- Use a private window or a temporary chat so your history doesn't color the answer.
- Ask three questions. Who you are with context, who you are by name alone, and who the top experts in your niche are.
- Look at what's wrong, what's missing, and which sources the AI leans on. That tells you what to fix first.
This is the same first check we run before every Digital-Footprint Audit. It takes about five minutes, it costs nothing, and it often tells you things your analytics can't. Grab a notes app and follow along.
Why this matters
AI tools are becoming a normal way to find people and businesses. In BrightLocal's 2026 survey, the share of consumers using ChatGPT or other AI tools for local recommendations jumped from 6% to 45% in a year.
Step 1. Open a clean session
Most AI tools personalize answers based on your history and memory. If you've talked to ChatGPT about your business for months, it'll know you, and that tells you nothing about what a stranger sees. Use a private browser window, log out where the tool allows it, or use a temporary or incognito chat that doesn't use memory, and switch off any custom instructions.
Run the check in at least two tools. We use ChatGPT, Google (AI Mode, or the AI Overview at the top of results when one appears), Perplexity and Claude. They pull from different places, and the differences are the interesting part.
Step 2. Ask the three questions
This is the easy version. If it fails, the AI has very little to work with.
No hints. Does it find you, someone else, or a blend of the two?
The money question. This is how clients find people they've never heard of.
For question 3, get specific. Nobody is the top result for "marketing." Somebody is the top result for "commercial real estate marketing in Nashville."
Step 3. Check the sources
Perplexity and Google's AI answers show the links they used, and ChatGPT shows citations when it searches the web. Click through. Are the sources things you control, things about you, or things about someone else? If one platform shows up in every answer, usually LinkedIn, that's the single point holding your footprint up.
Step 4. Score what you found
Use the same six signals we use in our audits. You won't get exact points from a five-minute check, but you'll see where you stand.
| Signal | Look for this | Red flag |
|---|---|---|
| Name and hub | Your own site or profile is cited | Only third-party directories show up |
| Entity clarity | Role, company and city are right | Wrong title, or a namesake mixed in |
| Third-party authority | Press, podcasts or awards get mentioned | Nothing about you that you didn't write |
| Content depth | It can describe what you think about your field | One vague sentence |
| Owned channels | Several of your profiles appear | Everything comes from one platform |
| Consistency | Every source tells the same story | Different titles, cities or companies |
What the answers usually tell us
After running this check on a lot of founders and executives, a few patterns come up again and again.
- "I couldn't find information about that person." The most common result for people who are genuinely good at what they do. It often means there's too little connected information for the AI to be confident. Check whether web search was on, since without it the tool answers from older training data, and some tools hold back on private individuals by design.
- The right person, the wrong details. An old title, a previous company, the wrong city. That's a consistency problem, and it's usually quick to fix.
- Two people blended into one. You share a name with someone, and the AI merges you. A strong owned hub with structured data is the best place to start untangling it.
- Left off the shortlist entirely. You're known by name but never recommended. That's almost always third-party authority and content depth.
What to do next
Start with whatever was wrong, then whatever was missing. Our guide to Digital-Footprintmaxxing covers each of the six signals, and if something negative or sensitive came up, read how to build a defense layer before you respond to anything.
If you'd rather have us run the full version, every free consult starts with this check, done live with you, in ChatGPT, Google, Perplexity and Claude.
