The verdict in three sentences
A commodity trading house in New York sells almost nothing through its website, yet it is judged by it: trade finance banks, counterparties, compliance teams, NGOs and candidates now put their first questions to AI assistants like ChatGPT. If your pages on governance, sanctions, KYC and responsible sourcing are thin, the assistant fills the gap with old articles or information about similarly named companies. On the New York market this work costs around 3,000 to 9,000 USD a month in 2026, it is measured with a dated record of answers, and nobody can promise a recommendation.
Who asks AI assistants about your firm, and what do they ask?
A trading house's audience is not a product buyer. It is professional counterparts who want to verify quickly. Realistic 2026 questions:
| Counterpart | Question asked to an AI assistant | Information that must exist publicly |
|---|---|---|
| Bank trade finance analyst | "Which New York based metals trading houses publish an ESG report?" | Published, dated, accessible report |
| Counterparty compliance officer | "Does this trading house have a public sanctions and KYC policy?" | Clear compliance page |
| Refiner or producer | "Which agricultural traders have offices in New York and Geneva?" | Up-to-date offices page |
| NGO or journalist | "How does this trading house check the origin of its minerals?" | Responsible sourcing policy |
| Trader or analyst candidate | "Which trading houses hire energy analysts in New York?" | Careers page, culture, locations |
| Investor or lender | "Who runs this commodity trading company?" | Governance and leadership page |
| Logistics supplier | "Which group is this company a subsidiary of?" | Group structure explained |
What gets a firm cited, or described wrongly
Assistants rely on what they find: your site, trade press, registers, published reports, professional profiles. A firm is cited better when these sources say the same thing. The most common causes of absence or error:
| Observed situation | Likely effect in answers | What fixes it, in broad terms |
|---|---|---|
| 4-page site with no compliance page | Absence, or vague answers | Factual pages on governance and compliance |
| Undated ESG report as a PDF | Information treated as old | Dated, readable content published as a web page |
| Name close to another company | Entity confusion | Structured data, consistent company information |
| Former office still listed in directories | Wrong location cited | Updating third-party profiles |
| No trade press mention in 3 years | Firm seen as inactive | Speaking slots, industry commentary |
| Empty careers page | Missing from hiring questions | Careers page kept current |
Only publish what is actually documented: no volumes, no counterparties, no ESG indicator that is not in a published report. On US law, there is no single federal privacy law; state rules apply depending on the people concerned, CAN-SPAM governs commercial email, and ADA Title III website accessibility suits are frequent, hence a WCAG 2.1 or 2.2 AA target. This is not legal advice.
What the work covers and its market price
Such an engagement covers a diagnostic of current answers, aligning company information across the site and third-party profiles, factual pages (governance, compliance, sourcing, offices, careers), structured data, trade press relations, and tracking. The following amounts are 2026 ballpark figures seen in typical quotes from New York B2B and finance-focused agencies: a one-off diagnostic of 5,000 to 15,000 USD, a rebuild of factual pages of 8,000 to 30,000 USD, monthly tracking of 3,000 to 9,000 USD. High-end financial communications firms often go beyond these ranges. At Kolonell this work is on quote, after a diagnostic.
How to know whether it is working
Measurement relies on a dated record: a fixed list of 25 to 50 questions, split by counterpart (bank, compliance, recruiting), asked every month. You track the share of answers naming your firm, the accuracy of what is said (headquarters, offices, leadership, policies), and the share of cited sources you own. Compare with the first record, never with an isolated screenshot.
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Illustrative example: Hudson Meridian Commodities, a base metals trader with 35 staff in Manhattan. First record on 40 questions: the firm appears in 5 answers, 2 of which cite a closed office in Houston. Budget: an 8,000 USD diagnostic, then 4,500 USD a month for 6 months, 35,000 USD in total. On the other side, a single analyst hire through a search firm often costs 20 to 25% of a 160,000 USD salary, so 32,000 to 40,000 USD: if a better careers page avoids one search firm mandate, the budget is nearly covered.
FAQ
Does a trading house really need to be visible in AI assistants?
Not to sell, but to be verified: banks, counterparties and candidates already ask these questions. If 2 answers out of 5 describe you wrongly, that is a concrete reputation risk.
Should we publish volumes or client names?
No. Only publish what is already documented and cleared by your legal team, such as a dated ESG report. Assistants cite 6 accurate factual pages better than a sales pitch.
How long before there is an effect?
Often 3 to 6 months before new pages and mentions change the answers. Correcting a factual error can sometimes move faster.
Can anyone guarantee we will be recommended by ChatGPT?
No, no serious provider promises that: answers vary with the question and the date. The monthly record measures what actually improves.
What should we budget over 12 months?
On the New York market, a diagnostic plus 12 months of tracking often comes to 40,000 to 120,000 USD as a 2026 ballpark. Scope (number of offices, languages, reports) moves the figure.
Find out how AI assistants describe your firm. A dated record of 40 questions split by counterpart shows what assistants say about your trading house today and where they get it wrong. Request a diagnostic quote: reply within 48 hours.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
