Original research · September 2026
We asked ChatGPT and Google's AI Mode the question customers now ask: "best [business] in [city] TX". 12 industries, 8 Dallas–Fort Worth cities, 96 searches, 1,917 Google Maps listings checked against the answers.
40%
of top-rated local businesses were named by neither AI
554
of 1,379 businesses with 4.6+ stars and 60+ reviews left out
12 of 12
industries where a business with hundreds of reviews lost to one with far fewer
Share of top-rated businesses (4.6+ stars, 60+ reviews on Google Maps) that neither ChatGPT nor Google's AI named. When a name was ambiguous, we counted it as named, so these numbers are a floor.
| Industry | Left out | Top-rated checked | Named per answer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plastic surgeon | 51% | 127 | ~8 |
| Dentist | 50% | 150 | ~8.9 |
| Med spa | 43% | 101 | ~8.8 |
| HVAC company | 41% | 127 | ~9.4 |
| Personal injury lawyer | 40% | 111 | ~7.8 |
| Orthodontist | 40% | 133 | ~10.3 |
| Chiropractor | 38% | 142 | ~10.3 |
| Roofing company | 37% | 121 | ~9.4 |
| Divorce lawyer | 35% | 62 | ~8.4 |
| Veterinarian | 34% | 127 | ~11.3 |
| Plumber | 33% | 118 | ~9.1 |
| Foundation repair company | 21% | 60 | ~11.3 |
In each case, a business the AI named sits next to a business it skipped that has far more reviews. We name the recommended businesses because the AI already does, publicly. We don't name the overlooked ones.
HVAC company · Richardson
A 4.8★ business with 6,000+ reviews wasn't named. Efficient Home Solutions Heating & Air of Richardson, with 19 reviews, was.
Question asked: "best HVAC company in Richardson TX"
Plumber · Dallas
A 4.8★ business with 24,000+ reviews wasn't named. Tide Turners Plumbing, with 237 reviews, was.
Question asked: "best plumber in Dallas TX"
Personal injury lawyer · Dallas
A 4.6★ business with 1,500+ reviews wasn't named. Texas Truck Accident Lawyer, with 23 reviews, was.
Question asked: "best personal injury lawyer in Dallas TX"
Divorce lawyer · Irving
A 4.7★ business with 900+ reviews wasn't named. Lomenick Suzanne, with 13 reviews, was.
Question asked: "best divorce lawyer in Irving TX"
Orthodontist · Fort Worth
A 4.8★ business with 3,500+ reviews wasn't named. Christopher Sorokolit DDS MS, with 54 reviews, was.
Question asked: "best orthodontist in Fort Worth TX"
Foundation repair company · Plano
A 4.8★ business with 2,000+ reviews wasn't named. Stratum Foundation Repair, with 36 reviews, was.
Question asked: "best foundation repair company in Plano TX"
Plastic surgeon · Richardson
A 4.9★ business with 800+ reviews wasn't named. North Texas Facial Plastic Surgery, with 15 reviews, was.
Question asked: "best plastic surgeon in Richardson TX"
Veterinarian · Dallas
A 4.7★ business with 1,000+ reviews wasn't named. Dallas Veterinary Concierge, with 26 reviews, was.
Question asked: "best veterinarian in Dallas TX"
Med spa · Richardson
A 4.9★ business with 800+ reviews wasn't named. Pristine Med Spa, with 33 reviews, was.
Question asked: "best med spa in Richardson TX"
Roofing company · Dallas
A 4.7★ business with 600+ reviews wasn't named. Dallas Commercial Roofing Contractors, with 28 reviews, was.
Question asked: "best roofing company in Dallas TX"
Dentist · Dallas
A 4.9★ business with 3,500+ reviews wasn't named. Greenville Ave Dental, with 196 reviews, was.
Question asked: "best dentist in Dallas TX"
Chiropractor · Irving
A 5★ business with 800+ reviews wasn't named. Hill Chiropractic Center, with 56 reviews, was.
Question asked: "best chiropractor in Irving TX"
AI assistants don't rank by star rating. They name the businesses they can describe with confidence: ones whose services, location and credentials are stated clearly on their own site and repeated consistently across the directories and sources the engine checks. A business can be excellent and well-reviewed and still be hard for an AI to describe, so it gets skipped.
That's fixable, and it's the work we do. It's also not permanent in either direction: the answers shift week to week, which is why we re-check them.
Searches ran in late September 2026for "best [category] in [city] TX" in Dallas, Fort Worth, Plano, Frisco, McKinney, Arlington, Irving, Richardson. For each, we captured ChatGPT's answer (with web search), Google's AI Mode answer, and the Google Maps top 20. A business counts as named if either engine mentioned it; partial or ambiguous matches were counted as named. National chains were excluded. Each answer is one moment in time: ask again and you may see different names.
Run the same check on your business, any industry, any city. You'll see who ChatGPT and Google's AI name instead of you, in about a minute.