How do I check what AI says about my business?

Open ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google Gemini. Ask each: 'Tell me about [Your Business Name]', 'What does [Your Business Name] do?', and 'Who founded [Your Business Name]?' Screenshot any inaccurate responses.

What is an AI hallucination?

An AI hallucination occurs when Large Language Models generate false, fabricated, or misleading information presented as fact. This happens when the AI lacks sufficient real information and fills gaps with plausible-sounding fiction.

What is GEO (Generative Engine Optimization)?

GEO is the practice of optimizing brand presence for AI answer engines like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews. It focuses on entity clarity, source diversity, structured data implementation, and hallucination monitoring.

Why Is AI Lying About My Business?

Q: Why doesn't SEO fix AI hallucinations?

AI systems read more than just your website—they pull from news articles, social media, forums, reviews, and business directories. A well-optimized website can be overwhelmed by misinformation scattered across the internet. GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) addresses this by ensuring correct information exists across multiple sources AI trusts.

The Phone Call That Changed Everything

A lawyer in Brooklyn called me last month, frustrated. "Someone left me a one-star review about a case I never handled. The client doesn't exist. The case type isn't even something I practice."

The "review" wasn't on Google or Yelp. It was in ChatGPT.

When potential clients asked the AI for lawyer recommendations, it was confidently describing cases he never took, outcomes that never happened, and a specialty he doesn't have.

AI was lying about his business to potential clients. And he had no idea.

He estimated he lost 3-4 consultations per month from people being told he didn't practice the type of law they needed—even though he does. At his consultation rate, that's $10,000-15,000 per year. From a problem he didn't know existed.

The 15-Minute Audit: What Is AI Saying About You?

You can find out right now. Open ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google Gemini. Ask each one these questions:

Round 1: Direct Questions

"Tell me about [Your Business Name]"

"What does [Your Business Name] do?"

"Who founded [Your Business Name]?"

Good response: Describes your business accurately.

Bad response: "I don't have information about..." or describes a different business.

Round 2: Leading Questions

AI hallucinates more when you give it permission. Try:

"What awards has [Your Business Name] won?"

"What's the controversy around [Your Business Name]?"

"Why did [Your Business Name] get sued?"

If the AI starts inventing awards you never won or lawsuits that never happened, that's your baseline problem.

Round 3: Specific Details

"Does [Your Business Name] offer [service you don't actually offer]?"

"Where is [Your Business Name] located?"

"What are the reviews like for [Your Business Name]?"

Screenshot everything that's wrong. This becomes your correction roadmap.

Why This Happens

Large Language Models don't "know" anything. They predict what words should come next based on patterns. When there's not enough real information about your business, they fill gaps with plausible-sounding fiction.

That's a hallucination. And the worst part? AI doesn't say "I'm not sure." It says "Here's what I know"—whether it actually knows or not.

What AI Typically Gets Wrong

Wrong facts: Founding year, location, services offered, pricing
Invented details: Reviews that don't exist, products you don't sell, team members who don't work there
Attribution errors: Confusing you with competitors or similarly-named businesses
Made-up history: Awards you never won, partnerships that never happened

Why SEO Won't Fix This

Here's what most marketing agencies don't understand: AI doesn't just read your website. It reads everything—news articles, social media, forums, reviews, directories, and whatever else was in its training data.

Your perfectly optimized website can be overwhelmed by misinformation scattered across the internet.

This is why you need GEO (Generative Engine Optimization), not just SEO. GEO focuses on:

Entity Clarity — Making sure AI knows exactly who you are
Source Diversity — Getting correct information into sources AI trusts
Structured Data — Using schema markup to give AI machine-readable facts
Hallucination Monitoring — Regularly checking what AI says about you

What You Can Do Right Now

Today:

Run the 15-minute audit above
Screenshot every hallucination you find
Check if your Google Business Profile is claimed and complete

This Week:

Verify your information is identical across major directories (Google, Yelp, LinkedIn, industry sites)
Add Organization schema markup to your website

This Month:

Set up quarterly AI audits (same questions, track changes over time)
Create content that directly answers common questions about your business

Or skip the DIY route:

Our Vector Scope diagnostic tests your presence across all major AI platforms, documents every hallucination, and gives you a correction roadmap.

Run a free Vector Scope diagnostic →