When we asked Google's AI Mode and ChatGPT to recommend Jersey businesses in 10 everyday categories on 11 November 2026, the answers closely followed Google Maps. Of the 57 businesses Google's AI named, 50 (88%) were in the top 10 of Google Maps for the same search. The businesses it named had a median of 27 Google reviews, about twice the 13 of the other businesses in Maps' top 20, while their star ratings were the same (a median of 4.9). ChatGPT agreed on 37 of its 57 picks (65%), and 4 of its picks could not be found on Google Maps at all.
The headline numbers
- 88% of the businesses Google AI Mode recommended (50 of 57) were in the top 10 of Google Maps for the same search, and 60% (34) were in the top 5.
- 79% of ChatGPT's picks (45 of 57) were in Google Maps' top 10 too.
- 27 v 13: the median number of Google reviews for businesses Google AI Mode named, against the rest of Maps' top 20. Named businesses had more reviews in 9 of the 10 categories.
- 4.9 v 4.9: the median star rating was the same for both groups. Stars did not separate them; the number of reviews did.
- 14% v 33%: the share with fewer than 5 Google reviews, among AI-named businesses and among the rest of the top 20.
- 65% of businesses were named by both assistants (37). ChatGPT named 4 businesses we could not find on Google Maps.
Results by category
| Category | Named by Google AI Mode | Of those, in Maps top 10 | Named by ChatGPT | Named by both | Median reviews: AI-named v rest of top 20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plumbers | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 10.5 v 2.5 |
| Electricians | 8 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 17 v 1.5 |
| Dentists | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 191.5 v 33 |
| Physiotherapists | 9 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 15 v 12 |
| Accountants | 5 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 2 v 1 |
| Hairdressers | 5 | 4 | 7 | 2 | 19 v 21 |
| Gyms | 3 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 46 v 29 |
| Car garages | 6 | 4 | 7 | 5 | 42.5 v 22 |
| Florists | 6 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 27 v 14 |
| Vets | 3 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 70 v 43 |
| Total | 57 | 50 | 57 | 37 | 20 v 13 |
What stood out
Google's AI reads Google Maps. In six of the ten categories (plumbers, electricians, dentists, gyms, florists and vets), every business Google AI Mode named was in Maps' top 10. Its answers often showed the same rating and review count as the Maps listing. If you are not near the top of Maps for your service, you are unlikely to be in Google's AI answer either.
Reviews counted more than stars. Almost everyone near the top of Maps had 4.5 stars or more, so stars rarely set a business apart. The number of reviews did: a third of the other top-20 businesses had fewer than 5 reviews, against one in seven of those the AI named.
Your own website is a source. In 9 of the 10 Google AI Mode answers, the linked sources included the businesses' own websites; Facebook pages appeared in 4.
Professional services were different. For accountants, reviews were scarce for everyone (the AI-named firms had a median of 2), the two assistants agreed on only 1 firm, and ChatGPT leaned towards larger, international firms. Where customers rarely leave reviews, your website and reputation elsewhere carry more weight.
ChatGPT does not only use Google. Two of ChatGPT's six florist picks, and two other businesses it named, could not be found on Google Maps, and some of its review counts differed slightly from Google's. It draws on other sources, which is why consistent details across directories and your own site matter too.
What a Jersey business can do
- Get into Google Maps' top 10 for your main service: a complete Google Business Profile in the right category, with your services, hours and photos.
- Build a steady flow of genuine reviews. Our guide shows how to get more Google reviews without breaking Google's rules.
- Give each service its own clear page on your website, because the AI answers link to them. Our study of 392 Jersey homepages found only 1 in 5 had the four basics.
- Keep your name, phone number and website the same everywhere you are listed.
- Ask ChatGPT and Google's AI Mode who they recommend for your service in Jersey, and see where you stand. Our guide to getting recommended by AI covers the rest.
How we did the study
On 11 November 2026 we asked each assistant one question per category: Google AI Mode (google.com, in a Chrome browser set to Jersey and signed in to a Google account) “best [category] in Jersey Channel Islands”, and ChatGPT (signed out, in a temporary chat) “Who are the best [category] in Jersey, Channel Islands? Recommend a few.” We recorded every business each named. We then searched Google Maps for “[category] Jersey Channel Islands” the same day, scrolled the full list, and recorded each business's position, star rating and number of reviews. Businesses were matched by name; where a business had more than one listing, we used its highest-placed one. The comparison group is every other business in Maps' top 20 for that search.
AI answers change from one run to the next, so these are snapshots, not rankings: a second run could name different businesses. Google Maps results also vary by location and over time. We publish totals only and do not name any business. Arctic Media helps businesses get found on Google and in AI answers, so we have an interest in the subject; the counts are shown so they can be checked. Journalists and researchers are welcome to quote the figures with a link to this page; email kai@arctic-media.com for more detail on the method.
Want to know where you stand?
Our free website, SEO and ads check includes what ChatGPT and Google's AI Mode say about businesses like yours in Jersey, and the three changes we would make first. For the ongoing work, see SEO, AEO and GEO in Jersey.
Sources
Arctic Media's own checks of Google AI Mode, ChatGPT and Google Maps, 11 November 2026.
Questions people ask
How does ChatGPT decide which Jersey businesses to recommend?
In our test on 11 November 2026, ChatGPT’s picks overlapped heavily with Google Maps: 45 of its 57 recommendations (79%) were in the Maps top 10 for the same search, and 37 were also named by Google’s AI. It also named 4 businesses we could not find on Google Maps, so it draws on other sources too.
How do I get my business recommended by Google AI Mode?
Get into the top of Google Maps for your service. In our test, 88% of the Jersey businesses Google AI Mode recommended were in the Maps top 10 for the same search, and they had a median of 27 Google reviews against 13 for the rest of the top 20. A complete Google Business Profile, steady genuine reviews and a clear page per service on your website are the foundations.
Do star ratings or the number of reviews matter more for AI recommendations?
In our test, the number of reviews. The median star rating was 4.9 both for businesses the AI named and for the rest of the Maps top 20, but only 14% of named businesses had fewer than 5 reviews, against 33% of the others.
Do ChatGPT and Google AI recommend the same businesses?
Often, but not always. Across 10 Jersey categories on 11 November 2026, 37 of 57 businesses (65%) were named by both. They agreed most for trades and health (plumbers, electricians, dentists, physiotherapists) and least for accountants and hairdressers.
Related: Arctic Media, digital marketing agency in Jersey · SEO, AEO and GEO in Jersey · See the results behind our numbers · Terms explained in the glossary