Where do ChatGPT, Claude and Grok find the contractors they recommend?
AI answers asked October 19 to 21, 2026, through the versions these companies sell to programmers, not the phone apps. Page updated . By Known Around Town, which sells an AI check like the one these numbers come from.
From the web, and each assistant leans on different sites. In 42 answers about Tacoma-area contractors from October 19 to 21, 2026, Claude's links went to the contractors' own websites 58 times out of 70, and ChatGPT's 37 times out of 46. Grok went the other way: 52 of its 81 links went to directories and review sites.
Where the links went
We asked each assistant to find a contractor, 14 times each, in roofing, HVAC, plumbing, landscaping and auto repair, and counted every link in its answers.
| Assistant | Links | To a contractor's own site | To a directory, review or listing site | Third-party sites it linked most |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT | 46 | 37 | 9 | Angi (3) |
| Claude | 70 | 58 | 12 | Yelp (3), AAA (2), Facebook (2) |
| Grok | 81 | 29 | 52 | Birdeye (8), Yelp (6), Angi (5), BuildZoom (5), Thumbtack (4), Best Pros in Town (4) |
| Gemini | none from a search | It answered without searching and wrote web addresses from memory |
A contractor's own site here includes a chain's location page, such as a Meineke shop page. Directory and listing sites include review sites, lead sites, the contractor finders run by the shingle makers GAF and Owens Corning, and one link to the state's contractor lookup.
What that means for a contractor
- For ChatGPT and Claude, the contractors' own websites did most of the work. Most of their links went there, and their reasons repeated what those sites said, such as the towns served.
- For Grok, directory and review sites did most of the work. At least 8 of its 14 answers quoted star ratings, and most of its links went to Birdeye, Yelp, Angi and similar sites rather than to the business.
- Gemini, as we asked it, used neither. We asked it without Google Search, because Google's terms for search-backed Gemini answers do not allow the kind of study we do here. It named businesses from what it already knew and typed their web addresses from memory, so check any address it gives you. The Gemini app can search, so its answers can differ.
So the same business can be easy to find for one assistant and hard for another. A clear website with your towns and services helps with the first group; complete, matching directory profiles help with the second.
One answer named a business that is likely made up
ChatGPT's Gig Harbor roofer answer included a "Gig Harbor Roofing Co." with the phone number (253) 555-0142. Numbers from 555-0100 to 555-0199 are reserved for fiction, so the listing is likely invented, and we left it out of every count on these pages. Out of 56 answers it was the only one we caught, and it is a reason to check any list an assistant gives against the business's own site.
Can my site block these assistants by accident?
It can. OpenAI says sites that block its search crawler, called OAI-SearchBot, will not appear in ChatGPT search answers. You can send your web person this line: "Can you check that our robots.txt file doesn't block OAI-SearchBot? That's what lets ChatGPT search read our site."
We used the smaller versions these companies sell to programmers, not the phone apps, so app answers can differ. How we got these numbers. To see which sites each assistant links when a customer asks about your trade and town, run the free check.
Sources
- Known Around Town's stored answers from ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Grok, asked October 19 to 21, 2026, with every link they gave. Method.
- OpenAI, Overview of OpenAI Crawlers, read October 25, 2026.
- Google, Gemini API Additional Terms of Service, read October 25, 2026.
- Wikipedia, 555 (North American Numbering Plan): "Only 555-0100 through 555-0199 are now specifically reserved for fictional use."
Other questions owners ask
Do I need a profile on every directory?
Not every one. In our test Grok linked Birdeye, Yelp, Angi and BuildZoom most, and ChatGPT's Tacoma roofer answer cited Angi, so those are the ones we would keep complete and matching first. ChatGPT's and Claude's links went mostly to the contractors' own websites.
Can an AI assistant make up a business?
One of our 56 answers named a roofer with a phone number in the 555-0100 to 555-0199 range, which is reserved for fiction, so it is likely invented. We left it out of every count.