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Check again in 90 days

⏱ 25 min7 steps

Remember the pencil marks on the kitchen door frame? You couldn't see yourself grow, but the marks could. This lesson is the pencil mark for your business. You'll write down where you stand today in search, in answers and in reviews, pick three fixes to make, and set a reminder to measure again in 90 days. Have your and your mystery-shopper list nearby. Stuck on a step? The fixes under it are there for exactly that.

AI Short for artificial intelligence. Here it means a program like Claude that reads what you write and writes back in plain words. All wordsscorecard A short table that gives each part of something a score, with the reason next to it. All words

Before this, you'll want:

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Steps

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  1. Set up your baseline table

    This makes a table of the things worth measuring, and fills in what you already found in the earlier lessons.

    1. Open the or claude.ai and start a new chat.
    2. Copy the prompt below.
    Help me set a baseline for how findable my business is, so I can measure it again in 90 days. Make a table with one row for each of these: each search a customer might use, each AI assistant I asked, my review count and average rating on each review site, and how many calls or inquiries I get in a normal week. Add a column for today's date. Fill in only what's in my notes below, and leave the rest empty. My notes: [paste your scorecard and your mystery-shopper list]
    1. Paste it into the chat. Replace the part in square brackets with your scorecard and your mystery-shopper list.
    2. Send it.
    prompt What you type to Claude. A good one says what you want, how to work and what never to do. All wordsClaude app Claude on your phone or computer, where you chat with it by typing. claude.ai is the same thing in a web browser. All words

    You should see:

    A table with a row for each thing to measure, some filled in from your notes and some left empty.

    That's not what I see
    I didn't do the earlier lessons, so I have no notes.
    Replace the part in square brackets with a few lines about your business: what you do and where. The table starts mostly empty, and the next steps fill it in.

  2. Run the searches again

    Today's results become your starting point. This prompt has Claude count only what it can link to, so the table stays honest.

    1. Copy the prompt below.
    Run each search in the table now. For each one, say whether my business shows up, and give the link. Don't count anything you can't link to. My business name and website: [type them]
    1. Paste it into the same chat. Replace the part in square brackets with your business name and website.
    2. Send it.

    You should see:

    The table again, with a yes or no and a link for each search.

    That's not what I see
    Claude answered without looking anything up.
    is built in. If you see a Web search switch under +, turn it on. Then reply: Search the web for this, and give me a link for each thing you found.web search Claude looking things up on the internet during a chat. Its answer comes with links to the pages it used. All words
    Claude says it can't search the web.
    Web search is built in. If you see a Web search switch under +, turn it on. On a Team or Enterprise plan, an Owner has to turn web search on for the workspace first. Otherwise, start a new chat and send the prompt again.

  3. Ask who AI would recommend, in a new chat

    If Claude already knows your name, asking whether it would recommend you is no test. So ask the customer question the way you did in the mystery-shopper lesson: in a fresh chat, without your business name. This is the same prompt.

    1. Keep your chat open. Start a new chat.
    2. Copy the prompt below.
    Act like someone who lives nearby and needs help with something. Search the web and tell me which local businesses you'd recommend, and why. For each one, give its name, what made you pick it, and links to the pages you used. Only name businesses you found a page for. Here's what I need, and where: [what you need and your town]
    1. Paste it into the new chat. Replace the part in square brackets with the same need and town you used before.
    2. Send it, and copy the names Claude gives.
    3. If you asked ChatGPT and Google in the mystery-shopper lesson, ask them again the same way, and note who they name.
    baseline Where things stand today, written down, so you have something to compare with later. All words

    You should see:

    Claude shows that it's searching, then gives a short list of local businesses. Each one has a reason and links to where Claude found it.

    That's not what I see
    Claude answered without looking anything up.
    Web search is built in. If you see a Web search switch under +, turn it on. Then reply: Search the web for this, and give me a link for each thing you found.

  4. Bring the names back to your table

    This prompt adds today's names to your baseline. A single AI answer changes from day to day, so your reviews and weekly inquiries are the steadier numbers to watch.

    1. Go back to your baseline chat.
    2. Copy the prompt below.
    Here's who got named when I asked as a customer today, without giving my business name. Put them in the AI assistant rows of the table, with where each name came from, and mark whether my business was named. Don't add anyone I didn't list. The names: [paste them, and say where each list came from]
    1. Paste it in. Replace the part in square brackets with the names, and say which came from Claude, ChatGPT or Google.
    2. Send it.

    You should see:

    The table again, with today's names in the AI assistant rows and a yes or no for your business.

    That's not what I see

    Nobody has reported a snag on this step yet. Getting stuck is normal. Read the step again one line at a time, and compare your screen with the video.

  5. Add the numbers only you can check

    Claude can't see your phone or your inbox, and the review counts it finds online can be out of date. So you look these up yourself, and Claude writes them in as you give them. A rule worth keeping: AI may copy a number from a report, but don't let it turn a note or a guess into a number without your OK.

    1. Open each review site you're on, and write down your number of reviews and your average rating.
    2. Think of a normal week. Write down roughly how many calls, emails or messages you get from new customers.
    3. Copy the prompt below.
    Here are the numbers I checked myself. Put them in the table exactly as I give them. Don't round, estimate or fill any gaps. If a row is still empty, leave it empty and tell me. My numbers: [each number, and where it came from]
    1. Paste it into the same chat. Replace the part in square brackets with your numbers and where each came from, like reviews on Google: 23, rating 4.6.
    2. Send it.

    You should see:

    The table with your numbers in place, and a note of any rows still empty.

    That's not what I see
    Claude changed one of my numbers, or filled in a row I left out.
    Reply: Use my numbers exactly, and leave empty rows empty. Then check the table again before you save it.

  6. Pick three fixes for the next 90 days

    A baseline only tells you something if you change something. This prompt helps you pick three things from your six-things list that you can really finish. You set the dates.

    1. Copy the prompt below.
    From my six-things list, help me pick three I can finish in the next 90 days. First ask me how much time I have each week and whether anyone helps me. Then for each of the three, write what done looks like in one line. Leave the dates for me to set. My six things: [paste your list]
    1. Paste it into the same chat. Replace the part in square brackets with your six-things list from "Your business, as a stranger sees it".
    2. Send it, and answer Claude's questions.
    3. Write a date next to each of the three.

    You should see:

    Claude asks about your time first, then gives three fixes, each with a line on what done looks like.

    That's not what I see

    Nobody has reported a snag on this step yet. Getting stuck is normal. Read the step again one line at a time, and compare your screen with the video.

  7. Write the reminder and put it in your calendar

    In 90 days you won't remember what to do, so this note tells you. It includes the message to paste into Claude on the day.

    1. Copy the prompt below.
    Write a short note I can paste into a calendar reminder for 90 days from now. Say where my baseline table is saved and list the three fixes I picked. Then add two things to do that day. First, a message I can paste into a new Claude chat that takes my old table, runs the same searches on the web, adds a column for that day, and marks each row as up, down or the same. Second, a reminder to ask the customer question in a separate new chat, without my business name, and bring the names back to the table. My table is saved in: [where you saved it]
    1. Paste it into the same chat. Replace the part in square brackets with where you'll keep the table, like a note called How findable we are.
    2. Send it.
    3. Copy the whole table into that note or document, with today's date in its name.
    4. Open the calendar you use. Add an event about three months from today called Check how findable we are, and paste Claude's note into it.

    Paid tools exist that run these checks for you every day. For a small business, checking by hand every quarter is usually enough.

    You should see:

    A short note with your three fixes, a message ready to paste into Claude on the day, and the reminder to ask without your name.

    That's not what I see

    Nobody has reported a snag on this step yet. Getting stuck is normal. Read the step again one line at a time, and compare your screen with the video.

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Your challenge

Put the reminder in your calendar today, before you close this page. When it comes up, run the comparison, and pick one more thing from your six-things list.

Last checked 2026-10-21

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