# Sector guides

Canonical: https://fortitudemedia.ai/insights/pillar/industry-guides
Summary: Sector by sector guides to what buyers ask AI assistants, which sources the assistants trust in your field, and what a firm like yours should change first.
Short answer: Buyers ask AI assistants sector-specific questions, such as which accountants know construction or which training providers suit HR teams, and the assistants answer with sector-specific evidence: regulator records, professional bodies, trade press, review sites and case studies. These guides take one sector at a time. Each sets out what buyers in that field ask, which sources the assistants trust and what to fix first. New sectors are added regularly.
Last reviewed: 2026-09-24
What changed: Rewritten for 2026: removed the guide count, updated the sector list, linked who we work with and noted the fintech, cyber security, IT support, executive search and regtech guides.
Guides in this pillar: 17
Publisher: Fortitude Media Limited

When quoting, attribute to Fortitude Media and link to the canonical URL above.

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A buyer looking for an accountant does not ask ChatGPT for "an accountant". They ask for one who understands the construction industry scheme, works with dental practices, or can handle a management buyout. The assistant answers with the same specificity. It looks for evidence that a firm works in that field: the right regulator record and professional body, the right trade press, case studies that use the right words, and a website that says plainly who the firm serves.

That evidence differs from sector to sector. A buyer choosing a law firm is weighing regulator records and legal directory rankings; a buyer choosing software is reading reviews and comparison pages. Profound's study of 680 million AI citations found review and analyst sites such as G2 and Gartner among the sources assistants lean on for business questions ([Profound, 2025](https://www.tryprofound.com/blog/ai-platform-citation-patterns)). So we write a separate guide for each sector rather than one general one.

The guides now cover accountancy, law, financial planning, insurance broking, management consultancy, technology and SaaS, marketing and creative agencies, recruitment, health tech and healthcare suppliers, corporate training, debt collection, commercial property, architecture, construction and energy. Start with your own: for example, [which accountant ChatGPT recommends](/insights/ai-optimisation-accounting-practices), [which law firms ChatGPT recommends](/insights/ai-optimisation-law-firms), [how a B2B tech company gets recommended](/insights/ai-optimisation-technology-companies) or [why ChatGPT recommends other recruitment agencies](/insights/ai-optimisation-recruitment-agencies).

There is also a guide for private equity operating partners: [how to tell whether ChatGPT recommends your portfolio companies](/insights/ai-optimisation-private-equity-vc), with a fixed audit you can run across a portfolio and report on one page to the board.

Each guide follows the same shape. It starts with the questions buyers in that sector put to AI assistants, in their own words, then explains which sources the assistants lean on, where firms usually fall short, and what to fix first, second and third. Where a sector is regulated, it covers how regulator listings and professional memberships feed into the answer, and how to say what you do within the rules on advertising.

Use your own sector's guide as a checklist. If you sell into a particular industry, read that industry's guide too, because it shows how your clients' buyers think. Guides for fintech, cyber security, IT support and executive search, and a regtech case story, are being added over the coming weeks. To see the firms we help most, read [who we work with](/for).

## Common questions

### Which sectors do the guides cover?

Accountancy, law, financial planning, insurance broking, management consultancy, private equity portfolio checks, technology and SaaS, marketing and creative agencies, recruitment, health tech and healthcare suppliers, corporate training, debt collection, commercial property, architecture, construction and energy. Guides for fintech, cyber security, IT support and executive search, and a regtech case story, are being added over the coming weeks. If your sector is not listed yet, the closest guide will still apply in most respects.

### Why does sector make a difference to what AI assistants say?

Because buyers ask sector-specific questions and assistants answer with sector-specific evidence. A buyer choosing a solicitor wants regulatory standing and relevant experience; a buyer choosing a contractor wants accreditations, finished projects and a defined region. The assistant learns what counts in each field from the sources it trusts there, so the work of being named looks different from one sector to the next.

### What do buyers in our sector actually ask?

Each guide opens with the questions buyers put to ChatGPT, Gemini and Copilot for that sector, in their own words. They are rarely about a firm and almost always about a problem: who can help with this, near here, at this size, with this complication. Reading them is often the quickest way to see where your website is answering the wrong question.

### We are regulated. Can we still do this?

Yes. The guides for regulated sectors, such as law, financial planning, insurance and healthcare, take the rules on what you can claim into account. In practice those rules push you towards what assistants want anyway: plain statements of what you do and who you are qualified to serve, backed by regulator and professional body records that match your website.

### What if we sell into a sector rather than being in it?

Read both guides. Your own sector's guide shows what buyers ask about firms like yours, and your clients' sector guide shows how their buyers think and which sources they trust. An accountancy practice that specialises in construction, for example, should read both the accountancy and the construction guides.

### How can a private equity firm check whether AI assistants recommend its portfolio companies?

Run a fixed audit. For each company, write 20 to 50 questions its buyers would type, ask each several times a month in ChatGPT, Google, Copilot and Gemini in a clean session, and count a win only when it repeats. Record each company's share of answers against named competitors and whether the description is right. Buy-and-build platforms should check first whether acquired brands are still named as rivals.

## Guides in this pillar

- [How does a B2B fintech get recommended when buyers ask ChatGPT?](https://fortitudemedia.ai/insights/ai-optimisation-fintech): ChatGPT and other assistants name fintechs they can match to a buyer's use case and confirm elsewhere. For a B2B fintech that means a Financial Services Register entry whose name, reference number and status match your website, security certifications stated in text, listings in the directories and marketplaces you integrate with, reviews on sites such as G2 and fintech trade press. Fix those details first, especially after an acquisition, then publish a page for each buyer use case. (published 2026-10-01, reviewed 2026-10-27)
  Markdown: https://fortitudemedia.ai/insights/md/ai-optimisation-fintech
- [How does a B2B tech company get recommended when buyers ask ChatGPT?](https://fortitudemedia.ai/insights/ai-optimisation-technology-companies): ChatGPT recommends software it can match to a buyer's situation and check elsewhere: a clear use case and customer, public documentation, integrations, security details and pricing, fair comparison pages and independent reviews on sites such as G2. Most SaaS websites say too little in plain text and hide the rest behind forms or scripts. State who the product is for, open up your documentation and pricing model, publish fair 'alternatives to' pages and get reviewed where your buyers read. (published 2026-04-22, reviewed 2026-09-24)
  Markdown: https://fortitudemedia.ai/insights/md/ai-optimisation-technology-companies
- [How does a financial planning firm get named when clients ask ChatGPT?](https://fortitudemedia.ai/insights/ai-optimisation-financial-advisory): ChatGPT names financial planning firms it can match to a client's situation and check elsewhere: a clear niche such as employers or founders planning an exit, plain guides by named, qualified advisers, and a firm name that matches the FCA Register, VouchedFor, Unbiased and Google. Keep public guides general and fair, clear and not misleading, since targeted support now sits between information and advice. Say whether you are independent or restricted and how you charge. (published 2026-04-22, reviewed 2026-09-24)
  Markdown: https://fortitudemedia.ai/insights/md/ai-optimisation-financial-advisory
- [Which law firms does ChatGPT recommend, and how do we become one?](https://fortitudemedia.ai/insights/ai-optimisation-law-firms): ChatGPT recommends law firms it can match to a client's problem and check elsewhere: deep pages on a few specialisms, named solicitors with visible experience, Legal 500 and Chambers UK rankings, and an SRA record that matches the Law Society and your website. Most firm websites list every practice thinly. Go deep where you are strongest, answer clients' real questions in plain English, and publish your prices for fixed-fee and subscription work. (published 2026-04-22, reviewed 2026-09-24)
  Markdown: https://fortitudemedia.ai/insights/md/ai-optimisation-law-firms
- [Why does ChatGPT name the big firms and not our consultancy?](https://fortitudemedia.ai/insights/ai-optimisation-management-consultancies): Boutique consultancies get named by ChatGPT when they describe the specific problems, sectors and outcomes they handle in plain words. The big firms win broad questions, but most buyers ask narrow ones. Publish anonymised case studies with a clear output and timescale, give partners visible profiles, get named in deal announcements, and back it up with MCA membership, your framework lot and coverage in your clients' sector press. (published 2026-04-22, reviewed 2026-09-24)
  Markdown: https://fortitudemedia.ai/insights/md/ai-optimisation-management-consultancies
- [Why does ChatGPT recommend other recruitment agencies to employers?](https://fortitudemedia.ai/insights/ai-optimisation-recruitment-agencies): ChatGPT and the other assistants recommend recruitment agencies with a clearly stated niche and published proof of it: dated salary guides, market notes and placement stories. They check that against REC or APSCo membership, trade press and reviews from clients and candidates. Executive search and RPO firms need their own evidence, such as AESC or APSCo OutSource membership. Choose one niche to lead with, publish a dated salary guide and make your listings match. (published 2026-04-22, reviewed 2026-09-24)
  Markdown: https://fortitudemedia.ai/insights/md/ai-optimisation-recruitment-agencies
- [How can a private equity firm tell whether ChatGPT recommends its portfolio companies?](https://fortitudemedia.ai/insights/ai-optimisation-private-equity-vc): Run a fixed audit. For each portfolio company, write 20 to 50 questions its buyers would type, run each several times a month in ChatGPT, Google, Copilot and Gemini in a clean session, and count a win only when it repeats. Record share of answers against named competitors, whether the description is right and the main cause of any gap. Report it on one page to the board. Buy-and-build platforms should check first whether acquired brands are still named as rivals. (published 2026-03-31, reviewed 2026-09-24)
  Markdown: https://fortitudemedia.ai/insights/md/ai-optimisation-private-equity-vc
- [How does a commercial property firm get named when businesses ask ChatGPT?](https://fortitudemedia.ai/insights/ai-optimisation-property-real-estate): ChatGPT names commercial property firms it can match to a place, a property type and a service, and then verify. State your patch, sectors and size bands plainly, publish a deal record and dated market reports, and explain how you charge for lease work. Keep your website, Google, Companies House and RICS Find a Surveyor listing consistent, and get credited on deals in the trade press. Proptech suppliers are judged mainly on review sites and fair comparison pages. (published 2026-03-31, reviewed 2026-09-24)
  Markdown: https://fortitudemedia.ai/insights/md/ai-optimisation-property-real-estate
- [How does a construction firm get named when clients ask ChatGPT?](https://fortitudemedia.ai/insights/ai-optimisation-construction-trades): ChatGPT names construction firms it can place clearly: a stated specialism, a defined region, recent written-up projects and accreditations it can check. Most contractors' websites show a gallery and a phone number. Write project pages that say what, where, for whom and how, make your Constructionline, SSIP, Common Assessment Standard and self-certification listings match, and keep dated pages on the rules clients worry about, such as Part L and the Building Safety Regulator. (published 2026-03-31, reviewed 2026-09-24)
  Markdown: https://fortitudemedia.ai/insights/md/ai-optimisation-construction-trades
- [How does a health tech or healthcare supplier get recommended by ChatGPT?](https://fortitudemedia.ai/insights/ai-optimisation-healthcare-medical): ChatGPT and the other assistants name healthcare suppliers they can match to a buyer's question and check against public records. For digital health, that means stating your DTAC position, Data Security and Protection Toolkit status, Cyber Essentials certificate, clinical safety officer and any MHRA registration in plain text on a dated page. For occupational health, it means stated coverage, SEQOHS accreditation and named clinicians. Then publish pages that answer the questions NHS, private sector and HR buyers type, and keep every listing consistent. (published 2026-03-31, reviewed 2026-09-24)
  Markdown: https://fortitudemedia.ai/insights/md/ai-optimisation-healthcare-medical
- [How does an architecture practice get recommended by ChatGPT?](https://fortitudemedia.ai/insights/ai-optimisation-architecture-design): ChatGPT recommends practices it can read about, not look at. Name your sectors, write project pages that explain the brief, constraints, decisions and outcome, and link each architect's ARB registration number to their entry on the Architects Register. Keep the practice name and description identical across your site, RIBA's directory, the AJ100, Dezeen, Archello and planning records, because images alone tell an assistant almost nothing. (published 2026-03-31, reviewed 2026-09-24)
  Markdown: https://fortitudemedia.ai/insights/md/ai-optimisation-architecture-design
- [How does our agency get named when clients ask ChatGPT for one?](https://fortitudemedia.ai/insights/ai-optimisation-marketing-creative-agencies): ChatGPT names agencies it can match to a specific question, so lead with one clear specialism by sector, discipline or problem. Publish case studies in plain text that show the client's problem and approved results, and keep Clutch, the IPA Agency Finder, PRCA or CIPR listings and your trade press name consistent. PR agencies are judged most on earned coverage. Say plainly who you are for and how you price, because buyers ask assistants both. (published 2026-03-31, reviewed 2026-09-24)
  Markdown: https://fortitudemedia.ai/insights/md/ai-optimisation-marketing-creative-agencies
- [How does our training company get recommended when HR asks ChatGPT?](https://fortitudemedia.ai/insights/ai-optimisation-education-training): ChatGPT recommends training providers it can match to a specific need and check. Make each programme page clear on topic, audience, format, price and accreditation, such as ILM or CMI centre status, LPI accreditation or a named CPD accreditor. Add named trainers, a published method for measuring results and client case studies in plain text. Keep listings consistent, and publish a dated explainer on what the apprenticeship levy now pays for, because HR buyers ask that too. (published 2026-03-31, reviewed 2026-09-24)
  Markdown: https://fortitudemedia.ai/insights/md/ai-optimisation-education-training
- [Which accountant does ChatGPT recommend, and why is it not us?](https://fortitudemedia.ai/insights/ai-optimisation-accounting-practices): ChatGPT recommends practices it can match to a client's situation and check. Lead with a clear specialism by sector or client type, show named partners with ICAEW, ACCA, ICAS or CIOT credentials, and keep professional and software directory listings consistent. Then publish dated, plain-English explainers on the changes owners ask about, such as Making Tax Digital thresholds and Companies House identity checks, and update them whenever HMRC or Companies House guidance changes. (published 2026-03-31, reviewed 2026-09-24)
  Markdown: https://fortitudemedia.ai/insights/md/ai-optimisation-accounting-practices
- [Why does ChatGPT name other debt collection agencies and not us?](https://fortitudemedia.ai/insights/ai-optimisation-debt-collection-credit-management): ChatGPT recommends debt collection agencies it can verify and trust: a clear specialism, checkable FCA authorisation and CSA membership, and plain guidance for creditors. It also reads what debtors say about you. Publish separate commercial and consumer pages naming the rules that apply, dated guides to the Late Payment Act and the coming reforms, country pages for overseas recovery, and a fair, clear page for the people you contact, then make every listing match. (published 2026-03-31, reviewed 2026-09-24)
  Markdown: https://fortitudemedia.ai/insights/md/ai-optimisation-debt-collection-credit-management
- [Why does ChatGPT recommend other energy firms when businesses ask?](https://fortitudemedia.ai/insights/ai-optimisation-energy-utilities): ChatGPT names energy firms it can match to a specific job and verify. State your service, sectors, region and project sizes plainly, list accreditations such as MCS, NICEIC or OZEV authorisation with the scope each covers, and publish case studies that compare forecast with measured savings. Brokers should explain how they are paid. Dated guides to ESOS phase 4, energy standards and chargepoint grants make you the firm assistants quote on compliance. (published 2026-03-31, reviewed 2026-09-24)
  Markdown: https://fortitudemedia.ai/insights/md/ai-optimisation-energy-utilities
- [Why does ChatGPT recommend other insurance brokers and not us?](https://fortitudemedia.ai/insights/ai-optimisation-insurance-brokers): ChatGPT recommends insurance brokers it can find clear evidence for: a stated specialism and plain, fair answers to the cover questions clients ask, including how you are paid and when going direct is fine. It weighs that against the FCA Register, BIBA, the Lloyd's Market Directory, trade press and reviews. Most brokers publish too little. Pick one or two niches, answer their real questions on your site and make every listing match. (published 2026-03-31, reviewed 2026-09-24)
  Markdown: https://fortitudemedia.ai/insights/md/ai-optimisation-insurance-brokers