Do AI assistants recommend Belgian SMEs?
We asked ChatGPT, Gemini and Google AI Mode for the “best” plumber, dentist, accountant or restaurant in 10 Belgian cities: 198 questions, 1,376 answers, compared with Google Maps listings.
In short
ChatGPT recommends 3.3 businesses per question on average, roughly 15% of the businesses Google Maps shows for the same search. The businesses it names have 2.9 times more Google reviews, a higher rating and almost always a website. Its answers change from one try to the next (65% of names in common) and overlap with Gemini’s by only 34%.
Key figures
Each figure refers to ChatGPT’s answers (default version, no account, queried from Belgium) unless stated otherwise.
- 3.3
- ChatGPT names 3.3 businesses on average when asked for the best provider in a Belgian city.
- 61%
- 61% of ChatGPT’s answers name 3 businesses or fewer.
- 15%
- Of the 20 businesses Google Maps shows for the same search, ChatGPT recommends only 15%, even when the question is asked three times.
- ×2.9
- Businesses recommended by ChatGPT have 2.9 times more Google reviews than the others (median of 94 reviews versus 32).
- 90%
- 90% of recommended businesses have their own website, compared with 76% of the Google Maps listings ChatGPT ignores.
- 47%
- 47% of the businesses ChatGPT recommends are not in the Google Maps top 20 for the same search.
- 65%
- Asked three times, the same question brings back only 65% of the same businesses from one try to the next.
- 41%
- The first business named is the same across all three tries for only 41% of the questions.
- 99.8%
- ChatGPT consulted at least one directory or review platform in 99.8% of its answers.
- 34%
- For the same question, Gemini recommends only 34% of the businesses named by ChatGPT.
How many businesses does ChatGPT name?
A typical answer is a short list: 3.3 names on average, 5.2 different names across three tries. No answer came back without a recommendation.
| Segment | answers |
|---|---|
| 1 business | 7 |
| 2 businesses | 60 |
| 3 businesses | 296 |
| 4 businesses | 212 |
| 5 or more | 19 |
What sets recommended businesses apart
We compared the 600 Google Maps listings recommended by ChatGPT with the 3,324 listings it did not name for the same searches.
ChatGPT shows the rating and review count for 77% of the businesses it recommends (average rating shown: 4.86/5). Only 5% of recommended businesses have fewer than 10 reviews.
| Segment | Recommended by ChatGPT | Not recommended |
|---|---|---|
| Website on the listing | 91% | 76% |
| Listing claimed by the business | 97% | 81% |
| 50 Google reviews or more | 66% | 37% |
| Google reviews (median) | 94 | 32 |
| Average rating | 4.81/5 | 4.54/5 |
Where ChatGPT gets its answers
ChatGPT ran a web search for 100% of the questions and consulted 7.2 sites on average. Belgian directories and review platforms dominate.
“Business websites” = a domain listed on a Google Maps listing in the sample. Other sites (trade directories, comparison sites, matching platforms) are grouped together.
| Segment | % |
|---|---|
| Directories, comparison sites and platforms | 99.8% |
| Business websites | 53% |
| Google (listings, Maps) | 36% |
| Review sites (Trustpilot…) | 14% |
| Media and tourism | 7% |
| Social networks | 5% |
| Segment | % |
|---|---|
| Pages d’Or / Gouden Gids (Golden Pages) | 52% |
| Trustup / Trustlocal | 40% |
| 35% | |
| Ring Twice | 11% |
| Doctoranytime | 10% |
| Belgidoc | 10% |
Answers change between tries and between AI assistants
Same question, same day: AI assistants do not always give the same names, and they do not agree with each other.
Only 37% of the businesses ChatGPT recommends come back in all three tries. Gemini names 2.8 businesses per answer on average, Google AI Mode 2.3 (and none at all in 23% of its answers).
| Segment | % |
|---|---|
| ChatGPT — between tries | 65% |
| Gemini — between tries | 49% |
| Google AI Mode — between tries | 35% |
| ChatGPT and Gemini in common | 34% |
| ChatGPT and Google AI Mode in common | 34% |
| Named by all three assistants | 17% |
By trade, region and language
Differences between trades are sharper than differences between cities.
- Driving school is the trade where ChatGPT is most consistent (79% of names in common); hairdresser is the least consistent (53%).
- For accountants, the first firm named is the same across all three tries for only 9% of questions.
- Brussels is the least stable city: 52% of names in common between tries, versus 69% in Wallonia and 68% in Flanders.
- In English in Brussels, ChatGPT varies more (56% stability) and strays further from Google Maps (38% of named businesses in the top 20).
- 44 businesses are recommended in several cities: mostly networks, chains and firms active across Belgium.
| Segment | Businesses per answer | Stability | Same no. 1 in all 3 tries | Maps top-20 listings recommended |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plumber | 2.9 | 74% | 64% | 14% |
| Electrician | 2.9 | 77% | 55% | 16% |
| Roofer | 3.2 | 69% | 64% | 20% |
| Renovation | 3.1 | 64% | 36% | 13% |
| Locksmith | 2.7 | 63% | 55% | 20% |
| Car garage | 3.5 | 71% | 55% | 10% |
| Dentist | 3.5 | 64% | 36% | 16% |
| Physiotherapist | 3.5 | 58% | 36% | 12% |
| Vet | 3.7 | 68% | 36% | 21% |
| Optician | 3.5 | 64% | 36% | 22% |
| Hairdresser | 3.8 | 53% | 36% | 8% |
| Driving school | 3.1 | 79% | 73% | 31% |
| Accountant | 3.9 | 53% | 9% | 15% |
| Lawyer | 3.4 | 57% | 18% | 12% |
| Real estate agency | 3.3 | 65% | 36% | 16% |
| Web agency | 2.7 | 62% | 27% | 14% |
| Restaurant | 3.4 | 67% | 36% | 6% |
| Bakery | 3.2 | 63% | 36% | 13% |
| Segment | Businesses per answer | Stability | Same no. 1 in all 3 tries | Maps top-20 listings recommended |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brussels | 3.4 | 52% | 25% | 13% |
| Wallonia | 3.2 | 69% | 42% | 15% |
| Flanders | 3.4 | 68% | 48% | 17% |
| Questions in French | 3.2 | 65% | 38% | 15% |
| Questions in English (Brussels) | 3.5 | 56% | 28% | 15% |
| Questions in Dutch | 3.4 | 68% | 48% | 17% |
What an SME can do
These levers match the traits of recommended businesses. They guarantee nothing: they are correlations, not a recipe.
- 01
Claim and complete your Google listing
97% of recommended listings are claimed by the business, versus 81% of the others. Keep the category, opening hours, service area and photos up to date.
- 02
Ask for reviews, regularly
Volume matters: 66% of recommended businesses have at least 50 reviews, versus 37% of the others.
- 03
Have a real website, clear about trade and city
A Facebook page is not enough: your site should say what you do, where and for whom, in text search engines can read.
- 04
Be listed in Belgian directories
Pages d’Or / Gouden Gids appear in 52% of answers, Trustup / Trustlocal in 40%. An accurate listing, consistent everywhere, helps AI assistants find you.
- 05
Measure, then measure again
Answers change, so one test is not enough. Check several times, across several assistants, and track the trend.
Our free demo asks ChatGPT, Gemini and other AI assistants about your trade and city, then gives a score out of 100.
Test my AI visibility
Method
All questions were asked on 20 and 21 October 2026 through DataForSEO’s tools, which query the real AI interfaces.
| Questions | 198: 18 trades × 10 cities (French in Wallonia and Brussels, Dutch in Flanders) + the 18 trades in English in Brussels. |
|---|---|
| Wording | “Who is the best [trade] in [city]? I am looking for a good one.” (equivalent in French and Dutch). |
| Cities | Brussels, Liège, Namur, Charleroi, Mons, Antwerp, Ghent, Bruges, Leuven, Hasselt. |
| ChatGPT | chatgpt.com, default version, no account or history, queried from Belgium; 3 tries per question (594 answers). |
| Gemini and Google AI Mode | Queried from each city; 2 tries per question (396 and 386 answers). |
| Control group | The first 20 Google Maps listings for “[trade] [city]”, collected the same day (3,924 listings), plus an individual Google Maps search for each named business outside that top 20. |
| Recommended business | A name presented as a place to contact. Directories, platforms and professional bodies excluded. A business counts as recommended for a question if it appears in at least one try. |
| Extraction | Automatic and reproducible (structured list returned by ChatGPT; lists and Google Maps links for Gemini and AI Mode), checked by hand on a sample. |
| Calibration | Tested in October 2026 on 20 cases, this method finds about 60% of the businesses a Belgian visitor sees on chatgpt.com, as much as ChatGPT itself from one try to the next. |
Limitations
- A snapshot at one date: AI answers change from day to day and from try to try.
- A signed-in user, with history or a precise location, may get different names.
- ChatGPT is localised at country level; Gemini and Google AI Mode at city level.
- One wording per language: “cheap”, “urgent” or “near me” give different results.
- Extraction for Gemini and Google AI Mode is conservative: it slightly underestimates how many names they give.
- “Having a website” = a website listed on the Google Maps listing (social media pages and directories excluded).
- Correlation is not causation: reviews and a website often go hand in hand with age or size.
- 10 large cities: smaller towns may give different results.
- Ozapp sells AI visibility services: we publish the full method and name no business individually.
These figures may be reused freely with a link to this page (CC BY 4.0 licence).
Frequently asked questions
How does ChatGPT choose the businesses it recommends?
For this kind of question, ChatGPT searches the web (100% of cases) and relies mostly on directories, review platforms and business listings. Recommended businesses have a median of 94 Google reviews versus 32 for the others, and 90% have a website.
Do you need to be on Google Maps to be recommended by ChatGPT?
Almost always: 95% of recommended businesses have a Google Maps listing. But ChatGPT does not copy Google’s ranking: only 28% of named businesses are in the Google Maps top 3, and 47% are not in the top 20.
Do AI assistants always give the same names?
No. Between two tries ChatGPT keeps 65% of the same businesses, and the first business named stays the same in only 41% of questions. Gemini (49%) and Google AI Mode (35%) are even less stable.
Do ChatGPT, Gemini and Google recommend the same businesses?
Rarely. Gemini names 34% of the businesses ChatGPT recommends for the same question, Google AI Mode 34%. Only 17% are named by all three.
How many reviews do you need to be recommended?
There is no threshold: 5% of recommended businesses have fewer than 10 reviews. But 66% have at least 50, versus 37% of ignored businesses.
How can I tell whether AI assistants recommend my business?
Ask the question yourself several times, or use our free demo: it queries ChatGPT, Gemini and other AI assistants for your trade and city, then gives a score out of 100 and three priority actions.
Can I reuse the figures from this barometer?
Yes, freely, with a link to this page (CC BY 4.0 licence). The method and limitations are detailed above.
What about your business: do AI assistants recommend it?
Test your visibility in ChatGPT and Gemini for free, then let’s talk about a plan to show up.
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