- We asked ChatGPT to recommend a provider 485 times across 97 cities. On average, it named 3.8 providers, and no more than 5 in 478 answers.
- The estimated volume of questions to AI assistants is still small. For “steuerberater münchen” (tax advisor Munich), DataForSEO estimates around 85 prompts a month, compared with 4,400 searches on Google.
- A strong Google ranking doesn't automatically get you into AI answers. Kardiologie im Zentrum ranked well on Google but was mentioned too rarely in AI answers.
- We use five levers to get companies into AI answers. For ChargeOne, that meant 202 visits from AI assistants.
- Google Analytics 4 reports visits from ChatGPT, Gemini or Copilot as a separate “AI Assistant” channel.
12:22GEO stands for Generative Engine Optimization: getting your company mentioned in answers from ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini and Google. Whether it already pays off is a question we answer here with our own data.
For our pages covering 97 cities, we analyzed in October 2026 how many providers ChatGPT recommends and how often people ask AI assistants about local providers. The numbers make the case for getting in early, but not because of search volume.
ChatGPT names an average of 3.8 providers per recommendation
In each city, we asked ChatGPT about the five services with the highest estimated AI prompt volume there, such as “Which gym in Munich can you recommend?” That's 485 questions in total.
- On average, ChatGPT named 3.8 providers, most often exactly 4.
- In 478 of 485 answers, it named 5 providers or fewer.
- In 6 answers, ChatGPT named no provider at all.
| Query for | Cities | Average providers named |
|---|---|---|
| Car dealership | 94 | 3,8 |
| Gym | 88 | 4,2 |
| Lawyer | 73 | 3,3 |
| Optician | 47 | 3,9 |
| Car repair shop | 33 | 3,9 |
| Used cars | 28 | 3,7 |
| Electrician | 25 | 3,5 |
| Tax advisor | 25 | 4,3 |
A recommendation from ChatGPT is therefore a short list. What matters for your marketing is whether your company is recommended for the questions potential customers actually ask.
Our own analysis: ChatGPT with web search via DataForSEO, queried on October 10, 2026, one question per service and city. Answers vary from query to query. We don't publish the providers' names.
In Munich, estimated AI prompt volume is still small
For the same services, we compared estimated AI assistant prompts with Google searches. Taking Munich as an example:
| Search term | Monthly Google searches | Estimated monthly AI assistant prompts |
|---|---|---|
| fitnessstudio münchen | 5.400 | 93 |
| steuerberater münchen | 4.400 | 85 |
| elektriker münchen | 1.600 | 43 |
| immobilienmakler münchen | 5.400 | 19 |
| optiker münchen | 2.400 | 11 |
Google: Google Ads Keyword Planner via DataForSEO, average from September 2025 to August 2026. AI assistants: DataForSEO estimate (AI Keyword Data) for all of Germany, average from October 2025 to September 2026. Retrieved October 10, 2026.
So Google Search is still the bigger channel. The case for GEO comes down to the length of the list. On October 11, 2026, Google's first page for “steuerberater münchen” showed three firms in the map pack and ten organic results. The AI answer lists four or five names.
A strong Google ranking doesn't automatically get you into the answer
In its guidance on AI search, Google states that its AI features are built on the ranking systems of regular search. So good SEO remains the foundation. But two examples show it isn't enough to get mentioned in AI answers.
Kardiologie im Zentrum (KIZ) in Munich ranked well in Google Search, but ChatGPT and Perplexity mentioned the practice too rarely. In our own test asking about tax advisors in Munich, none of the firms with their own website on Google's first page appeared in answers from ChatGPT, Perplexity or Gemini. We describe the test in our article AI search engines compared.
We use five levers to get your company into AI answers
Here's how we approach it for our clients:
- Identify questions: We find out which questions your customers ask AI systems and which providers show up in the answers today.
- Build content: We create content from your expertise, your data and your examples.
- Structure pages: We structure your pages so ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google can pull answers directly from them.
- Build mentions: Expert articles, mentions and reviews on other sites signal to AI systems that your company is a trustworthy source.
- Track mentions: We regularly measure how often, and in what context, AI answers mention your company.
Two results from our case studies:
- ChargeOne: We described the offering, rental model and company background so AI assistants can pick them up when answering questions about charging infrastructure. From January to mid-October 2025, AI assistants sent 202 visits to the website. (Case study)
- ChargeOne: We described the technology and values in detail, named the leadership team and company history, and highlighted the “Charging as a Service” rental model. AI assistants now reproduce the unique selling points with 100% accuracy, and the recommendation rate is 62%. (Case study)
How to measure visits from AI assistants in GA4
Google Analytics 4 reports visits from AI assistants such as ChatGPT, Gemini, DeepSeek, Copilot or Grok as a separate “AI Assistant” channel.
- In GA4, open Reports → Acquisition → Traffic acquisition.
- Look for the “AI Assistant” channel in the table.
- Set the primary dimension to “Session source/medium” to see the individual assistants.
According to Google, clicks from AI Overviews and AI Mode count as organic search. The channel identifies visits by their referrer, so it doesn't capture visits without one.
Our GEO check shows whether ChatGPT, Perplexity and Gemini mention your company today. Our GEO page explains our approach.
