When someone asks an AI for a contractor, does it say your name?
Your customers now ask ChatGPT, Google, Gemini, and Perplexity who to hire. We ask them the same questions, the way a customer would, and show you exactly who they recommend, who they skip, and what would change it.
Who is the best electrician in West Orange, NJ?
- An electrician with 425 reviews
- An electrician with 217 reviews
- You not named
- You recommended, #1
- A competitor found on Angi
- A competitor found on Yelp
- A competitor found on HomeAdvisor
- You recommended, #2
- A competitor found on BBB
Essex County businesses we checked in September 2026, across ten trades and six towns.
were never named by any engine in any of 40 answers for their own trade and town.
businesses, under 5 percent, took half of all the recommendations. The engines pick favorites and repeat them.
600 questions to ChatGPT, Google AI Mode, Gemini, and Perplexity for West Orange, South Orange, Maplewood, Livingston, Montclair, and Verona, graded against every business Google Maps lists for that trade. The engines' top sources were Google's own listings, Angi, Houzz, BBB, HomeAdvisor, and Yelp. Every check we deliver includes every answer in full.
How it works
Three parts. The first one is free and already built before we talk.
The check
We ask four engines, ChatGPT, Google AI Mode, Gemini, and Perplexity, ten questions a customer would type for your trade and town, plus one about you by name. You get a short report: how often you're recommended, who gets named instead, which websites the engines trust, and three specific moves. Free. See a sample report.
The fix
We do the moves. Profiles on the sites the engines actually read, a review program that gets your Google listing to the bar, and pages on your site that answer the exact question customers ask. Priced by how big the gap is.
The watch
AI answers change month to month. We re-run the same questions every month and send you only what changed: a spot gained, a spot lost, a competitor who showed up. You see whether the work is holding.
Pricing
The check is free. The fix is priced by the gap it closes. The watch is monthly and you can stop any time.
Protect
- Fill the engine that's missing you
- Profiles on the two or three sources it reads
- Review program set up on your phone
- One service page written for you
Close the gap
- Everything in Protect
- Houzz or Angi portfolio built out with your work
- Google Business Profile rebuilt
- A page for each town you serve
Build from zero
- Everything in Close the gap
- Your website rebuilt or built, if you don't have one
- Photos and project write-ups the engines can cite
- Re-checked at 30 and 60 days
The watch, lite
Just want to see how you show up? The same ten questions on four engines, re-run every month, with what changed emailed to you. Fully automated, no calls, cancel any time.
The watch
Every month we ask the same ten questions again on all four engines, send you only what changed, keep your profiles current, and keep the review program moving. One recommendation that turns into one job pays for the year.
The watch, for bigger jobs
For roofing, tree work, additions, and other trades where one job runs into the thousands: twice a month instead of once, twenty questions instead of ten, up to three towns instead of one, and the emergency and price questions your customers ask most.
No contracts. Change or cancel any time from the manage page. Setup work is quoted after your free check and invoiced separately.
Who it's for
Local businesses where a customer asks "who should I call?" and the answer is worth real money.
Who's behind it
Amos Ductan, West Orange. Twenty years running search and media for national brands, and I built this for the businesses on my own street. Every check is done by hand from real engine answers, not a scraped score, and you get every answer we read.
Get your free check
Tell us who you are and what you do. We'll run the questions and send the report within two business days. Nothing to install, no call unless you want one.
Questions
Is the check really free?
Yes. It costs us about a dollar in data to run, and the report is how we show you we know what we're doing. There's no obligation and no follow-up call unless you ask for one.
What do you actually ask the engines?
Ten plain questions a customer would type, like "Who is the best roofer in Newark, NJ?", "Recommend an electrician near West Orange," and "Give me a shortlist of three to call," plus one that asks about your business by name. Each goes to ChatGPT with web search on, Google's AI Mode, Gemini, and Perplexity. Every answer is reproduced in full in your report. Here's a sample.
Why doesn't Google's AI name me when I have good reviews?
Google's AI builds its shortlist from its own Business Profile listings, and in the checks we've run the businesses it names carry anywhere from 60 to 700 reviews. If you're under that bar, or your profile category and service area don't match the question, it won't surface you no matter how good the work is. The fix is a review program and a profile that says exactly what you do and where.
Why does ChatGPT name me when Google doesn't, or the other way around?
They read different things. Google leans on its own listings. ChatGPT and Perplexity search the web and lean on Houzz, Angi, BBB, Yelp, and your own website. A business can be strong on one and invisible on the other. The report shows you which sources each engine used, so the fix is specific.
Can I do the fixes myself?
Yes, and the report tells you exactly what they are. Most owners hire us because the profiles, the pages, and the review follow-ups are the kind of work that never gets to the top of the list on a Tuesday.
What happened to the explainers?
Legible Studio started by building interactive explainers of complicated financial systems. They're still here at legiblestudio.com/explainers.