Original research · September–October 2026
We asked ChatGPT and Google's AI Mode the question customers now ask: "best [business] in [city] TX". 12 industries, 14 Dallas–Fort Worth cities, 168 searches, 3,343 Google Maps listings checked against the answers.
41%
of top-rated local businesses were named by neither AI
934
of 2,228 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 | List ChatGPT cited most |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plastic surgeon | 60% | 203 | ~6.5 | find.plasticsurgery.org (6 of 10) |
| Med spa | 49% | 162 | ~7.6 | nobsmedspareviews.com (4 of 10) |
| Personal injury lawyer | 43% | 178 | ~7.1 | avvo.com (8 of 11) |
| HVAC company | 43% | 205 | ~7.7 | bestprosintown.com (6 of 11) |
| Roofing company | 42% | 188 | ~7.7 | reviews.birdeye.com (5 of 9) |
| Dentist | 41% | 252 | ~7.9 | doctor.webmd.com (5 of 10) |
| Divorce lawyer | 40% | 110 | ~7.9 | expertise.com (8 of 8) |
| Plumber | 38% | 191 | ~7.8 | bestprosintown.com (6 of 9) |
| Veterinarian | 38% | 204 | ~10.1 | bestprosintown.com (4 of 11) |
| Orthodontist | 37% | 216 | ~8.3 | threebestrated.com (5 of 11) |
| Foundation repair company | 34% | 100 | ~9.2 | pinnaclefoundationrepair.com (2 of 3) |
| Chiropractor | 31% | 219 | ~9.4 | reviews.birdeye.com (4 of 7) |
The same count for each city, across all 12 industries, with the industry left out most there (industries with at least five top-rated businesses in that city).
| City | Left out | Top-rated checked | Left out most |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lewisville | 52% | 144 | Plastic surgeons (85%) |
| Garland | 49% | 149 | Plastic surgeons (82%) |
| Dallas | 48% | 202 | Dentists (75%) |
| Fort Worth | 47% | 189 | Veterinarians (62%) |
| Grand Prairie | 47% | 116 | Plastic surgeons (69%) |
| Plano | 42% | 195 | Personal injury lawyers (92%) |
| Carrollton | 41% | 151 | Plastic surgeons (87%) |
| Denton | 41% | 137 | Plastic surgeons (87%) |
| Frisco | 38% | 171 | Plastic surgeons (82%) |
| Arlington | 37% | 156 | Plastic surgeons (63%) |
| Allen | 36% | 152 | Med spas (50%) |
| Irving | 36% | 127 | Dentists (55%) |
| McKinney | 33% | 172 | Plastic surgeons (46%) |
| Richardson | 33% | 167 | Plastic surgeons (47%) |
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 · Lewisville
A 4.7★ business with 13,000+ reviews wasn't named. FlowMo Plumbing, with 47 reviews, was.
Question asked: "best plumber in Lewisville TX"
Divorce lawyer · Garland
A 4.8★ business with 4,500+ reviews wasn't named. Lisa Baker Canterberry, with 44 reviews, was.
Question asked: "best divorce lawyer in Garland 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"
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 · Carrollton
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 Carrollton TX"
Veterinarian · Garland
A 4.6★ business with 1,000+ reviews wasn't named. Firewheel Pet Clinic, with 26 reviews, was.
Question asked: "best veterinarian in Garland TX"
Med spa · Denton
A 4.9★ business with 1,000+ reviews wasn't named. Ma'Belle Med Spa & Semaglutide Clinic, with 32 reviews, was.
Question asked: "best med spa in Denton TX"
Roofing company · Grand Prairie
A 5★ business with 300+ reviews wasn't named. Starwood Roofing, with 12 reviews, was.
Question asked: "best roofing company in Grand Prairie TX"
Chiropractor · Grand Prairie
A 5★ business with 800+ reviews wasn't named. Align ChiroCare, with 39 reviews, was.
Question asked: "best chiropractor in Grand Prairie 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"
ChatGPT cited outside websites in 109 of 110 of these answers, most often city "best of" lists and directories. These were the sites it cited most:
We then checked the list pages ChatGPT cited against the top-rated businesses it left out. Of 136 we could check, 58% weren't on at least one of those lists, and 39% weren't on any of them. Getting onto the lists the AI already reads is one of the most direct fixes available.
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 between late September and late October 2026 (the first eight cities on September 26, the next six on October 23) for "best [category] in [city] TX" in Dallas, Fort Worth, Plano, Frisco, McKinney, Arlington, Irving, Richardson, Garland, Grand Prairie, Carrollton, Denton, Lewisville, Allen. 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.
Download the data (CSV): every business each engine named, by industry and city, with its Google rating and review count. Free to use with credit to Renownly (CC BY 4.0). Businesses the AI left out aren't listed by name.
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.