We asked ChatGPT, Google AI Mode and Perplexity 27 times which Dubai agency to hire. Here is what the recommended ones had in common

In our latest round, 27 answers from ChatGPT, Google AI Mode and Perplexity to real buyer questions about agencies in Dubai and Lebanon named about six or seven businesses each, and leaned heavily on directories and "best agencies" lists rather than agency websites. The businesses that kept appearing had complete directory profiles with reviews, pages that described specific services in plain words, and a clear location. Our own agency was recommended in none of them that week, which is exactly why we keep measuring.

Every week we ask the same nine questions a business owner might type before hiring an agency like ours. Each one goes to ChatGPT (in a temporary chat, so nothing personal shapes the answer), Google AI Mode and Perplexity, without ever mentioning our name. Nine questions times three assistants gives 27 answers. We write down who gets recommended, in what order, and which sources each assistant points to.

We started in October with a baseline of one recommendation out of 17 answers. Since then we have been recommended once in some weeks and not at all in others. I am sharing the patterns because they apply to almost any service business in the UAE, not just agencies, and because I would rather show the real numbers than a polished claim.

The questions we ask

The nine questions cover what people actually look for: social media management with filming, WhatsApp AI chatbots with CRM and human handover, SEO with visibility in AI search, small business websites, one team for social media and automation, two of those questions asked in Arabic, and two about businesses in Lebanon. They are deliberately specific, because real buyers rarely type "best agency".

How many businesses an answer names

On average, ChatGPT named about 6.2 businesses per answer, Google AI Mode about 6.1 and Perplexity about 7.4. The broadest question, about social media with filming and monthly content, produced the longest list, 11 names in one ChatGPT answer. The narrowest one, a single team doing both social media and WhatsApp AI, produced the shortest, just two.

What this means for you: on a broad question you are competing for one of ten places with every established name in the city. On a narrow, specific question there may be only two or three places, and far fewer businesses that clearly describe themselves that way. Specific is where a smaller business can win.

Where the answers come from

When the assistants showed their sources, they were mostly not agency websites. Perplexity cited the same agency directory in four of the nine answers that week. Other answers cited agency rankings published on marketing platforms and "top agencies in Dubai" lists from local publishers. In an earlier round, Google AI Mode drew on directory profiles and Google Business Profile ratings in a third of its answers.

That matches what independent studies have found elsewhere: when AI assistants recommend local businesses, most of the sources they cite are directories and review lists, and only a small share are the businesses' own sites. Your website still matters, because it is where the assistant checks what you do. But the shortlist is often built somewhere else.

Six things the recommended businesses had in common

1. A complete profile on the directories the assistants cite, with services, location, team size and, crucially, reviews.

2. Specific service language. "WhatsApp chatbot with Zoho integration and Arabic replies" beats "digital transformation solutions" every time.

3. A clear location match. Questions about Lebanon were answered almost entirely with agencies based in Lebanon. Saying you serve a market is weaker than being visibly present in it.

4. Some openness about price. In one answer, ChatGPT pointed out approvingly that an agency published its starting prices. You do not have to publish a price list, but explaining what changes the price helps.

5. Consistent facts. The same name, phone and description everywhere, so the assistant does not have to choose between versions.

6. Language. Arabic questions often brought a partly different list from the same question in English, favouring businesses that publish in Arabic too.

What our own result taught us

Our one recurring recommendation came from a question about WhatsApp AI automation for businesses in Lebanon, in Arabic and English, with CRM integration. ChatGPT picked us because one of our pages described exactly that. Later, when agencies based in Lebanon became more visible for the same question, we dropped out. Two lessons: the most specific page wins, and a position in an AI answer is never permanent. You keep it by staying the clearest, most current source for that question.

A checklist you can run this week

1. Write five questions a real customer would ask before choosing a business like yours.

2. Ask each one in a ChatGPT temporary chat and in Google's AI Mode, without your name. Note who is named.

3. Ask: "Which sources did you use?" List the directories and articles.

4. Check whether you appear on each of those sources, with correct details and reviews.

5. Find your page that answers each question. If none does in plain words, that is your next page to write.

6. Repeat in a month with the same questions. Compare.

For the full method, the questions and the monthly results without any business names, see our AI Visibility Index. If you are new to the idea, start with what GEO is and how recommendations work in the UAE.

FAQ

How do AI assistants decide which businesses to recommend?

They search the web, read the sources they trust most, often directories, review sites and "best of" lists, and then check businesses' own pages for details. Businesses with complete profiles, reviews, specific service descriptions and consistent facts are recommended more often.

Why test in a temporary chat?

A temporary chat stops your past conversations and saved memories from shaping the answer. It gives you something closer to what a new customer sees, and makes week to week comparisons fairer.

Do AI assistants give the same answer every time?

No. Answers vary from one run to the next, especially lower down the list. That is why you test a fixed set of questions regularly and look at the trend rather than a single answer.

Does asking in Arabic change the result?

Often, yes. In our tests the Arabic versions of the same questions frequently named a partly different set of businesses. If your customers search in Arabic, include Arabic questions in your tests and Arabic content on your site.

Can a small business compete with big agencies in AI answers?

On broad questions it is hard. On specific questions, a smaller business that describes its service precisely, has a complete directory profile and real reviews can be recommended alongside much larger names.

Want to see how your business shows up in these answers? Read about our SEO and GEO work in Dubai, or message Point One on WhatsApp.