AI visibility radar · Measured July 18, 2026
Ask AI for manufacturers in St Helens,
and you get a different answer than Google gives you.
We put the same question to ChatGPT and Google Gemini, and compared their answers with the businesses actually ranking in Google search for St Helens. The two lists barely overlap.
What the AI assistants answer
ChatGPT names
- Quick plates
- Boundary car care ltd
- Prescott graphics services
- Birkett motors
- Whiston motor factors
- Lanes trophies
- Vinyline signs & graphics
- Ryman stationery
Gemini names
- Birkett motors
- Boundary car care
- Platezone
- General traffic
- Leigh instant number plates
- Plateempire
- The private plate company
- Jdm plates
What Google ranks
- gov.uk
- boundarycarcare.co.uk
- birkettmotors.com
- jdmplates.co.uk
- plates4less.co.uk
- regtransfers.co.uk
- sthelens.gov.uk
- platezone.co.uk
Note: 2 of those are directories or booking platforms (en.wikipedia.org, amazon.co.uk), not local businesses. AI assistants tend to name the business; Google often ranks the platform in front of it.
Where the two worlds disagree
Named by AI, not in Google's top results
- Quick plates ChatGPT
- Prescott graphics services ChatGPT
- Whiston motor factors ChatGPT
- Lanes trophies ChatGPT
- Vinyline signs & graphics ChatGPT
- Ryman stationery ChatGPT
- Bold display ChatGPT
- General traffic Gemini
These businesses are winning a channel most of their competitors don't even measure.
Ranking in Google, never mentioned by AI
- gov.uk
- plates4less.co.uk
- regtransfers.co.uk
- sthelens.gov.uk
- dvlaregistrations.dvla.gov.uk
- leighnumberplates.com
- merseyplates.co.uk
- vividplates.co.uk
Years of SEO work — invisible the moment someone asks an assistant instead of typing a search.
The searches we measured
These are real queries people type around St Helens, with the sites Google returns first for each one.
“number plates”
- dvlaregistrations.dvla.gov.uk DVLA Personalised Registrations - Buy private registrations ...
- plates4less.co.uk Private Number Plates | Plates4less, VRM Swansea Ltd
- regtransfers.co.uk Private Number Plates UK - Buy & Sell with Regtransfers
“number plates United Kingdom”
- en.wikipedia.org Vehicle registration plates of the United Kingdom
- regtransfers.co.uk Private Number Plates UK - Buy & Sell with Regtransfers
- gov.uk Number plates, vehicle registration and log books
“3D number plates near me”
- leighnumberplates.com Leigh Number Plates: 3D Gel & 4D Road Legal Number Plate ...
- gov.uk Find your nearest number plate supplier
- boundarycarcare.co.uk Number plate printing
“4D number plates Liverpool”
- merseyplates.co.uk Mersey Plates | Local Number Plates Wirral, Liverpool ...
- vividplates.co.uk Liverpool Number Plates - Cheap & Next Day Delivery
- gov.uk Find your nearest number plate supplier
“number plate accessories UK”
- numberplateclinic.co.uk Number Plate Accessories
- jdmplates.co.uk Number Plate Holders
- amazon.co.uk Amazon.co.uk: Number Plate Accessories
“order number plates online”
- halfords.com Replacement Number Plates | Halfords UK
- jdmplates.co.uk Buy Replacement Number Plates Online UK
- demonplates.com Demon Plates: The UK's Original Custom Number Plate Supplier
Is your business on the wrong side of that gap?
Run the same measurement on your own site: which searches you appear in, whether ChatGPT and Gemini name you, and who they name instead. Free, about 90 seconds, no card.
Check my website free →What people ask before choosing manufacturers in St Helens
Real questions pulled from Google's own results. Businesses that answer these clearly on their site are the ones assistants tend to quote.
- What do the first two letters of a UK number plate mean?
- What is the new reg plate for 2026?
- What are the rules for UK number plates?
- How can I check a number plate?
- Where can I purchase number plates?
- Do Halfords make number plates while you wait?
- Do I need to tell my insurance if I put a private plate on?
- How much does a new number plate cost?