74 businesses · Ottawa · September 2026
Point-in-time ChatGPT visibility research for Downtown BIA (Hello Downtown). 74 businesses analyzed, 64% mentioned at least once, 36% not visible in tested responses. Prepared by CLIXERA for BIA outreach and community workshops.
This research examines how Downtown BIA businesses appeared in ChatGPT responses when consumers asked for local recommendations.
74 eligible businesses were tested across 457 questions. Each business received category-matched prompts designed to reflect the kinds of queries a consumer might actually ask.
This is a point-in-time benchmark collected on September 21, 2026. ChatGPT answers can change. This study measures which businesses entered the AI-generated shortlist at that moment — not future guaranteed mentions.
74
Businesses analyzed
457
ChatGPT questions asked
64%
At least one mention
36%
Not visible in test
64% of Downtown businesses (47 of 74) were mentioned at least once.
54% had strong visibility (appeared in multiple relevant responses), 9% had limited visibility (appeared once), and 36% were not named in any tested response.
Discovery questions (like "best florist in Ottawa") produced a 58% mention rate. Recommendation questions (like "Who should I see for a dentist?") produced a 55% mention rate.
64%
Mentioned at least once
54%
Strong visibility
9%
Limited visibility
36%
Not visible
Visibility varied by category. Health & Wellness performed best at 86%, while shopping businesses had the lowest visibility at 44%.
These category rates show which types of Downtown businesses entered ChatGPT's shortlist most consistently in this test.
| Category | Businesses | Mention Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Health & Wellness | 21 | 86% |
| Professional Services | 13 | 62% |
| Food & Drink | 25 | 48% |
| Shopping | 9 | 44% |
| Accommodation | 3 | 100% |
| Experiences | 2 | 100% |
Below are sample ChatGPT answers from the test. These examples show which Downtown businesses were named — and which questions returned no Downtown businesses at all.
Businesses were sourced from the Downtown BIA (Hello Downtown) public directory. National chains, businesses without websites, and civic listings were excluded so the benchmark reflects local independent businesses.
457 ChatGPT questions were asked across 139 unique prompts. Questions were matched to each business's category and pinned to Ottawa at the city level.
Each business received approximately 6 questions. Questions were not averaged across multiple runs. This study used ChatGPT (OpenAI gpt-4o) on September 21, 2026.
This is a point-in-time benchmark. ChatGPT answers can change with question wording, model updates, and time. Businesses not named in these answers are not proven to be permanently invisible.
If a customer's shortlist is built in ChatGPT, neighbourhood independents that never appear may never get considered.
This research does not claim that appearing in ChatGPT causes a purchase, nor does it prove that an unnamed business cannot succeed. It identifies an emerging layer of local discovery that BIA members may want to understand.
CLIXERA can walk BIA members through these findings in a short workshop or lunch-and-learn. This page is the leave-behind — contact CLIXERA if you want to schedule a community session.
