Mentioned vs Whitespark Citation Finder: AI Visibility for Trade Contractors
If you're running a trade contracting business, you've probably heard about local SEO and directory citations. Whitespark Citation Finder is a solid tool for that. But there's a newer visibility problem that most contractors are completely blind to: whether you show up in AI search engines like ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, and Gemini.
This page breaks down what each tool does and why you might need both.
What Whitespark Citation Finder Does Well
Whitespark Citation Finder audits your business presence across traditional local directories: Google My Business, Yelp, Angie's List, Yellow Pages, ServiceMagic, and dozens more. It flags broken listings, inconsistent name/address/phone data, and missing citations.
For contractors, this matters. Your NAP consistency affects Google Maps ranking. A misspelled address or outdated phone number on Yelp gets a customer lost. Whitespark gives you the checklist. Their interface is clean, the data is reliable, and if you're not already doing citation cleanup, it's a fast way to see the gap.
Whitespark is also useful for link building. Some contractors use it to identify which high-authority directories they're missing entirely, then claim those listings as a link-building tactic.
Where Mentioned Is Different
Mentioned tracks something Whitespark doesn't: whether your business appears in AI search results. When a homeowner asks ChatGPT "best HVAC contractors near me" or searches Perplexity for "licensed electrician in my area," are you in the answer?
We analyzed 137 trade contractors using a public dataset. The median contractor was cited in AI search 32 times out of 100 opportunities (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, Gemini). The top 5% hit 79. That's a 47-point gap separating invisible contractors from visible ones.
Mentioned measures that visibility. You get a score, see which AI search engines mention you, and understand what's working. The methodology is open. The dataset is public (CC-BY-4.0). No black box. You can run a free 90-second audit right now at mentionedinai.com.
We're also different on who we built this for. Whitespark is broad (any local business). Mentioned is contractor-first. We speak your language: service areas, seasonal demand, flat-rate vs hourly, competition at the city level. The data reflects what actually matters to plumbers, electricians, and HVAC shops.
Best For
| Whitespark Citation Finder | Mentioned |
|---|---|
| Fixing broken directory listings (Yelp, Google, Angie's List) | Measuring AI search visibility (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, Gemini) |
| NAP consistency audits across 50+ directories | Tracking where you're mentioned in AI results month to month |
| Finding missing citations for link-building opportunities | Understanding your competitive visibility gap vs other contractors |
| Local SEO health checkup for Google Maps ranking | AI search engine optimization (where to build content, what positioning works) |
Use Both
Here's the real talk: if you're serious about visibility, you probably need both. Whitespark fixes your directory presence. Mentioned shows you whether AI is sending you leads. They don't overlap. One is traditional local SEO. The other is the new game. Together they give you a complete visibility map.
Start with Mentioned if you have zero idea whether AI search engines know who you are. Then layer Whitespark if you want to tighten up your directory citations.
Next Move
Get a free AI Visibility Score in 90 seconds at mentionedinai.com. You'll see your current mention rate across ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, and Gemini. No credit card. Just answers.
If you want to get ahead of other contractors before this becomes the standard, we're closing the Founder Cohort on July 4. Locked pricing: $297/month or $1,497 lifetime. Full access to the platform, methodology, and dataset.
See your Whitespark Citation Finder 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 Citation Finder contractors in
Google ranks pages. AI search engines like ChatGPT and Perplexity name specific businesses in answers. A Whitespark Citation Finder 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 Citation Finder 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.