Ecomrules/ai-search-visibility-audit-of-100-swiss-smbs-ti
AI Search Visibility Audit of 100 Swiss SMBs (Ticino, 2026) A reproducible dataset measuring the technical readiness of Swiss SMBs in the Ticino canton for AI-powered search engines (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews). Background In May 2026, Uberall published a study showing 83% of Italian restaurants are completely invisible to AI-generated search recommendations. This dataset replicates the methodology on 100 Swiss SMBs in the Ticino canton… See the full description on the dataset page: https://huggingface.co/datasets/Ecomrules/ai-search-visibility-audit-of-100-swiss-smbs-ti.
AI Search Visibility Audit of 100 Swiss SMBs (Ticino, 2026)
A reproducible dataset measuring the technical readiness of Swiss SMBs in the Ticino canton for AI-powered search engines (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews).
Background
In May 2026, Uberall published a study showing 83% of Italian restaurants are completely invisible to AI-generated search recommendations. This dataset replicates the methodology on 100 Swiss SMBs in the Ticino canton (Italian-speaking Switzerland), with a focus on the hospitality sector (restaurants, hotels) plus pharmacies, dentists, and small retail.
Headline Findings
Bias to disclose: the 100 SMBs were extracted from OpenStreetMap (POIs with the website tag), which skews toward more "digital-aware" businesses than the universe of all Ticino SMBs. The true rate for the full universe is likely worse (estimated 75-85%).
Methodology
For each of the 100 SMBs, we measured 4 binary technical signals automatically:
- Schema markup `Organization` or `LocalBusiness` (or subclasses Restaurant, Hotel, Pharmacy, Store): JSON-LD parsed from HTML
<head>. - `/llms.txt` file present at site root, with text content (not HTML fallback).
- `robots.txt` does NOT block AI bots: GPTBot, ChatGPT-User, ClaudeBot, PerplexityBot, Google-Extended.
- Meta description >= 120 chars AND at least one H1 AND at least one H2 present in the homepage HTML.
GEO score = sum of 4 signals (0 to 4). "NOT optimized for AI search" = score 0 or 1.
Reproducibility
To regenerate the dataset from scratch:
python3 regenerate_dataset.pyRequires only Python 3.9+ stdlib (no third-party packages). Execution time: ~5-8 min, depending on network. Output:
ecomrules_geo_audit_100_swiss_smbs_2026.csv: full dataset with one row per SMBsummary_stats.txt: aggregate statistics
Source data: OpenStreetMap via Overpass API (https://overpass-api.de). License: ODbL.
Citation
If you use this dataset, please cite:
Rakic, S. (2026). AI Search Visibility Audit of 100 Swiss SMBs (Ticino, 2026). EcomRules. https://www.ecomrules.com
License
This dataset (and the script that generates it) is released under CC-BY 4.0.
Source POI data: © OpenStreetMap contributors, licensed under ODbL.
Author
Stefan Rakic, founder of EcomRules.com. EcomRules is a digital marketing agency based in Locarno, Switzerland, specializing in SEO, AI search optimization (GEO), and digital strategy for SMBs in the CH, IT, and FR markets.
Contact: info@ecomrules.com Website: https://www.ecomrules.com
Related Publication
The full methodology and qualitative analysis are published as an op-ed: "Stefan Rakic: 'In Ticino 2 PMI su 3 non esistono per ChatGPT.'" Pitch submitted May 2026 to LiberaTV (Ticino), CDT (Corriere del Ticino), TIO.