ChatGPT recommends 12.3% of local businesses that have a website on their Google Maps listing and 3.2% of those without one, a 3.9x gap. On Gemini the gap widens to 10.5x.
Analysis of 139,294 Google Maps listings in 1,580 city and service searches · ChatGPT and Gemini answers and Google Maps results, September 2026
Key Findings
- 1.ChatGPT recommends 12.3% of local businesses with a website against 3.2% of local businesses without one, a 3.9x gap.
- 2.Gemini recommends 3% of local businesses with a website and 0.3% of those without one, a 10.5x gap.
- 3.Among the top 20 Google Maps results, local businesses with a website are recommended by ChatGPT 28.7% of the time, against 9.3% for those without.
- 4.18.7% of local business listings on Google Maps have no website, and auto repair shops have the lowest coverage, with 62.4% linking one.
- 5.Chiropractors with a website are recommended by ChatGPT 8.8x as often as those without, the widest gap of 20 local services; for locksmiths the gap is 2x.
Summary
Two chiropractors work on the same street, both with good ratings on Google Maps. One links a website from its listing; the other has only the listing. Ask ChatGPT for the best chiropractor in town and the first is more than eight times as likely to be named.
AI assistants now answer "who's the best [service] near me?" for a growing number of customers, and they name a short list. A business left off that list loses the customer before any comparison begins. A website gives the assistant a page it can read to confirm what a business does, where it works and why it is worth recommending.
ChatGPT recommends 12.3% of local businesses that have a website and 3.2% of those that do not, a 3.9x gap. Businesses without a website are named by ChatGPT about a quarter as often, and on Gemini the gap is 10.5x.
What we measured
On September 23, 2026 we took the top 100 Google Maps listings for 20 local services, from dentists and HVAC companies to restaurants and locksmiths, in 79 US cities. That gave 1,580 city and service searches and 139,294 listings, and we recorded whether each listing links a website. 113,237 do and 26,057 do not.
We then asked ChatGPT and Gemini "What are the best [service] in [city]?" for each search and matched the businesses they named to the Google Maps listings. A listing counts as recommended when it appears in the answer. The recommendation rate is the share of listings in a group that the assistant named, so the comparison shows how often businesses with and without a website are named.
Businesses with a website are named nearly four times as often
That is a 3.9x gap, and it holds among the most prominent listings too. Among the top 20 Google Maps results, the businesses people are most likely to see, those with a website are recommended 28.7% of the time and those without 9.3%, a threefold difference among businesses that already rank well.
Source: Suff Digital analysis of 139,294 Google Maps listings in 1,580 city and service searches · ChatGPT and Gemini answers and Google Maps results, September 2026
| Group | Recommended by ChatGPT | Recommended by Gemini |
|---|---|---|
| Listings with a website | 12.3% | 3% |
| Listings without a website | 3.2% | 0.3% |
| Top 20 Maps results, with a website | 28.7% | n/a |
| Top 20 Maps results, without a website | 9.3% | n/a |
A website adds what a Maps listing cannot: service pages, locations, prices, staff and a written description in the business's own words. That text is what AI assistants draw on when they explain why a business is worth calling, and a business without it gives them far less to work with.
Gemini almost never names a business without a website
Gemini is stricter still. It recommends 3% of listings with a website and 0.3% of listings without one, a 10.5x gap. A local business with no website is named by Gemini about three times in a thousand.
Most local businesses have already cleared this bar: 81.3% of Google Maps listings link a website. The 18.7% that do not are named far less often. Coverage varies by trade. 92.4% of veterinarian listings and 92.1% of personal injury lawyer listings link a website, against 62.4% of auto repair shops, so the gap matters most in trades where many businesses still run on a listing alone.
Every service shows the gap
In all 20 services, ChatGPT recommends businesses with a website more often than those without. The ratio is widest for chiropractors at 8.8x, then HVAC companies at 7.7x, moving companies at 7.4x and real estate agents at 7.1x. In these trades customers compare credentials, services and prices, and a website is where that information lives.
Source: Suff Digital analysis of 139,294 Google Maps listings in 1,580 city and service searches · ChatGPT and Gemini answers and Google Maps results, September 2026
| Service | With website | Without website | Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chiropractor | 12.9% | 1.5% | 8.8x |
| HVAC company | 13.6% | 1.8% | 7.7x |
| Moving company | 11.8% | 1.6% | 7.4x |
| Real estate agent | 8.5% | 1.2% | 7.1x |
| Pest control | 14.2% | 2.2% | 6.4x |
| Dentist | 12.6% | 2.2% | 5.7x |
| Personal injury lawyer | 12.1% | 2.4% | 5.1x |
| Gym | 13.1% | 2.7% | 4.9x |
| Veterinarian | 14.5% | 4.1% | 3.5x |
| Hair salon | 12.2% | 3.8% | 3.2x |
| Emergency plumber | 12.9% | 4.2% | 3.1x |
| Accountant | 11.8% | 4.4% | 2.7x |
| Restaurant | 8% | 2.9% | 2.7x |
| Auto repair shop | 11.6% | 4.7% | 2.5x |
| Locksmith | 12.8% | 6.6% | 2x |
The gap is narrowest for locksmiths (2x), auto repair shops (2.5x) and restaurants (2.7x). Locksmiths without a website are still recommended 6.6% of the time, about twice the 3.2% rate for all businesses without one. Restaurants are also covered heavily by review sites and local guides.
What this means for local businesses
If your business has no website, build one. A simple site with a page for each service, your city and service area, your hours and your phone number gives ChatGPT and Gemini something to read, and a website is the clearest difference between the businesses they name and the ones they skip. Our small business web design team builds sites for local businesses with AI visibility in mind.
If you already have a website, make sure it is linked from your Google Business Profile, because the link is what ties the two together. Then check the site says plainly what you do and where: service names customers actually search, the towns you cover and the details that set you apart. In the trades with the widest gaps, such as chiropractic, HVAC and moving, the businesses ChatGPT names are far more likely to have a website.
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<p style="font:14px/1.5 system-ui,sans-serif">Source: <a href="https://www.suffdigital.com/resources/data-studies/website-ai-local-recommendations">Local Businesses With a Website Are 3.9x More Likely to Be Recommended by ChatGPT - Suff Digital</a></p>
Cite this study
Suff Digital. (2026). Local Businesses With a Website Are 3.9x More Likely to Be Recommended by ChatGPT. https://www.suffdigital.com/resources/data-studies/website-ai-local-recommendations
Local Businesses With a Website Are 3.9x More Likely to Be Recommended by ChatGPT - Suff Digital - https://www.suffdigital.com/resources/data-studies/website-ai-local-recommendations
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