Evoke Strategy analysis of more than 28,000 Florida businesses finds that less than 6% of businesses show up in AI search, often with inconsistent results across platforms and buyer questions.
TAMPA, Fla., Sept. 16, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- As consumers increasingly turn to AI to find and evaluate businesses, a new study from Evoke Strategy suggests many companies may be largely absent from AI search results.
Evoke Strategy's Florida AI Visibility 2026: City-by-City Index benchmarked almost 30,000 businesses across nine Florida cities and 18 industries, testing three types of questions a potential customer might ask, across four different AI platforms.
The results point to a significant AI search visibility gap. 94% of the businesses researched did not appear in any of the AI searches tested. And among the businesses that did appear, visibility was often inconsistent: nearly two-thirds surfaced in only one or two of the 12 searches conducted for their industry and city.
"We studied Florida because it's where we're based, but we don't believe this is just a Florida issue," said Devon Vocke, co-founder of Evoke Strategy. "AI search is still new and evolving incredibly quickly, so it's not surprising that businesses have gaps in how and where they appear. But the way people discover businesses is changing just as quickly. Companies need to understand where they're showing up now, where they're missing and what they can do to become more consistently discoverable."
Appearing Once Doesn't Mean Consistent AI Visibility
The study found that most of the 28,488 businesses benchmarked did not appear in the AI searches tested at all. Among those that did, visibility was often inconsistent, with businesses appearing in only a small portion of the searches conducted for their industry and city.
In fact, just 1,676 businesses, or 5.9%, appeared at least once in the AI searches tested, and among those
- 43.2% appeared in just one of the 12 searches
- 22.4% appeared in two searches
- 21.5% appeared in three or four searches
- 12.9% appeared in five or more searches
"Seeing your company recommended in ChatGPT is certainly a positive, and already puts you ahead of many competitors. But one result doesn't necessarily mean your business has strong AI visibility," said Vocke. "The bigger question is whether your company is repeatedly discoverable across the different questions customers are asking and the different AI platforms they're using."
Visibility on One AI Platform Doesn't Mean Visibility on Others
The study also found significant differences in visibility across AI platforms with few businesses showing up on all four AI platforms tested.
Among businesses that appeared at least once:
- 58.7% appeared on only one of the four AI platforms tested
- 24.3% appeared on two
- 11.3% appeared on three
- 5.7% appeared across all four
The findings suggest businesses and marketers should be cautious about using a single search on a single AI platform as a measure of overall AI visibility.
What Businesses and Marketers Can Do Now
The findings point to a need to think differently about how AI visibility is measured. Rather than asking whether a company appears in a single ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini search, businesses should look at whether they are repeatedly discoverable across the different questions potential customers are asking and the different platforms they use.
"AI visibility isn't one ranking," said Vocke. "A business can show up for one question on one platform and be completely absent when the question or platform changes. For marketers, the goal should be consistent discoverability in the places and situations that matter to their customers."
Evoke Strategy offers a free AI Visibility Checker for companies looking to understand how their business appears in AI search.
About the Study
Florida AI Visibility 2026: The City-by-City Index benchmarked 28,488 businesses across Tampa, St. Petersburg, Miami, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, Orlando, Jacksonville, Fort Myers and Naples. This study is part of Evoke's larger Florida AI search and visibility research.
The study included 18 industries: Architecture, Commercial Real Estate, Electrical, Engineering, General Contractors, HVAC, Pest Control, Plumbing, Roofing, Assisted Living, Chiropractors, Dentists, Veterinary Practices, Business Consultants, CPA Firms, Insurance, Personal Injury Law, and Staffing & Recruiting.
Full industry and city-level findings are available in the report.
How the study worked: Researchers tested three types of buyer questions across four AI platforms, resulting in 12 searches per industry, per city:
3 buyer questions × 4 AI platforms = 12 searches per industry/city
12 searches × 18 industries = 216 searches per city
216 searches × 9 cities = 1,944 searches statewide
The four platforms tested were ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Google AI Overviews. The research is a point-in-time snapshot designed to identify patterns in AI discovery and should not be interpreted as permanent rankings of businesses, industries, cities or AI platforms.
About Evoke Strategy
Evoke Strategy is a Tampa-based public relations and digital marketing agency helping organizations build authority, increase visibility and turn attention into measurable business results. The agency brings together public relations, digital marketing, search and AI visibility, content and analytics to create integrated strategies tied to business objectives. Founded in early 2014, Evoke works with organizations throughout Florida and nationwide, combining senior-level strategy with practical execution and a focus on understanding what is working, why and what to do next. Learn more at EvokeStrategy.com
Media Contact
Elizabeth Vocke, Evoke Strategy, 1 813-240-0791, [email protected], www.evokestrategy.com
SOURCE Evoke Strategy
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