Your competitors keep showing up in ChatGPT’s recommendations, and you don’t. That means you’re losing leads you don’t even know exist.
I spent the last month mapping exactly where AI tools pull their recommendations from. Not by reading research papers. By testing it systematically, query by query, source by source.
AI doesn’t randomly pick who to recommend. There’s a pattern. Once you see it, you can exploit it.
This AI Source Mapping process takes 2 hours, costs nothing, and shows you precisely where to appear to get AI recommendations.
Why nobody understands AI visibility (yet)
Most businesses treat AI like it’s Google.
They optimize websites. Write blog posts. Build backlinks. Do traditional SEO.
Meanwhile, AI recommends their competitors based on completely different signals.
We discovered this checking where Connective ranked for “Houston web design” queries in ChatGPT. We didn’t show up. Directories did. Review sites did. Places we’d never prioritized.
AI isn’t reading the web like Google does. It pulls from specific sources, in specific ways, for specific reasons.
If you’re not on those sources, you’re invisible.
The AI Source Map: Your visibility blueprint
Here’s exactly how to map AI recommendations for your industry using what I call the AI Source Map method.
You need:
- 2 hours of focused time
- A spreadsheet
- Access to ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity
- 10 query variations
Step 1: Build your query ladder
People don’t ask AI like they search Google.
Google: “web design Houston” AI: “I need help finding a good web design company in Houston for my small business”
Create 10 variations progressing from broad to specific:
- “Who are the best [service] companies?”
- “Best [service] in [location]”
- “I need help with [specific problem]”
- “[Industry] recommendations for [target market]”
- “Affordable [service] options”
- “[Service] for [specific use case]”
- “Compare [service] providers”
- “[Location] [service] with good reviews”
- “Trusted [industry] experts”
- “[Urgent/specific need] help”
Each variation triggers different AI responses, revealing your complete source landscape.
Step 2: Execute and document
Open four browser tabs: ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Google (for AI overview).
Run your first query in each. Document sources immediately.
Create these columns:
- Query
- Tool
- Sources cited
- Companies mentioned
- Source type
Our Houston web design test revealed:
- Clutch.co: 7 of 10 queries
- DesignRush: 6 of 10
- UpCity: 5 of 10
- Company websites: Almost never
Industry patterns we’ve documented:
- SaaS companies: G2 and Capterra control 80% of recommendations
- Restaurants: Yelp and OpenTable dominate local queries
- Healthcare: Healthgrades and Zocdoc own practitioner searches
- Legal services: Avvo and FindLaw rule attorney recommendations
Step 3: Decode the pattern
AI trusts validated, aggregated, and comparative information over self-published claims.
Think about it: When someone asks for recommendations, what’s more credible? Ten websites all claiming superiority, or one directory comparing all ten with verified reviews?
After 40 data points (10 queries × 4 tools), you’ll see:
- Which sources appear most frequently
- Tool-specific preferences
- Query-type correlations
- Cross-platform consistency
The pattern becomes your roadmap.
Step 4: Build your visibility hit list
Remove competitors and overpriced pay-to-play sites. What remains is your action list:
Clutch: B2B service authority, especially agencies and consultants. AI treats it as the primary validator for professional services.
G2/Capterra: Software comparison backbone. If you’re in SaaS, these aren’t optional anymore.
Industry directories: Niche aggregators that signal expertise. FindLaw for attorneys, Healthgrades for doctors, Houzz for contractors.
Local chambers: Geographic validation that establishes local presence and credibility.
Professional associations: Trust signals that separate serious players from fly-by-night operations.
The game-changing discovery about AI visibility
AI doesn’t need links. It needs validated, contextual mentions.
Traditional SEO obsesses over dofollow vs nofollow. AI doesn’t care. It needs your brand name in the right context, on trusted sites, associated with relevant terms.
We tested this. Got mentioned (not linked) on three directories. Started appearing in AI recommendations within a week.
A week. Not months like traditional SEO.
Your beautiful website that took months to perfect? AI might never see it. Your 200 blog posts? Irrelevant without aggregator presence. Your perfect Google rankings? Completely different game.
Most competitors don’t know this yet. They’re still playing yesterday’s game while you can map and dominate tomorrow’s visibility.
Your 5-day AI visibility action plan
Monday (1 hour): Create your 10-query ladder. This reveals where AI looks for answers in your specific market.
Tuesday (1 hour): Run all queries through AI tools. This raw data exposes your visibility gaps and opportunities.
Wednesday (30 minutes): Identify patterns. Find which 3-5 sources control your industry’s AI recommendations.
Thursday (30 minutes): Research your hit list. Determine entry requirements, costs, and time to listing for each platform.
Friday (2 hours): Start getting listed. Begin with free tiers, build profiles completely, request your first reviews.
The closing window of opportunity
Six months ago, nobody understood this. Today, smart businesses are quietly dominating AI recommendations while competitors wonder why they’re invisible.
Six months from now, everyone will know. The arbitrage disappears. The directories get crowded. Early movers will have established presence and reviews that become harder to overcome.
The businesses mapping their AI visibility now will own the recommendations when AI search becomes primary search.
Start with one query today
Pick your highest-value customer query. Run it through ChatGPT. Look at sources. Find one directory you’re missing. Get listed this week.
One query, one source, one listing.
Do this weekly for two months: eight new platforms, transformed AI visibility.
While competitors debate whether AI matters, you’ll show up in every relevant query.
In six months, this edge will be gone. Right now, you can be the first in your market to dominate AI recommendations.
The data is there. The patterns are obvious. The window is open.
Map your visibility. Get listed. Own the recommendations.
Your competitors won’t know what hit them.
