The basics that let AI find you.
- Your site, open to AI
- Google, Bing and Apple Maps
- Review sites
- Clear facts on your pages
- A summary written for AI
We check all five in every audit.
Give ChatGPT a reason to pick you.Right now, it’s sending your customers to someone else.
Scoutstone shows who ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Perplexity pick in your market, the reason they give for each, and what to change on your pages so the next pick is your business.
Your buyers now ask AI who to call.
45% of US consumers now use AI tools for local recommendations, up from 6% a year earlier. Instead of a page of links, the assistant gives a short list: a few names, one reason each. If you’re not on it, you never hear from that buyer.
- HVACTampa, FLOur AC quit and it’s 94 degrees. Who in Tampa can come out today?
- Managed ITDallas, TXWhich IT company in Dallas can take over our IT without us losing a day of work?
- RoofingOrlando, FLWhich roofers in Orlando handle the insurance claim after storm damage?
- HOA softwareWhich HOA software is easiest for a volunteer board to run?
- PlumbingHouston, TXWhich plumbers in Houston give an upfront price before they start?
- AccountingTampa, FLWhich accountants in Tampa understand a small construction company?
- Pest controlPhoenix, AZWhich pest control company in Phoenix is safe with kids and pets?
- Self-storage softwareWhat’s the best management software for a two-facility self-storage business?
- Pool builderTampa Bay, FLWho builds the best custom pools in Tampa Bay, and how long does a build take?
- Pest control softwareWhich software makes routing and invoicing easiest for a 10-truck pest control company?
- RestorationHouston, TXWater is coming through my ceiling. Who in Houston can start drying it out tonight?
- Managed ITAtlanta, GAWhich IT providers in Atlanta know HIPAA for a small dental clinic?
- ElectricianDallas, TXWhich electricians near Dallas are licensed and won’t push a new panel I don’t need?
- Pool service softwareWhich software makes routes and billing easiest for a growing pool service company?
- Garage doorsAtlanta, GAWho can fix a stuck garage door in Atlanta today, for a fair price?
- MoversChicago, ILWhich movers in Chicago will treat my grandmother’s piano with care?
We check the answers from
- ChatGPT
- Claude
- Gemini
- Perplexity
A real ChatGPT answer, read by Scoutstone
My furnace stopped working tonight and it’s getting cold. Which HVAC companies near West Caldwell, NJ can come out today?
Here are nearby companies advertising same-day or 24/7 emergency furnace service in West Caldwell. I can’t see their live technician schedules, so call immediately and ask specifically: “Can someone arrive tonight in West Caldwell, and what is the diagnostic/after-hours fee?”
- Adriatic Aire – West Caldwell service area
Advertises 24/7 emergency heating service; NJ HVAC license listed on its site. adriaticaire.com - Lawrence Refrigeration – West Caldwell
Advertises 24/7 service and same-day appointments in most cases. lawrencerefrigeration.com - Precision HVAC Repair – Caldwell/West Caldwell
Advertises 24-hour emergency furnace repair and service in West Caldwell. precisionclimatecontrolcaldwell.com - On Time NJ – Essex County
Advertises 24/7 emergency HVAC service and a typical response time of about 60 minutes. njplumbingair.com - NJR Home Services
Serves Essex County and advertises heating repairs by technicians working evenings and weekends. Ask whether they have an opening tonight. njrhomeservices.com - Air2Cool Heating & Cooling
Advertises 24/7 emergency service and coverage of West Caldwell. air2cool.com
Being named brings the lead. The reason shapes who gets the call.
The reason that wins the call.
- Competitor 1open 24/7
- Competitor 2open 24/7
- Competitor 3open 24/7
- Your businesswritten price, upfront
It answers the buyer’s real worry: no surprise bill.
73% to 83% of what the assistants cited in the HVAC and roofing markets we measured came from businesses’ own websites.
How a Reason Audit works
We ask what your buyers ask, read every answer, and hand you the fixes.
A person checks every step.
We ask the way your buyers ask.
30+ real buyer questions on ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Perplexity, three runs each.
We score every reason.
Each one is matched to one of 13 buying motives from consumer psychology, from safety and certainty to less effort and care. Every quote is checked word for word.
Scored by AI, checked by a person.We map who owns what.
You see which competitor owns each motive in your market, and which motives nobody owns yet.
Your 15 most-named competitorsWe give you the fixes.
The changes for the pages the assistants read, in order, with the first lines written. Plus the basics that let AI find you. Anyone who edits your website can put them live: you, your web person or your agency.
The coverageOne question.
One question.
Twelve answers.
Which HVAC companies near West Caldwell, NJ can come out today?
ChatGPT
Claude
Gemini
Perplexity
Each check is one answer we read and scored.
360+
answers in a full audit
30 questions × 4 assistants × 3 runs
The words doing the workA mention comes
A mention comes
with a motive.
Competitor 2 · ChatGPT excerpt
“advertises 24/7 service and same-day appointments in most cases.”Less effort
A fast path from “no heat” to “someone is coming.”
13 buying motives
Consumer-psychology research informs the framework. A person checks the quotes and reviews every report.
Who owns
which motive.
| In the answer | Less effort | Safety | Certainty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Competitor 1 | |||
| Competitor 2 | |||
| Competitor 3 |
Nobody owns this motive yetCertainty
Map: the ChatGPT answer at the top of this page.
The fix list · illustrative exampleMake the next
Make the next
edit obvious.
Explain what happens before the bill.
Publish your call-out fee, how you quote a repair, and any guarantee you offer.
An opening line to work from
Use this only if it reflects your actual service.“Before a repair begins, you’ll have our written price.”
02Make your guarantee easy to find.
Then we measure again.
Once the changes are live, Reason Watch asks the same questions every month, so you see which reasons the assistants start repeating.
Simple prices. No contracts.
Start with a free check. Then let Reason Watch keep your market in view: the full audit in your first month, and a fresh read every month after.
The first look
Free check
Who the assistants name for four of your buyers’ questions, and the reasons they give.
FreeNo payment details.
- 4 buyer questions, across 4 assistants
- A one-page view of what we find
- Several brands? List up to five
Month to monthFounding rate
Reason Watch
The full Reason Audit in your first month. Then we ask the same questions every month and keep your fixes current.
$190a month
Founding rate for our first 20 clients, kept for as long as you stay. After that, $390 a month.
- Month one: the full audit
- Your 15 most-named competitors, mapped by motive
- Every page fix you need, in order, with draft copy
- The basics that let AI find you, checked
- Every month: the same questions, measured again
- 2 page rewrites a month
- Cancel anytime
No subscription
One-time audit
The full Reason Audit, once. The whole picture, without the monthly check.
$490once,
no subscription
no subscription
- 30+ questions and 360+ AI answers
- 15 competitors mapped by buying motive
- Every page fix you need, in order, with draft copy
- The basics that let AI find you, checked
- Every data file and a recorded walkthrough
If your first audit gives you nothing you can act on, say so and you pay nothing.
What sets us apart.
Done for you, checked by a person, for less than an agency.
| Scoutstone | Self-serve AI tools | Marketing agencies | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shows whether AI names you | Yes | Yes | Varies |
| Scores the reason against what your buyers care about | Yes | No | No |
| Done for you | Yes | No | Yes |
| A person checks every step | Yes | No | Varies |
| Price | $$$$ | $$$$ | $$$$ |
| Commitment | Month to month | Monthly or yearly plans | Often 90 days or more |
Most AI-visibility tools count how often you are named. Only we score the reason against the motive behind the buyer’s question.
People ask one question and buy for a deeper reason. Here are seven of the 13 motives we score, with the kind of reason that wins each one.
A homeowner, weighing the costWhat they ask
“Who replaces water heaters near me?”
What really matters
No surprise bill.
CertaintyWhat AI should say about you
“They give a written price before any work starts.”
An office manager, choosing IT supportWhat they ask
“Who can take over our IT without us losing a day of work?”
What really matters
Keep us up and running.
SafetyWhat AI should say about you
“They plan the handover around your working hours.”
A young family, planning a poolWhat they ask
“Which pool builders do people around here actually recommend?”
What really matters
People like us were happy.
Keeping upWhat AI should say about you
“Their reviews come from pool owners in your county, with photos of the finished pools.”
An operations lead, changing softwareWhat they ask
“Which scheduling software is easiest to switch to?”
What really matters
Don’t make this a project.
Less effortWhat AI should say about you
“They move your client list over for you, with a person on the call.”
A homeowner, weighing an upgradeWhat they ask
“Is a heat pump worth it, and who installs them near me?”
What really matters
Pay it back fast.
GainWhat AI should say about you
“They show the typical yearly savings and the rebates you qualify for.”
A contractor, choosing an accountantWhat they ask
“Which accountant understands a small construction company?”
What really matters
They get my business.
IdentityWhat AI should say about you
“They work with contractors and know job costing.”
A grandson, moving his grandmother’s pianoWhat they ask
“Which movers will treat my grandmother’s piano with care?”
What really matters
It means more than money.
CareWhat AI should say about you
“They explain how your piano will be protected, moved and placed.”
What to show on your pages
Built on consumer-psychology research. Scored by AI, checked by a person.
The research behind it: across 702 experiments, messages matched to people’s motives were more persuasive (Psychological Bulletin, 2022), and ads matched to their psychology drove up to 50% more purchases (Matz et al., PNAS 2017).
Questions
Which businesses is this for?
Home-services companies (HVAC, plumbing, roofing, restoration, pest control, pools, garage doors), local firms such as IT providers and accountants, and B2B software companies. If your buyers ask ChatGPT who to pick, it applies to you. The questions and competitors are tailored to your market. You don’t need a marketing team or specialist knowledge to use the findings.
How will I know if AI sends me customers?
Ask them. Add “ChatGPT or another AI assistant” to your “How did you hear about us?” question, on calls and on forms. Visits from ChatGPT, Perplexity and the other assistants also show up as referrals in your website analytics. Reason Watch tracks what the assistants say about you each month. The calls you count yourself.
Can I just ask ChatGPT myself?
You can, and it’s a good start. But one question gives you one answer, and the answer changes from run to run and from one assistant to the next. We ask 30+ questions, three times each, on four assistants, and check every reason against what your buyers care about. That shows you a pattern you can act on.
We run several brands. Can you check them all?
Yes. List up to five brands or websites in the free check form. For more, email us at [email protected].
Is this SEO?
SEO works on where you appear in search results. Scoutstone looks at what AI assistants say when they recommend a business, and why. The fixes often live on the same pages your web person already manages.
Will you change our website?
We hand over the plan: which pages to change, what to prioritize, and the opening lines to use. Anyone who edits your website can publish them. Reason Watch includes two page rewrites each month.
Do I have to subscribe?
No. Reason Watch is month to month, and you can cancel anytime. If you only want one look, the one-time audit is $490.
Can you guarantee AI will recommend us?
No. The assistants choose what they say, and their answers change. We show you the evidence, identify useful changes, and give you a way to measure your market again with Reason Watch.
Do I need an llms.txt file?
It costs little, and every audit drafts one for you. But none of ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or Perplexity has said it reads llms.txt, and Google says its AI search features don’t need one. Crawler access, your listings and clear facts on your pages matter more, and the audit checks all of them.
What if you don’t find anything useful?
If your first audit gives you nothing you can act on, say so and you pay nothing. The point is to give your team a useful next move.