local
50.7
19/20 completed. Website avg 83.5. Reddit 5%, YouTube 100%, Wiki/Wikidata 53%, reviews 0%.
60
businesses checked
54
completed live evidence checks
74.1
best category average (national)
50.7
largest opportunity (local)
The simple story
Think of an AI assistant like a cautious teenager doing homework. It does not just believe what one website says. It looks for proof in other places. If the website, reviews, videos, community discussions, directories, and knowledge bases all tell the same story, the business is easier to trust and recommend.
WebsiteYour official explanation: who you are, what you sell, who it helps, and how to buy.
ReviewsCustomer proof. This helps AI see that real people have used and trusted the business.
Reddit and forumsReal discussion. People compare options, ask questions, and say what worked or did not.
YouTubeVideo proof. Explainers, demos, interviews, and reviews make the business easier to understand.
Wikipedia and WikidataEntity proof. These help AI confirm that a brand, venue, product, or organisation is a known thing.
DirectoriesProfile proof. LinkedIn, Crunchbase, Google Business Profile, G2, Capterra, or trade directories corroborate identity.
PublishersAuthority proof. News, guides, listicles, podcasts, and industry media can support recommendations.
AI citationsThe final test: when asked a buyer-intent question, does AI mention or cite the business?
Category evidence scores
national
74.1
16/20 completed. Website avg 77.8. Reddit 6%, YouTube 100%, Wiki/Wikidata 100%, reviews 38%.
international
72.3
19/20 completed. Website avg 92.6. Reddit 11%, YouTube 100%, Wiki/Wikidata 100%, reviews 5%.
Most businesses had proof gaps away from their own site
The pattern is easy to understand: many businesses have websites, but fewer have enough independent evidence that AI can use to verify them.
No AI citation in sampled recommendation prompt
54 of 54 completed checks
54 of 54 completed checks
No Reddit/community evidence detected
50 of 54 completed checks
50 of 54 completed checks
No review/category platform evidence detected
47 of 54 completed checks
47 of 54 completed checks
No news/publisher evidence detected
40 of 54 completed checks
40 of 54 completed checks
No Wikipedia or Wikidata evidence detected
9 of 54 completed checks
9 of 54 completed checks
No directory/profile evidence detected
2 of 54 completed checks
2 of 54 completed checks
No YouTube/video evidence detected
0 of 54 completed checks
0 of 54 completed checks
What this means: AI visibility is not only an SEO problem. It is also a proof problem. If customers, reviewers, communities, directories, and publishers are not confirming your business, AI has less to work with.
Strongest evidence surfaces
- 1. Motorwaynational - Wikipedia100
- 2. Monzonational - Wikipedia92
- 3. Webflowinternational - Wikipedia92
- 4. HubSpotinternational - Wikipedia90
- 5. Starling Banknational - Wikipedia82
- 6. Octopus Energynational - Wikipedia82
- 7. Moneyboxnational - Wikipedia82
- 8. Monday.cominternational - Wikipedia80
- 9. FACT Liverpoollocal - Wikipedia78
- 10. Tidenational - Wikipedia78
Biggest evidence opportunities
- 1. Smileworks Liverpoollocal - YouTube14
- 2. Baltic Marketlocal - YouTube32
- 3. Royal Court Liverpoollocal - YouTube35
- 4. Royal Albert Dock Liverpoollocal - YouTube35
- 5. Delifonseca Docksidelocal - YouTube38
- 6. Titanic Hotel Liverpoollocal - YouTube38
- 7. The Brain Charitylocal - YouTube38
- 8. Bold Street Coffeelocal - YouTube38
- 9. Salesforceinternational - Wikipedia44
- 10. Lunya Liverpoollocal - YouTube50
Examples where competitors appeared instead
| Business | Prompt | Competitor appeared | Main citation gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Florist Liverpool | cocktail bar Liverpool | The Alchemist | No clear review or category proof surface detected |
| Smileworks Liverpool | cosmetic dentist Liverpool | Dental studios Liverpool | No clear review or category proof surface detected |
| Royal Court Liverpool | comedy theatre Liverpool | Cavern Quarter | No clear review or category proof surface detected |
| Hope Street Hotel | boutique hotel Liverpool | The Shankly Hotel | No clear review or category proof surface detected |
| Delifonseca Dockside | food hall restaurant Liverpool | The Baltic Market | No clear review or category proof surface detected |
| Maray Liverpool | small plates restaurant Liverpool | Cote | No clear review or category proof surface detected |
| Lunya Liverpool | Spanish restaurant Liverpool | Taps (tapas bar) | No clear review or category proof surface detected |
| Tide | small business bank account UK | Starling Bank | No clear review or category proof surface detected |
| giffgaff | cheap SIM only plan UK | Smarty | No clear review or category proof surface detected |
| Smarty | best value SIM only UK | Voicemail | No visible community discussion surface detected |
| Moneybox | stocks and shares ISA app UK | Interactive Investor | No visible community discussion surface detected |
The fix story
First, make the website clear. Then give AI places to verify you. Link official profiles, build review/category proof, publish useful videos, keep entity facts consistent, and create a crawlable proof hub that points to the best external evidence.
That turns "please trust our website" into "here is the same business confirmed across the web."
Downloads
Use these files for content, sales research, and historical comparison.
Disclaimer: this is a directional citation-surface benchmark based on a controlled sample, not a complete market-wide study or full social listening crawl. Reddit and YouTube checks use public availability signals and linked evidence where accessible. Use neutral language such as "evidence gap", "recommendation opportunity", "possible contributing factor", and "this may reduce AI confidence".