[ 01 ]
The category is open, and it is winnable outright.
One business owning 93% of answers proves it.
AI search visibility / North Idaho / 2026
When customers ask AI for a local business, who actually shows up?
In short
We measured how visible about 800 local businesses are across the five AI engines people now ask for a recommendation, ChatGPT, Google AI Mode, Google AI Overviews, Gemini, and Perplexity, across three Coeur d'Alene and North Idaho industries: home lending, general contracting, and archery and outdoor retail. The finding that matters most: in most local categories, no business owns AI search, yet it is entirely possible to. One business we measured scored 95 out of 100 and is named in 93% of relevant answers. Almost no one else comes close.
By Andrew Eastlick and Josh Rekittke
[ 01 ]Key findings
The five findings
[ 01 ]
It is possible to own AI search, but almost no one does. In archery, the leader scored 95 out of 100; in lending and construction, no business broke 60. The ceiling is wide open.
[ 02 ]
The typical local business is nearly invisible: 84 to 89% of businesses in every industry scored under 30 out of 100.
[ 03 ]
The AI engine that surfaces the most local businesses flips by industry: ChatGPT leads for lenders, Google AI Mode for builders.
[ 04 ]
Crowded categories dilute visibility: in the smallest field, the leader is named in 93% of answers; in the most crowded, even leaders sit around 21%.
[ 05 ]
What feeds AI answers is industry-specific: builders are cited via Houzz, lenders via Yelp and the BBB, archery shops via niche outdoor directories.
Last updated 2026-08-09
The full report as a PDF, including all three leaderboards, the per-engine table and the method. We email it to you, and that is all.
[ 02 ]Finding 1
Owning AI search is possible, and almost no one does it
Across three industries the floor is the same, most businesses are barely visible, but the ceiling is wildly different.
In home lending, the top of 502 businesses reached just 43 out of 100. In general contracting, the top of 198 reached 60. But in archery, one business, North Idaho Archery, reached 95, is named in 93% of relevant AI answers, and leads the number-two business by 45 points. Same measurement, same region: the difference is whether a business has done the work. The category is open, and it can be won outright.
95
Top AI Visibility Score, archery and outdoor retail, of 104 tracked
60
Top score, general contracting, of 198 tracked
43
Top score, home lending, of 502 tracked
[ 03 ]Finding 2
The typical local business is nearly invisible
In every industry we measured, the median business scored around 24 to 26 out of 100.
84 to 89% of businesses scored under 30. Most local businesses simply do not appear when a customer asks an AI assistant for a recommendation. That is the gap, and the opportunity.
~800
Businesses measured across three industries
24 to 26
Median AI Visibility Score, out of 100
84 to 89%
Share scoring under 30, in every industry
[ 04 ]Finding 3
The engine that surfaces local businesses depends on the industry
Across the same local queries, the AI engine that surfaced the most businesses differed by industry.
| AI engine | Lenders surfaced | Builders surfaced |
|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT | 258 | 82 |
| Perplexity | 166 | 93 |
| Google AI Mode | 150 | 113 |
| Gemini | 123 | 41 |
| Google AI Overviews | 117 | 54 |
For lenders, ChatGPT surfaced the most businesses; for builders, Google AI Mode did, and ChatGPT fell to third. A business built for only one engine can be nearly invisible in its own market, and the right engine to prioritize changes from one industry to the next. A business can still dominate everywhere: North Idaho Archery scored 98 to 99 across ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google AI Mode.
[ 05 ]Leaderboards
Who shows up today?
AI Visibility Score, 0 to 100, with mention rate, over a 30-day window.
Archery and outdoor retail, North Idaho
Top 5 of 104 tracked
| Rank | Business | AI Visibility (0-100) | Mention rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | North Idaho Archery (MxdifyLocal client) | 95 | 93% |
| 2 | Spokane Valley Archery | 50 | 37% |
| 3 | North 40 Outfitters (Ponderay) | 45 | 29% |
| 4 | Black Sheep Sporting Goods | 41 | 24% |
| 5 | Coeur d'Alene Bowmen | 39 | 18% |
The most striking chart in the report: one business towers over the field.
General contractors, Coeur d'Alene
Top 5 of 198 tracked
| Rank | Builder | AI Visibility (0-100) | Mention rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Coeur d'Alene Home Builders & Remodeling | 60 | 49% |
| 2 | Creekside Construction & Design | 58 | 45% |
| 3 | Edwards Smith Construction | 55 | 40% |
| 4 | J. Barton Construction (MxdifyLocal client) | 50 | 32% |
| 5 | Monarch Custom Homes | 45 | 24% |
A tighter field, with the top five separated by fifteen points.
Home lending, Coeur d'Alene
Top 5 of 502 tracked
| Rank | Lender | AI Visibility (0-100) | Mention rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Guild Mortgage | 43 | 23% |
| 2 | Planet Home Lending | 42 | 21% |
| 3 | ICCU (Idaho Central Credit Union) | 41 | 21% |
| 4 | At Home Lending (MxdifyLocal client) | 38 | 16% |
| 5 | CrossCountry Mortgage | 35 | 12% |
The most crowded field we measured, and the lowest ceiling.
[ 06 ]Finding 4
More competitors, more diluted visibility
Visibility concentrates in smaller fields and spreads thin in crowded ones.
In archery (104 businesses), the leader is named in 93% of answers. In construction (198), top builders reach 40 to 49%. In lending (502), even the leaders sit around 21 to 23%. The more crowded your category, the more valuable it is to be the business AI consistently names.
[ 07 ]Finding 5
What feeds AI answers is industry-specific
When these engines cite a source, the third-party sites they lean on differ by industry.
[ 01 ]
Home lending
Yelp and the Better Business Bureau
[ 02 ]
General contracting
Houzz
[ 03 ]
Archery and outdoor retail
Niche outdoor and sporting directories
The practical read: invest in the platforms AI trusts for your category, and keep your Google information consistent everywhere.
Businesses’ own websites are excluded from these source rankings.
[ 08 ]Practical
What this means for local businesses
[ 02 ]
Prioritize the right engine for your industry.
A one-size-fits-all approach leaves you invisible where your buyers are actually asking.
[ 03 ]
Feed the sources AI trusts for your category.
Houzz for builders, Yelp and BBB for lenders, outdoor directories for archery, and consistent Google information for everyone.
[ 04 ]
Mention frequency is the biggest lever.
The gap between a 20% mention rate and a 93% one is the difference between invisible and inevitable.
[ 09 ]Methodology
How was this measured?
Published in full, because a study you cannot check is not a study.
Data is from Surfer's AI Tracker, covering about 800 businesses that appeared for real local buyer queries across three Coeur d'Alene and North Idaho industries: home lending (502), general contracting (198), and archery and outdoor retail (104). AI Visibility Score (0 to 100) blends mention frequency and position across five engines: ChatGPT, Google AI Mode, Google AI Overviews, Gemini, and Perplexity. Leaderboards use a 30-day window. The tracked sets include national brands that compete in local queries. This is three industries, one region, one window, a snapshot, not a projection. Sample sizes are stated per industry; more industries will be added in future editions.
The score itself is defined on our AI Visibility Score methodology page.
At Home Lending, J. Barton Construction, and North Idaho Archery are MxdifyLocal clients. This report uses the same AI Visibility measurement we run for every client, applied to the full competitive field. Source findings exclude businesses' own domains.
[ 10 ]FAQ
Questions about the report
What is AI search visibility for a local business?
It is how often, and how prominently, a business is named inside answers produced by AI engines such as ChatGPT, Google AI Mode, Google AI Overviews, Gemini and Perplexity when a person asks a buying question in plain language. A business can rank well on Google and still never be named in an AI answer.
How is the AI Visibility Score measured?
The AI Visibility Score is a 0 to 100 measure that blends how often a business is mentioned and how prominently it is positioned, across five AI engines, over a fixed window. Leaderboards in this edition use a 30-day window.
How many businesses are in this edition?
About 800: 502 in home lending, 198 in general contracting, and 104 in archery and outdoor retail. The tracked sets include national brands that compete in local queries.
Which AI engines were measured?
ChatGPT, Google AI Mode, Google AI Overviews, Gemini, and Perplexity.
Can a local business really own AI search?
Yes. North Idaho Archery scored 95 out of 100 and is named in 93% of relevant answers, leading the number-two business by 45 points, and scored 98 to 99 across ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google AI Mode.
Why are only the top performers named?
Naming the leaders is a factual, positive ranking readers can check. We do not publish a named list of the lowest performers. Low scores are reported in aggregate only.
Is the report free?
Yes. The full findings are published on this page. The PDF edition is available in exchange for your name, business and email.
Part of the Mxdify family
Same studio standards as Mxdify, scoped and priced for businesses that serve a town.