{
  "meta": {
    "slug": "ai-visibility-study-2026",
    "title": "AI Visibility Study 2026",
    "description": "A measured study of how often AI assistants name real local businesses: 10 businesses across 2 category and city cohorts, each asked 5 local-intent questions on 2 engines.",
    "generatedAt": "2026-09-21T17:36:48.101Z",
    "startedAt": "2026-09-21T17:13:10.334Z",
    "finishedAt": "2026-09-21T17:28:28.692Z",
    "complete": true,
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        "label": "ChatGPT (GPT-5 mini with web search)",
        "model": "openai/gpt-5-mini"
      },
      {
        "id": "perplexity",
        "label": "Perplexity (Sonar)",
        "model": "perplexity/sonar"
      }
    ],
    "excludedEngines": [
      {
        "id": "gemini",
        "label": "Gemini (2.5 Flash with Google Search)",
        "model": "google/gemini-2.5-flash",
        "reason": "Not included in this run. Gemini with Google Search is queried on paid checks on this site."
      }
    ],
    "questionTemplates": [
      "What is the best {category} in {city}, {region}?",
      "Who is the top rated {category} in {city}, {region}?",
      "Recommend a {category} near {city}, {region}.",
      "I need a {category} in {city}, {region}. Who should I go to?",
      "Which {category} in {city}, {region} has the best reviews?"
    ],
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    "answersPerBusiness": 10,
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        "category": "dentist",
        "city": "Columbus",
        "region": "OH"
      },
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        "category": "dentist",
        "city": "Tucson",
        "region": "AZ"
      },
      {
        "category": "dentist",
        "city": "Providence",
        "region": "RI"
      },
      {
        "category": "med spa",
        "city": "Columbus",
        "region": "OH"
      },
      {
        "category": "med spa",
        "city": "Tucson",
        "region": "AZ"
      },
      {
        "category": "med spa",
        "city": "Providence",
        "region": "RI"
      },
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        "category": "HVAC contractor",
        "city": "Columbus",
        "region": "OH"
      },
      {
        "category": "HVAC contractor",
        "city": "Tucson",
        "region": "AZ"
      },
      {
        "category": "HVAC contractor",
        "city": "Providence",
        "region": "RI"
      }
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        "category": "dentist",
        "city": "Columbus",
        "region": "OH"
      }
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    "engineVersion": "2026.09.1",
    "discoveryModel": "perplexity/sonar",
    "matchNote": "A business counts as named only when the engine's answer text contains its name as whole tokens, resting on at least one token that is not the category, the city or a generic word. Partial and category-only matches never count.",
    "callBudget": 800,
    "callsSpent": 102,
    "auxCallsWorstCase": 99,
    "ruleTitles": {
      "ai-crawlers-allowed": "Allow AI crawlers to access the site",
      "local-business-schema": "Add LocalBusiness structured data",
      "schema-completeness": "Fill out complete business schema fields",
      "entity-first-h1": "Lead with an entity-first H1",
      "title-tag": "Write an entity-rich title tag",
      "meta-description": "Write a complete meta description",
      "nap-visible": "Show name, address, and phone in visible text",
      "faq-answers": "Publish visible FAQ answers",
      "llms-txt": "Publish an llms.txt file",
      "sitemap": "Publish a sitemap.xml",
      "canonical": "Set a canonical URL",
      "open-graph": "Add Open Graph tags",
      "server-rendered-content": "Render key content server-side"
    },
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      "llms-txt": 3,
      "sitemap": 3,
      "canonical": 4,
      "open-graph": 2,
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    },
    "license": {
      "name": "Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)",
      "url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
      "attribution": "AnswerFix, AI Visibility Study 2026, https://answerfix.ai/research/ai-visibility-study-2026"
    },
    "variance": {
      "source": "docs/PREMORTEM.md, section 7",
      "measuredOn": "2026-09-20",
      "runs": 5,
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        46,
        45,
        44,
        48
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      "namedLow": 9,
      "namedHigh": 12,
      "namedOutOf": 20,
      "note": "Five identical free-tier runs of one unchanged business. The top competitor changed between runs."
    }
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    "ownDomain": 0,
    "studiedDomains": 0,
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    "opaque": 0,
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        "host": "healthgrades.com",
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        "host": "dental.me",
        "citations": 39,
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        "host": "reddit.com",
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        "host": "blankdental.com",
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        "host": "trustanalytica.org",
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        "host": "dugasdental.com",
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        "host": "zocdoc.com",
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        "host": "doctor-oogle.com",
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        "host": "newmouth.com",
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        "host": "drdalesandro.com",
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        "host": "smilegeneration.com",
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      {
        "host": "opencare.com",
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