Mentioned vs Whitespark: Two Different Problems, Both Worth Solving
If you're a trade contractor trying to stay visible online, you've probably heard of both Mentioned and Whitespark. Here's the honest version: they're not competitors. They solve different problems. And you probably need both.
What Whitespark Does Well
Whitespark is the leader in local SEO for service businesses. They built their reputation solving one problem extremely well: getting you to rank on Google Maps and Google Search. Their tools handle Google Business Profile optimization, citation building, reputation management, and ranking tracking across multiple locations.
If your goal is "I want to show up when someone in my area Googles 'HVAC repair near me,'" Whitespark is the right tool. They've been doing this since 2005. They're solid.
Where Mentioned is Different
Mentioned solves a different visibility problem entirely: AI visibility. When a homeowner or business owner asks ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, or Gemini for a contractor recommendation, what AI do they get? Does your company get mentioned? Do your competitors?
We audited 137 trade contractors. The median score was 32/100. The gap between bottom and top was 47 points. Most contractors are invisible to AI. And AI-powered search is growing faster than Google.
Mentioned tracks your presence across ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, and Gemini. It shows you exactly where you're missing visibility and why. The methodology is open source. The dataset is public. You can see the raw audit data yourself.
Best For: A Quick Comparison
| Tool | Best If You Want To... | Primary Focus |
|---|---|---|
| Whitespark | Rank on Google Maps and local search. Get more leads from Google. Manage citations and reviews at scale. | Google local SEO |
| Mentioned | Understand if AI systems are recommending you. Find visibility gaps in ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, Gemini. | AI visibility tracking |
Use Both: How They Complement Each Other
The strongest contractors I've talked to use both. Here's why:
Whitespark handles intent-driven search. Someone Googles "emergency plumber now." You want to be there. Whitespark gets you there.
Mentioned handles recommendation search. Someone asks AI "Who's a good HVAC company?" or "What should I know before hiring an electrician?" You want to be in that answer. Mentioned shows you if you are, and if not, why.
Google search and AI search are different channels. Both feed leads. Ignoring either one costs money.
Get Started with Mentioned
The free 90-second AI Visibility Audit shows you exactly where you stand right now. No credit card. No signup friction. Takes 90 seconds.
Founder Cohort closes July 4. If you're serious about AI visibility, that's when pricing locks in: $297/month or $1,497 lifetime. After July 4, pricing goes up.
Mentioned is built by operators who run service businesses. Open methodology. Public dataset. Real data from real audits. No corporate BS.
See your Whitespark AI visibility score in
Enter your business below. We run live queries across ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, and Gemini. You get your score in under 90 seconds.
Common questions about AI visibility for Whitespark contractors in
Google ranks pages. AI search engines like ChatGPT and Perplexity name specific businesses in answers. A Whitespark contractor in can rank #1 on Google and still be invisible in ChatGPT, because the signals are different (schema, citations, structured data, training-data presence).
Most Whitespark contractors see meaningful score lift within 30-60 days of implementing the three core fixes: Google Business Profile completion, consistent industry directory listings, and schema markup. The 47-point gap between median (32) and top performers (79) is closeable.
Yes. Roughly 40% of homeowner searches now start in ChatGPT or Perplexity instead of Google. Even with strong Google rankings, you can be completely invisible in AI answers, which means losing calls you don't even know about.
Your AI visibility score across ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, and Gemini. Specific gap analysis against top performers in . Three highest-leverage fixes prioritized by impact. Takes 90 seconds, no card required.