AI & Google Visibility Check · Sample
Spark & Volt Electrical
Fictional example. How visible is this electrician when people in Croydon ask AI assistants and Google for help, and what would make the biggest difference?
1 Summary
Illustrative results7 of 114
AI answers that named Spark & Volt Electrical (about 6%)
58 of 114
AI answers that named the most-mentioned local competitor (Competitor A)
In short: Spark & Volt does good work and holds the right accreditations, but the information online doesn't make that easy for AI tools (or customers) to see. The biggest gaps are the Google Business Profile category and services, the lack of a clear EICR page with price guidance, and an old phone number on several directories. All of these are fixable in a few hours.
AI answers
Named in 7 of 114 answers
Google Business Profile
Generic category, no services listed
Website
No EICR page, no price guidance, areas not listed
Reviews
23 reviews, newest 5 months old, no replies
Listings & consistency
Old phone number on 3 of 8 directories
Accreditations shown
NICEIC & Part P shown and linked to register
2 What we asked, and how often you were named
Illustrative resultsWe asked each question three times in each tool, in fresh sessions, with the location set to Croydon where the tool allows. Each cell shows how many of the 3 answers named Spark & Volt Electrical.
| Question (as a customer would ask it) | ChatGPT | Google AI Overview | Perplexity | Copilot |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Who's a good electrician in Croydon? | 0/3 | 0/3 | 1/3 | 0/3 |
| Emergency electrician in Croydon open now | 0/3 | none | 0/3 | 0/3 |
| Who can do an EICR for a rental flat in Croydon? | 1/3 | 0/3 | 1/3 | 0/3 |
| How much does an EICR cost in Croydon? | 0/3 | 0/3 | 0/3 | 0/3 |
| Best EV charger installer near Croydon | 0/3 | none | 0/3 | 0/3 |
| Fuse board (consumer unit) replacement in Croydon | 0/3 | 0/3 | 1/3 | 0/3 |
| NICEIC registered electrician in Croydon | 1/3 | 1/3 | 1/3 | 0/3 |
| Electrician for a full house rewire in Croydon | 0/3 | 0/3 | 0/3 | 0/3 |
| Recommended electricians in Bromley | 0/3 | 0/3 | 0/3 | 0/3 |
| Electrician in Croydon with good reviews | 0/3 | 0/3 | 0/3 | 0/3 |
| Total: named in 7 of 114 answers | 2/30 | 1/24 | 4/30 | 0/30 |
0/3 never named1/3 sometimes named3/3 always namednone no AI Overview shown
Who got named instead
| Business | Named in | What they have that stands out |
|---|---|---|
| Competitor A | 58 of 114 | 110+ Google reviews, replies to every review, separate pages for EICRs, EV chargers and rewires with "from" prices |
| Competitor B | 41 of 114 | Google Business Profile lists 12 services and 9 towns; lots of recent job photos |
| Competitor C | 33 of 114 | Landlord EICR page with FAQs; same details on every directory |
| Spark & Volt Electrical | 7 of 114 | Strong accreditations, but services, areas and prices aren't spelled out online |
In a real report, the businesses named by the AI tools are listed by name, with the answers they appeared in. In this sample, they're anonymised placeholders.
3 Example AI answer
Illustrative example, not a real AI answerThis is the kind of answer we record (real reports include a dated screenshot of each one).
Who can do an EICR for a rental flat in Croydon?
Here are a few options landlords in Croydon often consider:
- Competitor A: NICEIC-registered, with landlord EICR prices listed on its website.
- Competitor B: highly rated on Google, mentions certificates issued within 24 hours.
- Competitor C: offers EICRs for HMOs and letting agents.
Whoever you choose, check they're registered with a scheme such as NICEIC or NAPIT.
Why Spark & Volt probably wasn't mentioned (our reading)
- The website mentions EICRs in one line, but there's no page that explains them, who they're for or roughly what they cost.
- The Google Business Profile doesn't list "EICR" or "landlord certificates" as services.
- None of the recent reviews mention EICRs or landlords, while the competitors' reviews do.
4 Findings
Illustrative findingsGoogle Business Profile category is too general
The primary category is "Electrical installation service" rather than "Electrician", and no services are listed. Competitors list 8–12 services.
No dedicated service pages
EICRs, EV chargers, consumer units and rewires are all squeezed onto one page. AI tools struggle to match the business to specific questions like "EICR in Croydon".
Areas covered aren't written down
The site says "Greater London & surrounding areas" but doesn't name the towns, so it's unclear that Croydon and Bromley are covered.
Old phone number on 3 directories
Three of the eight directories we checked still show a previous mobile number. Mixed details make the business look less reliable.
Reviews have gone quiet
23 Google reviews (4.8 average), but the newest is 5 months old and none have replies.
Accreditations are clear and verifiable
NICEIC and Part P are shown on the website and linked to the public register. Keep this.
Website is fast and mobile-friendly
Pages load quickly on a phone, and tap-to-call and the quote form are easy to find.
5 Prioritised fix list
Example fix listMost important first. "Us" means it's included in the Visibility Fix; "You" means it needs you (we'll give you the link, wording or template).
| # | Fix | Why it matters | Effort | Who |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Set Google Business Profile primary category to "Electrician" and add all services and towns covered | The profile is one of the main sources Google and AI tools use for local answers | 30 mins | Us |
| 2 | Add an "EICR & landlord certificates" page with a "from" price, what's included and FAQs | Gives AI tools and landlords a clear answer to a very common question | 2 hrs | Us |
| 3 | Name the towns covered (Croydon, Bromley, Sutton…) on the website, matching the profile | Makes it clear you cover the places people ask about | 30 mins | Us |
| 4 | Correct the old phone number on 3 directories | Consistent details build trust with customers and AI tools | 45 mins | You (we send the list) |
| 5 | Ask recent customers for a review using a direct link and QR card, and reply to every review | Recent, detailed reviews (e.g. mentioning EICRs) help you get chosen | Ongoing | You (we make the link, card & reply templates) |
| 6 | Add LocalBusiness schema listing services and areas | Spells out your details in a format search engines read | 30 mins | Us |
| 7 | Add short FAQ answers: costs, how long jobs take, which certificates you issue | Matches the questions customers actually ask AI tools | 1 hr | Us |
| 8 | Upload 10+ recent job photos to the Google Business Profile | Shows real, recent work and an active business | 20 mins | You |
6 Re-check plan
About 30 days after the fixes go live, we ask the same 10 questions in the same tools, three times each, and send a short before-and-after note: how often you were named, what changed, and what (if anything) to do next.
Changes can take weeks to be picked up, and AI answers vary, so results may go up and down between checks. We report what we see, good or bad.
7 How we checked, and the limits
- Questions: written the way local customers ask them, covering your main services and towns.
- Runs: each question asked 3 times per tool in fresh sessions, because the same question can get a different answer each time.
- Google AI Overviews only appear for some searches. Where none appeared, we mark it "none" and leave it out of the total.
- A snapshot, not a guarantee. Results reflect the dates we checked. Nobody can control or guarantee what an AI tool or Google shows.
- No tricks. Our fixes follow normal good practice. Google says there are no special requirements for appearing in its AI features beyond that.
Want to see your own results?
Start with a free mini-check: who gets named in your town, whether you do, and one quick fix. All by email.
Sample report by SparkyWeb · sparkyweb.co.uk/ai-visibility · Fictional business, illustrative results. Get your own free mini-check at sparkyweb.co.uk/ai-visibility.