Engine deep-dive
How Gemini recommends companies (vs ChatGPT)
The Gemini we query grounds in Google Search on every call. So what ranks in Google is what Gemini reads, and Google's own surfaces, from Business Profile to YouTube, sit closer to it than to any other engine.
Gemini
Key findings
- Every query we send Gemini is grounded with Google Search, from 1 October 2026. Before that it answered from memory.
- Google documents that a grounded answer returns the searches Gemini ran and the web sources behind it.
- Blocking Google-Extended removes your pages from Gemini's grounding while leaving Google Search untouched, so nothing in your SEO numbers shows the loss.
- For local queries, Google Business Profile and Google reviews are in Gemini's reach in a way they are not for other engines (our read).
Gemini vs ChatGPT: signal comparison
Gemini leans on
- Pages that rank in Google Search
- Google Business Profile, for local queries
- YouTube transcripts
- Google reviews
Both reward
- A page per buying query
- Specific, dated content
- Consistent entity naming
ChatGPT leans on
- Pages OAI-SearchBot can crawl
- Directory profiles: Clutch, G2
- Publisher news partners
- Comparison articles
Our read of the mechanism, from each vendor's documentation and what our scans return. Not a measured weighting.
The Google ecosystem advantage
These give you a head start in Gemini that no amount of ChatGPT optimization can replicate:
- A complete Google Business Profile
- 50+ Google reviews
- A YouTube channel with service-related content
- Good traditional SEO
Flip it around. If you put money into Clutch reviews and ChatGPT-specific content but left your Google presence thin, Gemini is a blind spot. And Gemini's user base is growing fast, because it is built into Google search, Android and Google Workspace.
The optimal strategy covers both:
- Structured data and specific content (works everywhere)
- Google ecosystem presence (Gemini advantage)
- Clutch/G2 reviews (ChatGPT advantage)
Actions that move Gemini
1. Complete your Google Business Profile
Fill every field: current services with detailed descriptions, recent photos, business hours, service area. Respond to every review and post monthly updates. GBP is the single strongest signal for Gemini, especially for local and regional service queries.
2. Collect Google reviews strategically
Gemini leans on Google reviews where ChatGPT leans on Clutch and G2. Ask clients for Google reviews that mention specific services and outcomes. 'Migrated us to Azure in 3 weeks with zero downtime' is worth more than a 5-star rating with no text.
3. Create YouTube content
Simple videos work: 5-minute service explainers, case study walkthroughs, compliance guides. Google owns YouTube, and a transcript that answers a buying query is indexed text Gemini can ground on. Title, description and a corrected transcript matter more than production quality.
4. Add structured data where it describes you
Organization, Service and FAQ schema help any engine parse who you are. Google itself says no special markup is required for its AI features, so treat schema as clarity, not a ticket in.
5. Check Google-Extended in your robots.txt
Many sites block Google-Extended thinking it only controls training. Google states it also governs grounding in Gemini Apps and Grounding with Google Search on Vertex AI, the route we query. Block it and Gemini cannot ground on your pages. Google Search ranking is unaffected.
How Gemini retrieves and cites, from Google's own documents
- From the vendor Grounding returns its receipts. Google documents that a response grounded with Google Search carries metadata listing the searches the model ran and the web sources each part of the answer rests on. Google: grounding with Google Search
- From the vendor Google-Extended governs grounding as well as training. Google states the Google-Extended token controls whether crawled content may be used to train future Gemini models and for grounding in Gemini Apps and Grounding with Google Search on Vertex AI. It does not affect inclusion or ranking in Google Search. Google: common crawlers
- Our read The index is the substrate. Grounding pulls from the Google Search index, so a page Google cannot crawl or rank for the query is a page Gemini cannot cite.
- Our read Google's own surfaces sit closest. Business Profile for local queries and YouTube transcripts for explainers are Google data Gemini can reach without a third party in between. We have not measured how much weight each carries.
What moves your Tofu Index and your Bofu Index on Gemini
Your AI Visibility Index is two numbers with two jobs.
- The Tofu Index asks whether Gemini puts you in the consideration set: the share of buying queries where it names you.
- The Bofu Index asks whether it picks you: the share of head-to-head comparisons, you against a named rival, where it chooses you.
- A free scan reports your Tofu Index on every engine we query. Fix and Dominate add the Bofu Index.
| Lever | Tofu Index: are you considered | Bofu Index: are you picked |
|---|---|---|
| Leave Google-Extended unblocked | Blocked, your pages drop out of Gemini's grounding while Google Search carries on, so nothing in your SEO reports warns you. | Same: an engine that cannot read you cannot pick you. |
| Rank in Google for the buying query | The page that ranks is the page grounding can pull in. | Moderate: ranking puts you in the room, not on top. |
| Google Business Profile and Google reviews | For local queries, Google's own business data is within reach (our read). | Review text naming an outcome is what an engine quotes when it explains a pick. |
| YouTube walkthroughs with corrected transcripts | Indexed text on a Google property that answers the buying query. | A walkthrough comparing approaches gives a quotable reason to choose you. |
| Comparison pages per named rival | Small. | Gives Gemini a page that settles the head-to-head in your terms. |
What our own scans measured
Across 46 completed scans, Gemini named the brand in 0.4% of buying queries (2 naming answers out of 483), at firms that each scanned after suspecting they were missing. It is not a rate for B2B websites in general.
- It predates retrieval. Until 1 October 2026 we queried Gemini without Google Search grounding, so it describes what Gemini remembered.
- Read it as a floor, not a clean measurement. Two of our own faults sit underneath it.
- Gemini on Vertex spends most of its token budget on reasoning, and truncated mid-answer at our production limit.
- Our brand detector could force a mention to absent but never rescue one, until we made it symmetric in August 2026.
- Both under-count Gemini specifically. The true rate is somewhat higher, and we cannot yet say by how much.
Google's other surface, AI Mode, sat at 4.0% on the same suspect-selected reports, and Perplexity led the field at 7.4%. The two Google surfaces do not behave alike at all: AI Mode named a brand roughly ten times as often as Gemini on the same queries. Treat them as two separate places to be found, not one Google.
Grounding tells the same story from the other end. Of the 137 firms Gemini named in our 15-region managed IT study, 24 could be corroborated against a real website and an independent listing. That puts it second of the four engines we tested, a long way behind Perplexity.
Read the MSP AI Visibility Report 2026, which shows the method and the names we could not verify.
How we count, because the denominator does the work
These rates cover buying queries only: what a buyer types when choosing a vendor, before they know who you are.
- We deliberately leave out queries that contain the company's own name.
- Across the same 46 reports, every engine answers a name-in-the-question probe with that company 82% to 100% of the time.
- Folding those in lifts the headline to about 10% for the field and 19% for the leader.
- We published that flattering version on this page until 2026-08-12, and have corrected it.
The buyer who already knows your name is not the buyer you are missing. A number that counts them measures your own marketing back at you.
What you get, and what it costs
Gemini is one of the 5 engines every plan queries, including the free Track plan. Engines are not plan-gated. What a plan changes is how many queries you get per scan, how often the scan runs, whether the scan adds the head-to-head comparisons behind the Bofu Index, and whether we draft the pages that close the gaps it finds.
| Plan | Price | Queries per engine | Scans | Drafts a month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Track | Free | 5 | 1 a month | Ideas only |
| Fix | $99/mo | 10 | 4 a month | 10 |
| Dominate | $499/mo | 25 | 4 a month | 25 |
Rule is portfolio level and sales-assisted. Full pricing · How the scan works
See your visibility across Gemini and all AI engines
Check your AI visibility freeFrequently asked questions
Is Gemini the same as Google AI Overviews?
No. Gemini (gemini.google.com) is Google's standalone AI assistant, similar to ChatGPT: conversational, and able to follow up on queries. Google AI Overviews is a one-shot AI summary at the top of Google search results. They share underlying technology but behave differently.
Does Google Business Profile affect Gemini recommendations?
Yes, significantly. Gemini is deeply integrated with Google's ecosystem, including Business Profile, Maps and Reviews. A complete GBP with current services, recent reviews and regular updates raises your odds of being recommended by Gemini for local and regional service queries. This is Gemini's biggest differentiator from ChatGPT.
How do I track my company's visibility in Gemini?
Google does not provide Gemini-specific analytics for your site. You can test manually by asking Gemini buying-intent queries without including your company name. TofuBofu queries Gemini alongside every other engine we scan and reports your Tofu Index on each, with the exact queries where a rival is named instead of you.
Should I optimize for Gemini differently than ChatGPT?
Yes. Gemini rewards Google ecosystem presence (Business Profile, Google reviews, YouTube content) more than ChatGPT does, which weights Clutch and G2 reviews more heavily. The overlap is structured data and specific content. Both reward FAQ schema, detailed service pages and content that matches buyer queries exactly.
How do I actually get recommended by Gemini?
Lean into Google's ecosystem, because Gemini reads it. Keep a complete, current Google Business Profile with recent reviews; publish specific, well-structured pages that answer the buying query with schema; and build presence Google already trusts: reviews, YouTube and pages it indexes. Gemini rewards the same specificity the other engines do, plus a Google-native signal the others largely ignore.
Does ranking well on Google get me into Gemini?
It helps, but it is not the same thing. Gemini draws on Google's index and ecosystem, so strong Google presence correlates with Gemini visibility. Yet you can rank and still be skipped by Gemini, or be named by Gemini without a top rank. Treat Gemini as its own surface and measure it directly rather than assuming your Google rank carries over.
Does YouTube help my visibility in Gemini?
Yes, more than on most engines, because Google owns YouTube and Gemini pulls from it. A video whose transcript and description clearly answer a buying query can surface in Gemini even when your website is thin. The engines read the transcript, not the video, so accurate captions and a specific, honest description matter more than production value.
Why does Gemini recommend competitors instead of me?
Usually because they have the Google-native signals you are missing: a fuller Business Profile, more and fresher Google reviews, YouTube presence, and pages Google trusts for that query. It is a readout of your ecosystem footprint, not a fixed ranking. Find the exact queries where a competitor is named, then close the specific Google-side gap that is putting them there.
Sources and further reading
- Google DeepMind: Gemini Technical Overview: Architecture and capabilities of the Gemini model family
- Google Business Profile Help Center: How to optimize your GBP for Google ecosystem visibility
- Google Structured Data Documentation: Schema markup standards for Google products including Gemini
- Google Core Web Vitals: Page experience signals that influence Gemini recommendations
- G2 AI Search Insight Report (2026): Buyer behavior shift to AI search
Other engine deep-dives: ChatGPT · Claude · Perplexity · Google AI Mode and AI Overviews · G2 · Clutch · YouTube