Source Mapping: the technique for getting your business named by ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity

When an assistant with web search answers "best physiotherapist in Indiranagar", it searches, reads a handful of pages and summarises them. The businesses it names are the ones those pages talk about.

Different assistants lean on different kinds of sources. Profound's analysis of about 30 million AI citations (August 2024 to June 2025) found Wikipedia was ChatGPT's top source, Reddit led for Perplexity, and Reddit, YouTube and Quora led for Google's AI Overviews. For local businesses, the sources are usually more specific: review sites, directories, local news, "best of" lists and competitors' own pages.

Ahrefs' study of 75,000 brands points the same way: how often a brand is mentioned across the web was more closely linked to AI Overview visibility than its number of backlinks.

So the question isn't "how do I optimise for ChatGPT?" It's "which pages does ChatGPT read about my trade, and am I on them?"

Money questions are the ones a customer asks right before choosing. Write ten, always with your city or area:

1. 1Best [trade] in [area]
2. 2Top-rated [trade] near [landmark or area]
3. 3[Service] cost in [city]
4. 4Who can [urgent job] today in [city]?
5. 5[Trade] in [area] open on Sunday
6. 6Affordable [service] in [city]
7. 7[Trade] in [city] for [specific need, e.g. kids, seniors, small businesses]
8. 8Is [competitor] good for [service]?
9. 9[Competitor] vs other [trade] in [area]
10. 10Recommend a [trade] in [city] with good reviews

Use the words customers use on calls and in reviews, not your brochure words.

Open a private window. Ask each question in ChatGPT (with search on), Perplexity, Gemini and Google (look for an AI Overview or use AI Mode). That's 40 answers.

For each answer, copy every linked source into a sheet with three columns: question, assistant, source URL. Don't judge yet, just collect.

Our free "Does AI name my business?" check lists Gemini's sources for one question at a time, which saves copying.

Now sort the sheet by website (the domain, not the full page) and count how often each appears. You'll usually see four groups:

• Directories and review sites: Google Maps, Justdial, Practo, Zomato, Yelp, Tripadvisor, Healthgrades, Angi and similar.
• "Best of" lists: local news, city blogs, magazine roundups, "top 10" pages.
• Community and forum pages: Reddit threads, Quora answers, Facebook groups, local forums.
• Business websites: your competitors' pages, sometimes yours.

Rank the domains by count. The top five to ten are your source map: the websites that shape what AI says about your trade in your area.

Go down your top sources one by one and pick the right action:

Directories and review sites

Claim or create your listing. Use exactly the same name, address and phone as your Google profile. Add photos, hours and services. Then ask real customers for honest reviews there. Never buy or fake reviews: the US FTC rule on fake reviews has applied since October 2024, and directories remove them.

"Best of" lists

Read how the list was made. Many editors take suggestions or update yearly; send a short, factual note about what you do and why you'd fit. Some lists are paid placements. If you pay, it should be labelled as an advert, and you should weigh whether it's worth it.

Community pages

Don't spam threads with your name. Answer real questions helpfully, say who you are, and only mention your business where it genuinely fits. One useful answer from a named local expert is worth more than ten plugs.

Competitors' pages

Look at why the assistant cited them. Usually it's a clear page that answers the exact question: prices, areas covered, opening hours, a named expert. Make your page answer it better. The Answer-First Rewrite shows how.

Ask the same 10 questions each month, with the same wording, and update the sheet. Track two numbers:

• How many of the 40 answers name you.
• How many of your top sources you're now on.

The second number moves first. The first follows, usually over months, not days. If one source keeps appearing and you can't get onto it, ask why: wrong category, missing information, or a list that hasn't been updated.

Your map will look different for every trade and city. That's the point: generic advice can't tell you which five sites matter for you.

It won't guarantee a recommendation. Assistants change their answers, and nobody controls them. It also won't fix a site that search engines can't read, so check you're Findable first.

What it does do is replace guesswork with a list built from what the assistants actually read, for your trade, in your city.

[[faq:[["Is Source Mapping the same as link building?", "No. You're not chasing links for their own sake. You're getting accurately listed and mentioned on the specific pages AI assistants read for your trade and area. Many of those mentions won't even be links."], ["How long does the first map take?", "About two to three hours for 10 questions in 4 assistants, including sorting the sheet. Monthly updates take about an hour."], ["What if the top source is a paid list?", "Weigh it like any advert. If you pay, it should be clearly labelled as paid. Often the free sources lower on your map are a better first step."], ["Should I post on Reddit about my business?", "Only as a real participant: answer questions helpfully, say who you are and follow each community's rules. Promotional posts get removed and can hurt your reputation."], ["Does this work for businesses that aren't local?", "Yes. Drop the city from the questions and use the questions buyers ask before choosing a product or service like yours."]]]