How the data is collected.

The ARO Index is a live market dataset tracking which businesses AI platforms actually select when buyers ask for local service recommendations by city and category. It measures selection behavior, not mentions. A business can be mentioned without being selected. ARO Index records selection.

ARO Index tracks AI recommendation selection across four platforms: ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Perplexity. For each market and category, standardized queries are submitted to all four platforms. The responses are recorded, analyzed, and used to produce ARO Scores and market rankings.

Rankings reflect which businesses are selected most consistently and prominently across platforms and queries within a defined audit period.

Audits are conducted on a rolling cycle. Each audit covers a defined city and service category. Queries are submitted in a standardized format across all four AI platforms. Results are recorded at the time of submission.

ARO Index does not rely on scraped data, third-party aggregators, or predictive modeling. All data is collected through direct platform queries conducted by the ARO Index research team.

Current approved markets:

• Charleston, SC
• Nashville, TN
• Atlanta, GA
• Denver, CO
• Miami, FL
• Sacramento, CA
• Fresno, CA

Additional markets are added on a rolling basis. Each market is organized by service category. Businesses are included based on their presence and activity in the relevant market and category.

The ARO Score is a composite measurement scored 0 to 100. It reflects how consistently and prominently a business is selected by AI platforms when buyers ask for recommendations in its city and category. A higher score indicates more consistent selection across platforms and queries.

Scoring methodology is proprietary. The ARO Score is a trademark of TaG Makes.

ARO Index data reflects point-in-time audit results. AI platforms update their models continuously, which means recommendation behavior can shift between audit periods. Each blog post and report references its specific audit period and dataset. Posts are historical snapshots.

Current rankings are always available at aroindex.com.

ARO Index research is conducted by Therese Grittner, founder of TaG Makes, based in Charleston, SC. Therese Grittner created the ARO Index methodology and oversees all audits, scoring, and market reporting.

ARO Index measures AI platform behavior at the time of each audit. Results reflect the platforms' recommendation behavior during that specific period and may not represent behavior at other times.

Sample sizes vary by market and category. Posts with samples under 100 businesses are labeled as exploratory or directional.

ARO Index does not make causal claims. All findings are observational and correlative unless otherwise stated.

For research inquiries: therese@tagmakessc.com

For current rankings and market data: aroindex.com