Free tool shows local shops how they appear on Google and ChatGPT

A UK marketing company has launched a free tool that tells a local business owner whether ChatGPT recommends them. It is called Lens, and it comes from Localeyes, part of Iconic Media Group. The company says it checks six areas in about a minute and gives each a score out of 100.

What Lens checks

Most free website checkers only look at the website itself. Lens looks wider, at how customers actually find a business. The company says it covers these six areas:

• Search engine visibility on Google
• Website performance
• Visibility in AI assistants such as ChatGPT and Google's AI answers
• Paid search
• Social media
• Local search on Google Maps

Each area gets its own score, and there is also an overall Lens score. The tool also checks whether a business ranks locally, whether AI tools recommend it and whether competitors are advertising against it.

What the report gives you

The company says the findings are written in plain English, with a note on what to fix first. It argues that a page of technical jargon does not help anyone run a business.

After that, a Localeyes digital consultant walks the owner through the full report. The company says there is no obligation and no hard sell. Lens was built by Localeyes' own SEO and web team, which includes people from the earlier MNA Digital and Connect Local teams.

Why it matters

Customers now use more than one route to find a shop or service. They search Google, check Maps, scroll social media and, increasingly, ask an AI assistant for a recommendation. Morgan Stevenson, chief growth officer at Iconic Media Group, said most owners will say customers find them on Google, but most will not know if ChatGPT recommends them or if a competitor is advertising against them.

Who it is for and what is unknown

Lens is aimed at local businesses across the UK and Ireland. It sits on the new website localeyes.co.uk, which replaces the brand's earlier holding page. The material does not say whether businesses outside those countries can use it.

It also does not explain how the scores are worked out, or how the company judges whether an AI assistant recommends a business. The scores come from the company's own tool, so owners may want to treat them as a starting point rather than a final verdict.