When a buyer asks an AI engine for the best supplier in a city, the answer often links to directories and rating sites. This article shows what we measured in Perplexity, what Google says about its AI features, and what a business can do. We mark which points are facts and which are our reasoning.
What we measured in Perplexity
In our Perplexity sample, directories and rating sites were the most-cited sources for local agency searches. We asked Perplexity "best SEO agency in
In that study, clutch.co appeared among the cited sources in 41 of the 76 answers. No other domain came close. These were the five most-cited domains:
| Domain | Perplexity answers citing it (of 76) |
|---|---|
| clutch.co | 41 |
| themanifest.com | 16 |
| trustanalytica.com | 8 |
| agencies.semrush.com | 7 |
| designrush.com | 6 |
All five are directories or rating sites. None of them is an agency's own page.
The study has a clear limit. We counted the links visible in the answer text, not each answer's full source list. A domain that Perplexity read but did not link in the text is missing from these counts. The sample covers one engine and one type of UK search. It says nothing about Google AI Overviews or other categories.
Why AI engines may lean on directories
The likely reasons combine what Google publishes with our own reasoning. No engine has said it prefers directories.
Fact: an AI answer draws on several sources
Google says its AI features can run several searches for one question. According to Google's documentation on AI features, AI Mode and AI Overviews may use a "query fan-out" technique, "issuing multiple related searches across subtopics and data sources" to develop a response. Google adds that this produces "a wider and more diverse set of helpful links" than a classic web search.
Pew Research Center measured how many sources Google's AI summaries show. In the browsing data of 900 US adults from March 2025, 88% of Google AI summaries cited three or more sources. Only 1% cited a single source. These figures are about Google, not Perplexity.
Our reasoning: directories fit comparison questions
A question like "best agency in a city" asks for a comparison. A business website describes one business. A directory lists many businesses on one page, usually with ratings and reviews. When an engine gathers several sources to answer a comparison question, a page that already compares options is an easy source to use. Our data shows which domains were linked. It does not show why.
Context: how Google describes local ranking
Google describes prominence in local results partly in terms of links and reviews. Its Business Profile help page on local ranking names relevance, distance and prominence as the factors. Prominence means "how well-known a business is", and Google says it is based "on info like how many websites link to your business and how many reviews you have".
That page describes local ranking for Business Profiles. It says nothing about AI answers. We mention it because it shows that Google treats reviews and links from other websites as evidence that a business is known. Directories and review sites hold that kind of evidence. Whether AI features weigh it the same way has not been published.
What to do about your directory profiles
Treat the directories cited in your category as part of your AI visibility work. These steps do not guarantee that any engine will name your business.
- Find which directories are cited for your category. Ask Perplexity and Google the questions your buyers ask, and write down the source domains in each answer. Ask each question more than once, because answers change between runs. We run each prompt 3 times per engine, as described on our measurement page.
- Claim and complete your profiles. On each directory that appears, claim your listing if the site allows it. Fill in your services, location and contact details. Write a plain description of what you do and who you do it for.
- Keep facts consistent. Use the same business name, address, phone number and service description on your website, your Google Business Profile and every directory. Conflicting details give an engine two versions of your business to choose between.
- Ask real customers for honest reviews. Ask after the work is finished, and send a direct link to the review page. Never pay for reviews, and never offer discounts or gifts in exchange for them. A review should describe real work in the customer's own words.
What directory data cannot tell you
A citation count shows which pages an answer linked to. It does not show how the engine chose the businesses it named. A business with a complete profile on a cited directory can still be left out.
Our free GEO audit runs 10 buyer questions through Perplexity and Google AI Overviews, 3 times each, and shows who the 60 answers name and cite in your category. It is a practical first step to see which directories matter for you.