Which sources do ChatGPT and Perplexity cite for local businesses?
Third-party sites, not business websites, are the main sources. In NRLC.ai's October 2026 studies, 93% of ChatGPT's Singapore tuition answers cited one of three directories, 91% of Perplexity's Dubai clinic answers cited a booking app or directory, and 76% of its California HVAC answers cited a lead-gen or review site.
How this was measured
NRLC.ai asked AI assistants the questions customers ask, such as "best PSLE Math tuition in Tampines" or "AC repair in Pasadena", and recorded every website each answer cited. One answer per question, collected through each provider's API in October 2026. Full method and question-level data are on each study page:
- Singapore tuition centres: ChatGPT (GPT-4.1 with web search), 95 questions
- Dubai aesthetic clinics: Perplexity, 150 questions
- California HVAC companies: Perplexity, 150 questions
All three are collected at NRLC.ai AI Visibility Studies.
Singapore tuition centres (ChatGPT)
| Site | Type | Share of answers citing it |
|---|---|---|
| sgdsa.com | Directory | 66% |
| tuitioncentres.sg | Directory | 60% |
| threebestrated.sg | Directory | 42% |
| ancourage.academy | Centre site | 16% |
| bestthingreview.com | Review blog | 12% |
| agrader.sg | Centre site | 11% |
| reddit.com | Forum | 8% |
ChatGPT cited about 6 sites per answer, from 186 different sites. The most-named chain's own website was cited in only 1 of the 37 answers that named it.
Dubai aesthetic clinics (Perplexity)
| Site | Type | Share of answers citing it |
|---|---|---|
| fresha.com | Booking app | 61% |
| yalah.ae | Listings | 25% |
| salonsindubai.ae | Listings | 24% |
| medifinder.ae | Directory | 22% |
| bookbeauty.ae | Booking site | 18% |
| symphonyclinic.ae | Clinic site | 15% |
| silkclinicsdubai.com | Clinic site | 15% |
Perplexity cited about 11 sites per answer. Symphony Clinic's site was cited for its treatment pages and published AED prices, for example PRP for hair at AED 449 a session.
California HVAC (Perplexity)
| Site | Type | Share of answers citing it |
|---|---|---|
| serviceagent.ai | Directory | 33% |
| thumbtack.com | Lead marketplace | 26% |
| hvacservice.io | Directory | 25% |
| homeadvisor.com | Lead marketplace | 19% |
| aireserv.com | Franchise site | 17% |
| consumeraffairs.com | Review site | 16% |
| lahvaclc.com | Company site | 10% |
Perplexity cited about 10 sites per answer. Aire Serv's city pages (17% of answers) and LC Heating & Air's own site (10%) were the most-cited company sites.
What this means for your markup and listings
- Listings come first. Claim and complete your profile on the directories and booking apps AI cites in your market, for every location and service.
- Keep facts identical everywhere. The same business name, branch name, address, phone and services on every listing and in your
LocalBusinessmarkup. Mismatched names split one business into several weak entries. - Link your profiles with
sameAs. List your official profiles in your Organization or LocalBusiness markup so they read as one entity. See the LocalBusiness checklist. - Give each service and location its own page. The most-cited business sites had a page for each treatment or each city, with prices and specifics in plain text.
- Mark up only what is on the page. Prices, hours and services in schema should match the visible content.
Limits
AI answers vary between sessions, and the ChatGPT and Perplexity apps can answer differently from their APIs. These are three markets at one point in time; the sites that matter in your market may differ. Run your own customer questions and note what gets cited.
Frequently asked questions
- What sources does ChatGPT use to recommend local businesses?
- In a 95-question study of Singapore tuition centres, 93% of ChatGPT's answers cited sgdsa.com, tuitioncentres.sg or threebestrated.sg. The centres' own websites were cited far less often.
- What sources does Perplexity use for local recommendations?
- Mostly booking apps, directories and lead-gen sites. Fresha appeared in 61% of 150 Dubai aesthetic clinic answers, and Thumbtack, HomeAdvisor and HVAC directories fed 76% of 150 California HVAC answers.
- Does a business's own website get cited at all?
- Yes, when it answers the question with specifics. Clinic sites with a page and published price for each treatment, and HVAC sites with city pages, were cited directly.
- Does schema markup make AI cite my listings?
- No. Schema helps machines read facts on your own page and tie your profiles together with sameAs. The listings themselves have to exist and match.