How to Get Recommended by ChatGPT: 8 Steps for Any Business

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Key takeaways

  • ChatGPT searches the web, reads the results and names the businesses those sources describe clearly and consistently. There is no form to submit, and you cannot pay to be named in the answer itself.
  • Your own website matters most. In an audit of 10,000 US businesses, it was cited in 72% of awareness queries and 51% of recommendation queries (Insites).
  • Eight steps: let AI crawlers in, build clear pages, keep facts consistent, claim your listings, earn reviews, get mentioned elsewhere, answer real questions and measure every month.
  • No one can guarantee a mention. Results change from one ask to the next, so aim to be named often (BrightLocal).

Ask ChatGPT for “the best accountant for small businesses”, “a reliable roofer” or “a good marketing agency” and it names a few businesses and moves on. Everyone else is invisible in that conversation. This guide shows how to get recommended by ChatGPT in eight practical steps.

This post explains how ChatGPT decides, then walks through eight steps you can start this week. It works for service businesses, shops, clinics, agencies and online businesses, in any country. For a fuller explanation, read our guide to answer engine optimization.

ChatGPT does not keep a ranked list of businesses. When someone asks for a recommendation, it breaks the question into several related searches, reads what comes back and writes a short answer naming the businesses those sources agree on.

Different sources carry different weight depending on the question. In Insites’ audit of 10,000 US businesses, the business’s own website was cited in 72.3% of awareness and reputation queries and 50.7% of recommendation queries. Directories and listings appeared in about 35 to 39% of queries. In recommendation queries, trade-specific sites appeared in 23% and review sites in 11.5%.

BrightLocal’s study of 200,085 local AI searches found a similar pattern: 93% of the unique domains cited were business websites, and they made up 42% of all citations. Google Business Profile made up 28.5%, mainly through Google’s own AI tools. Both studies are US-based and focus on local businesses, but the underlying method of searching, reading and summarizing applies to any business.

Step 1: Let AI crawlers read your site

If AI search cannot read your pages, it cannot quote them. OpenAI says sites that opt out of OAI-SearchBot will not be shown in ChatGPT search answers, though they may still appear as links. OpenAI recommends allowing OAI-SearchBot in your robots.txt file. You can allow it for search while blocking GPTBot, which OpenAI uses for training.

For Google’s AI features, a page must be indexed and eligible to be shown in Google Search with a snippet. Google says there are no additional technical requirements. Check your robots.txt, your security plugin and your hosting or CDN settings, since these sometimes block crawlers by accident.

Step 2: Build a clear page for everything you want to be known for

Give each service, product or specialty its own page, and write it so a stranger understands it in one read. State what you do, who it is for, where you work, what it costs or how pricing works and how to get in touch. A single page that lists everything in a paragraph gives AI nothing specific to quote. BrightLocal’s advice is to keep it simple: obvious location and service pages, and answers to common client questions.

Step 3: Keep your facts identical everywhere

AI tools are more confident about businesses whose information matches across sources. Choose one version of your business name, address or service area, phone number, website, opening hours and one-sentence description, and use it everywhere: your website, social profiles, directories and press mentions.

Step 4: Claim the listings AI reads

Start with Google Business Profile if you serve customers in a particular area, since it is the most cited single source in Google’s AI tools. Then add Bing Places, Apple Business Connect, Facebook and Yelp where they are used in your country, plus the industry directories for your trade. BrightLocal notes that AI platforms also use specific industry directories across different verticals, so being listed on those matters.

If you are an online business with no local area, the same logic applies to the directories and review sites your customers use, such as software review sites or professional bodies.

Step 5: Earn reviews that say something specific

Customers read reviews before they choose, and AI reads them too. A review that says “they replaced our boiler in one day” says more than “great service”. Ask every customer, make it easy with a direct link, and reply to each one. In BrightLocal’s survey, 80% of US consumers were likely to use a business that responds to all of its reviews.

Step 6: Get mentioned on other websites

AI answers draw on more than your own pages. Insites found that trade sites and review sites show up in recommendation queries, and it links editorial content such as blogs and listicles to unbranded searches where people are comparing options. Look for local news, industry associations, supplier and partner pages, podcasts and “best of” lists that fit your business. Write for real readers first. A genuine mention on a relevant site helps people and AI alike.

Step 7: Answer the questions customers actually ask

Make a list of the questions customers ask before they buy, such as costs, timelines, how you compare with alternatives and who you work with, and answer each one plainly on your site. BrightLocal suggests checking which questions are getting impressions in AI using Bing Webmaster Tools and Google Search Console, then answering them. Put a short, direct answer first and the detail after it.

You may also add structured data (schema markup) that matches what is visible on the page. Google says you do not need special schema or AI text files to appear in its AI features, so treat markup as a way to be clear, not a trick to be recommended.

Step 8: Check what AI says about you every month

  1. Write ten questions a customer might ask, such as “best [service] in [city]”, “[service] for [specific need]” and “[your brand] reviews”.
  2. Ask each question in ChatGPT, Google AI Mode, Gemini and Perplexity.
  3. Ask each question three times, since answers change.
  4. Record whether you are named, how you are described and who is named instead.
  5. Repeat monthly and look at the trend, not one result.

This matters because AI results vary. BrightLocal found that repeat searches shared only 21 to 33% of the same businesses, though a business that appeared once showed up again in about half of later attempts.

Most businesses see changes over three to four months, not days. ChatGPT draws on what the wider web already says about you, so it takes time for new reviews, listings and pages to be found and repeated. A business that is already well reviewed and consistently listed can be recommended by ChatGPT sooner than one starting from scratch. Check the same questions every month and look for a trend rather than a single answer.

What is the difference between SEO, AEO and GEO?

SEO aims to rank your pages in a list of search results. Answer engine optimization (AEO) structures content so it is extracted as a direct answer. Generative engine optimization (GEO) aims to get your brand mentioned and described accurately in AI-written answers. Practitioners use the terms in different ways, and some, such as Seer Interactive, treat the acronyms as largely interchangeable. In practice, good SEO is the foundation for all three, and Google says the best practices for SEO remain relevant for its AI features.

Frequently asked questions

Make your business easy to find, understand and trust. Let AI crawlers read your site, build clear pages for each service, keep your details consistent everywhere, claim your listings, earn specific reviews, get mentioned on relevant sites and check results monthly.

Not in the answer itself. OpenAI has been testing labeled ads for some US users, but says ads do not influence ChatGPT’s answers and run on separate systems. There is no form to submit, so be wary of anyone who guarantees a mention.

Does ChatGPT use Google Business Profile?

Much less than Google’s AI tools do. BrightLocal found it is hardly used by ChatGPT, which relies more on Bing, Yelp and other directories, plus business websites.

Should I block AI crawlers from my website?

Not if you want to appear in AI answers. OpenAI says sites that opt out of OAI-SearchBot will not be shown in ChatGPT search answers. You can still block GPTBot if you do not want your content used for training.

In our experience, listing and profile fixes can show in a few weeks and new pages take three to six months. Results vary by market and competition.

Is this different from SEO?

It builds on SEO. The same foundations of clear pages, accurate information and trust apply, but ranking well does not guarantee an AI mention, so you should track both.

Next step

Not sure where you stand? We will ask ChatGPT, Google AI Mode, Gemini and Perplexity the questions your customers ask and send you the real answers, including which competitors are named instead of you. Request your free AI visibility report.

You can also read how AI search visibility (GEO and AEO) works, or see our pages for home service businesses and dental practices.

Related reading: How dentists get recommended by ChatGPT, Why ChatGPT recommends some plumbers and not others, The HVAC map pack checklist and How chiropractors get new patients from Google and AI search.

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