Customers are changing how they search. Instead of typing “plumber near me” into Google, more people ask AI assistants like ChatGPT, Google’s AI Overviews, Microsoft Copilot, or Perplexity questions like “Who’s a reliable plumber in Rockville?” or “What should a small business website cost?”
These tools summarize information from across the web, and they only mention a handful of businesses in each answer. This guide explains how those recommendations are made and what you can do, step by step, to get your business recommended by ChatGPT and other AI tools.
The Short Answer: How to Get Recommended by ChatGPT
You can’t submit your business to ChatGPT, and there’s no form to fill out. To get recommended, you make it easy for AI tools to find, understand, and trust your business:
- State clearly on your website what you do, who you serve, and where.
- Make sure AI search crawlers and search engines can read your site.
- Keep your Google Business Profile, Bing Places listing, and directory listings complete and consistent.
- Earn detailed customer reviews.
- Get mentioned on other trusted websites.
- Publish helpful content that answers the questions your customers ask.
The rest of this guide covers each step in detail.
How ChatGPT Decides Which Businesses to Recommend
AI assistants generally draw on two things:
- What the model learned in training. Businesses that are widely mentioned across the web are more likely to be “known” to the model.
- Live web search. When a question needs current or local information, the assistant searches the web, reads the top sources, and summarizes them. ChatGPT’s search features use OpenAI’s own crawler, called OAI-SearchBot, along with third-party search providers.
In practice, this means AI recommendations lean on the same signals as traditional and local SEO, with a few differences:
- Clarity beats cleverness. An assistant quotes what it can understand. Plain statements of what you do and where you do it are easy to reuse.
- Consistency matters. If your name, address, services, and hours match everywhere, the assistant can be confident it has the right business.
- Third-party sources carry weight. Review sites, directories, local news, and “best of” lists are often the sources an assistant cites.
- Answers are short. An assistant may name three businesses, not thirty. Being one of the clearest, best-documented options in your area is the goal.
Step 1: Make Your Website Crystal Clear
AI tools need to understand exactly what you do. Your website should state plainly:
- What services you offer, each on its own page.
- Who you serve and where.
- Your business name, address, phone number, and hours.
- What makes you different.
Vague marketing language like “innovative solutions for tomorrow” gives AI nothing to work with. Clear statements like “We install and repair residential HVAC systems in Howard and Montgomery County, MD” do. Our guide to writing homepage copy can help.
Step 2: Let AI Crawlers Read Your Site
If AI search crawlers are blocked, your pages can’t be used in answers.
- Check your robots.txt file (yourdomain.com/robots.txt). According to OpenAI, sites that block OAI-SearchBot won’t be shown in ChatGPT’s search answers.
- Check your security and firewall settings. Some security plugins and hosting firewalls block AI crawlers by default.
- You can allow search crawlers while blocking training crawlers. OpenAI uses a separate crawler, GPTBot, for model training, and each can be allowed or blocked independently.
- Make sure important content isn’t hidden behind logins, pop-ups, or scripts that only load after a click.
- Consider an llms.txt file that summarizes your site for AI tools. It’s an emerging convention, not an official standard, so treat it as optional.
Step 3: Get Indexed in Bing as Well as Google
Many business owners only think about Google, but several AI assistants rely on other search indexes. Microsoft Copilot, for example, is built on Bing.
- Set up Bing Webmaster Tools and submit your sitemap. You can import your site from Google Search Console in a few clicks.
- Claim your Bing Places for Business listing.
- Keep your XML sitemap up to date in both Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools.
Step 4: Answer Real Questions in Your Content
AI assistants are built to answer questions. Pages that directly answer common questions, with clear headings and concise answers, are easier to cite.
- Add FAQ sections to service pages.
- Publish helpful guides on cost, process, timelines, and comparisons.
- Put the direct answer near the top, then explain in more depth.
- Use the same wording your customers use when they ask.
Use keyword research and Google’s “People Also Ask” results to find those questions.
Step 5: Strengthen Your Google Business Profile and Listings
For local recommendations, AI tools often lean on business listings and reviews. Keep your Google Business Profile, Bing Places, Apple Business Connect, Yelp, and industry directories complete and consistent. Choose accurate categories and list every service you offer.
Step 6: Earn Reviews That Mention Specifics
Reviews that mention the service, location, and experience (“They fixed our AC the same day in Laurel”) give AI tools concrete details to work with. Ask happy customers for reviews regularly, and reply to them. See how to get more Google reviews.
Step 7: Get Mentioned on Other Trusted Sites
When an assistant searches for “best electricians in Baltimore,” it often reads list articles, directories, and local publications, then summarizes them. If you’re not on those pages, you’re less likely to be in the answer.
- Find the pages that already rank for “best [your service] in [your city]” and ask how to be considered.
- Join your chamber of commerce and industry associations.
- Share newsworthy stories with local media.
- Get listed with suppliers, manufacturers, and partners.
Learn how to get backlinks as a local business.
Step 8: Use Structured Data
Schema markup (like LocalBusiness, Organization, Service, and FAQ schema) helps search engines understand your business details. Most SEO plugins, such as All in One SEO, Yoast, or Rank Math, can add the basics.
Step 9: Show Real Expertise
Content written by real people with real experience is more likely to be trusted and referenced than generic content. Add an About page with the people behind the business, author bios on articles, credentials and licenses, real project photos, and specific examples from your work.
Step 10: Keep Your Information Fresh
Outdated hours, old phone numbers, and abandoned profiles create conflicting information. Review your listings quarterly and update your key pages when services, prices, or service areas change. Add this to your website maintenance checklist.
What About Google AI Overviews, Copilot, and Perplexity?
The same foundations apply, with slightly different emphasis:
- Google AI Overviews and Gemini draw on Google’s index and, for local questions, Google Business Profile data. Strong traditional and local SEO matters most here.
- Microsoft Copilot is built on Bing, so Bing indexing and Bing Places matter.
- Perplexity shows the sources it used for each answer, which makes it a useful tool for seeing which websites AI considers authoritative in your market.
You don’t need a separate strategy for each tool. A clear website, consistent listings, strong reviews, and third-party mentions help across all of them.
How to Check Whether ChatGPT Recommends Your Business
Once a month, ask several AI assistants the questions your customers would ask:
- “Who are the best [your service] companies in [your city]?”
- “Can you recommend a [your service] near [your neighborhood]?”
- “What do people say about [your business name]?”
- “[Your business name] vs. [competitor name]”
Note which businesses are mentioned, what is said about yours, and which sources are cited. Those sources show you exactly where to strengthen your presence. Keep in mind that answers vary by person, location, and wording, so look for patterns across several questions instead of relying on one response.
How Long Does It Take?
There’s no fixed timeline. Changes to your website and listings can be picked up by live search within days or weeks, while building enough reviews and third-party mentions to be recommended consistently usually takes months. It tracks closely with how long SEO takes in general.
What Not to Do
- Don’t publish mass-produced, low-quality content. It can hurt your credibility.
- Don’t create fake reviews or listings.
- Don’t stuff pages with keywords or hidden text written “for AI.”
- Don’t block all crawlers and then wonder why you’re not mentioned.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I pay ChatGPT to recommend my business?
There’s no reliable way to buy a place in the answer itself. Be skeptical of anyone who promises guaranteed AI recommendations for a fee. What you can control is how clear, consistent, and well-reviewed your business is online.
Why does ChatGPT recommend my competitor and not me?
Usually because your competitor is easier to find and verify: more reviews, more mentions on local and industry websites, clearer service pages, or more complete listings. Ask the assistant where it found its information, then work on appearing in those same places.
Do I need a special “AI SEO” service?
Not usually. The businesses that do well in AI search are almost always the ones doing SEO and local SEO well. A few items are specific to AI, such as allowing AI search crawlers and writing clear, direct answers, but they build on the same foundation.
Does my business need a website to be recommended?
A website isn’t strictly required, since listings and reviews also feed AI answers, but it’s the one place where you control exactly how your services, locations, and expertise are described. Businesses without a clear website are much harder for AI tools to describe accurately.
AI Search Is Built on Good SEO
The businesses that show up in AI answers are usually the same ones with clear websites, strong local signals, great reviews, and helpful content. For the full picture, see our Small Business SEO Guide, or compare SEO vs. Google Ads if you’re deciding where to invest first.
Find Out Where You Stand
Want to know how visible your business is in search and AI results? Request a free website & SEO review and we’ll send you your top three priorities. For ongoing help, explore CDD Services’ SEO services.
