7. 07

    Say who you work with.

    Choose the client types you know best. Make that clear near the top of your home page. Don't claim a specialty you don't have.

    About 2 hours
  8. 08

    Make the business details match.

    Use the same business name, phone number and category on your website and public listings. Correct old or conflicting details.

    About 2 hours
  9. 09

    Check relevant directories.

    Choose two or three that fit your services and location. Use accurate details and follow each site's rules for asking for reviews.

    About 3 hours
  10. 10

    Check the same questions again in 90 days.

    Use the same prompts and number of checks. Save each answer, the date and the settings before comparing results. Keep each assistant's counts separate.

    About 1 hour

These are rough effort estimates, not turnaround promises. Recommendations 1-3 are the starting point.

Limits and method

A card titled 'A snapshot, not a guarantee' shows three neutral selectors labeled Date, Settings and Location with blank placeholder strokes. A companion card titled 'Answers can change' shows blank lines.

What these checks can tell you

AI answers can change by day, settings, location and signed-in context. These checks were run on October 9, 2026. They don’t show what every buyer will see, and they don’t guarantee a future ranking or recommendation.

This sample retains prompts and result summaries, not the individual repeated-run answers or every exact timestamp. Quotes from an earlier single-run check aren’t evidence for the later repeated counts.

Review counts in the older notes disagree and aren’t used here. Other-firm prices and listing details haven’t all been rechecked. Verify current information before acting on it.

Prepared from public information as a sample, not for a client. Firm and location identifiers are withheld.