Does AI recommend your hobby shop?

The six questions

These are the questions we run in every store audit. Replace the brackets with your shop and town, ask each one in ChatGPT, Google AI Mode and Perplexity, and note whether your shop is named.

1. What’s the best RC hobby shop in [your city]? The broad “who’s best” question most first-time buyers ask.
2. Where can I buy an RC car near [your city]? A buying-intent question for what you actually sell.
3. I’m new to RC. Which local hobby shop in [your city] would you recommend for a beginner? New hobbyists are the customers you most want to meet first.
4. Where can I get my RC car repaired in [your city]? Service questions (repairs, parts, batteries) are where a local shop beats Amazon.
5. Tell me about [your shop name] in [your city]. What do they sell, and what are their hours? Does AI know your shop exists, and are its facts right?
6. Should I go to [your shop name] or another RC shop in [your city]? What are my options? When someone already knows your name, does AI send them to you or away?

How to read what AI tells you

1. Ask in a private or logged-out window if you can. AI assistants can tailor answers to your own history; a clean window is closer to what a new customer sees.
2. “Named us” means named as an option, not just linked. If the answer only lists a directory like Yelp, mark it “not named.”
3. Wrong hours, an old address or a closed-shop note count as a problem. Mark those “named us, wrong info.” They are usually the fastest wins, because the fix is in your listings.
4. Answers change. Run the same questions again in a month and compare. Your result is saved in this browser so you can see the change.