The 60-second test. Does AI recommend your studio, or the one down the road?

It's 9pm on a Sunday. Someone in your town has finally decided to try reformer Pilates. She doesn't ask a friend. She opens ChatGPT and types "best reformer Pilates studio near me". It names 6 or 7 studios, a line about each, and stops. There's no page 2. I did this for Clapham: at least 13 reformer studios, and it named 6. The other 7 lost her and never found out.

The studios filling their classes right now aren't always the best ones. They're the findable ones. This guide is the test I run on every studio, using only your phone. 3 searches, 60 seconds. At the end you'll know where you stand, who's being named instead of you, and which of the 3 usual reasons is yours, with the guide that fixes it.

Before you start: what you need

• Your phone. Nothing to install. Everything here is free.
• ChatGPT. The free plan is fine. Use the app or chatgpt.com. You don't need an account for a one-off search.
• Google Maps. The app on your phone, or maps.google.com on a computer.
• A private window, so it doesn't show you what you've searched before. On Safari: tap the 2 squares icon at the bottom right, tap Private, then the +. On Chrome: tap the 3 dots, then New Incognito tab. On a computer: Chrome's 3 dots, then New Incognito window; Safari's File menu, then New Private Window.
• Somewhere to write 3 lists of names. Your notes app is fine.
• Time: 60 seconds to run, 5 minutes to read what it means. Then 5 minutes on the 1st of every month.
• If you can send an email, you can do this.

What you'll have at the end

• A yes or no on whether ChatGPT names your studio, and the list of who it names instead.
• Whether you're in Google's top 3 pins for your town, and who is.
• Which of the 3 usual fixes is yours, and the free guide that walks you through it.

Step 1: Ask ChatGPT (20 seconds)

1. In your private window, go to chatgpt.com (or open the ChatGPT app).
2. Tap the message box at the bottom and type: best reformer Pilates studio in [your town]. Tap the arrow to send.
3. Read the answer. It names a handful, usually 6 or 7, with a line about each, and then it stops.
4. Are you on it? Write down every studio it named, in order.

You'll know it worked when you have a list of real studio names in your town, each with a sentence about it.

If it doesn't: if it gives general advice with no names, type "name specific studios in [your town], with their addresses". If it names studios in the wrong place, add your country: "[your town], [your country]". If it names a studio that closed 2 years ago, that's useful too: it's reading old pages, and it might be reading old pages about you.

Step 2: Check Google Maps (20 seconds)

1. Open the Google Maps app. Tap the search bar at the top.
2. Type: reformer Pilates [your town] and tap Search. Use your town's name rather than "near me", because "near me" gives a different answer depending on where you're standing.
3. Swipe up on the list at the bottom (on a computer it's on the left). Ignore anything marked Sponsored, those studios paid to be there.
4. The first 3 real results are the map pack, the only bit most people look at. Are you in the top 3? Write down who is, with their star rating and number of reviews.

While you're here, do the 10-second extra: in your private window, Google best reformer Pilates [your town]. If an AI answer appears at the top of the results, read it. Google's AI answer usually names 1 studio. Is it you?

You'll know it worked when you see a list of studios, each with a star rating and a review count.

If it doesn't: if you see gyms and physios instead of studios, add the word "studio". If a friend across town sees you at No. 8 and you see yourself at No. 1, that's normal: Maps changes with location. Search from your studio, from home, and from the busiest street in town, and write down all 3.

Step 3: Ask the question a real client asks (20 seconds)

1. Back in ChatGPT, in the same chat, type: is reformer Pilates good for a bad back, and where can I do it in [your town]?
2. See who it names when the question is specific. This is how people actually ask. It usually names fewer studios than step 1, and often different ones.
3. Write down who it named.

You'll know it worked when it answers the back pain question and then names 1 or more studios in your town.

If it doesn't: if it answers the health question and skips the studios, type "and which studios in [your town] would you send me to?".

Step 4: Read your results and pick your fix (3 minutes)

Look at your 3 lists. You'll be in one of these 3 places:

• On all 3: you're in good shape. Skip to "Keep it alive" and re-test monthly, because the studio that isn't on the list yet is working on it.
• On Google Maps but not ChatGPT: the most common result. Your Google profile is fine, your website isn't telling AI what you do or who you're for. Fix No. 1 below is your first job.
• On neither: not a reflection of your teaching. It's a reflection of what search can see, and right now it can't see you. Also the most fixable problem in your whole business. No agency, no ad budget, no posting every day. Start with fix No. 2, then No. 1.

The 3 reasons it usually happens, and the fix for each:

1. Your website doesn't answer the questions people actually ask. When someone types "is reformer Pilates good for a bad back near me", the studio with that answer on its site wins. The FAQ page guide fixes this in about an hour.
2. Your Google Business Profile is sitting quiet. That's the panel with your photos, hours and reviews when someone Googles you. No recent posts, old reviews, a description that just says "Pilates". Search reads quiet as closed. Fix the basics and set posts to run themselves.
3. The word "reformer" is missing from the places that matter. Your profile description, your homepage, your page titles. Search can't recommend what it can't read. Open your homepage now: is the word reformer in the first sentence? If not, add it today. On most website builders that's: log in, click your homepage, click the first paragraph, type it, click Publish.

You'll know it worked when you've written down which of the 3 is yours and opened the matching guide.

If something goes wrong

• ChatGPT gives advice but no studio names. Ask again with "name specific studios in [your town], with addresses".
• ChatGPT names a studio that's closed, or gets your hours wrong. It's reading old pages. If it's wrong about you, your website or Google profile is out of date, which is fix No. 2.
• You're not sure the window is private. A private window shows no profile picture in the top corner and no search history when you tap the search bar.
• Google Maps shows you in different spots from different places. Normal. Test from 3 places your clients come from and use the worst result as your true position.
• The results change from one day to the next. Also normal. That's why this is a monthly test, not a one-off.

Keep it alive

5 minutes on the 1st of every month. Run the 3 searches again in a private window and write down who's on each list. When a new studio appears above you, you'll know the week it happens, not 6 months later when the bookings dip. If you're on a paid ChatGPT plan (Plus, about €23 a month), it can run step 1 for you: open ChatGPT, start a new chat and paste this.

ChatGPT confirms the task and sends you the answer on the 1st. You can see or pause it any time: click your name at the bottom left, then Scheduled.

Why I'm telling you this

When I moved studios I found my website and Google listing hadn't been touched in years. I'd spent 12 years in tech before 9 years running my studio, so I fixed it myself. In 12 months my studio went from not listed to named by ChatGPT, and from No. 3 to No. 1 on Google Maps. New clients now say "I found you on Google" or "ChatGPT recommended you" before I've asked. Everything started with running this test and not liking the answer.

Want me to run it properly?

The tests above are what a client sees. My free check goes further. It looks at your Google Maps listing, whether AI names you, and what your website is telling search, then shows you the top 3 things costing you bookings and who's getting named instead. 30 seconds. Free. No call to book.

Run the free check on your studio.

Put "FOUND" in the subject and your studio's website address in the email. I'll reply with what it costs and when I can start. No call to book.

Victoria, Core and Code