How to get your business recommended by ChatGPT and AI search

“Who’s the best plumber near me?” “Which med spa in Austin is good for Botox?” “Recommend a private school in Denver with small classes.” More people now type questions like these into ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity or Google’s AI Mode instead of scrolling through a list of links. The AI gives them a short answer with two or three names. If yours is not one of them, you are not in the running.

This guide explains how AI tools decide which businesses to recommend, and seven practical steps to make yours one of the names they give.

How AI tools choose which businesses to recommend

When someone asks for a recommendation, tools like ChatGPT search the web, read what they find, and summarize it into an answer. They are not picking a favorite. They are looking for businesses they can clearly understand, that fit the question, and that other sources agree are good.

Your website matters more than many people expect. In a BrightLocal study of 800 local business searches in ChatGPT (November 2024), business websites made up the largest share of the sources ChatGPT showed.

The takeaway: there is no secret trick. The businesses AI tools recommend are the ones that are easiest to understand and best supported by other sources. That is also what good local SEO has always rewarded.

Step 1: Make your website answer the questions people ask

People ask AI tools full questions: “Who does emergency AC repair on Sundays in Tampa?”, “Which med spa near me does lip filler and has financing?” Your pages need to contain those answers in plain words.

• One page per service. “Water heater installation” and “drain cleaning” each get their own page, not a single “Plumbing services” list.
• Say who it is for and where. The areas you serve, the types of customers, the situations you handle.
• Give real details. Price ranges or what affects the price, how fast you can come out or book, how long it takes, what is included.
• Answer common questions on the page. A short questions section on each service page, written the way customers actually ask.
• Put the facts in text, not only in images or PDFs, so they can be read easily.

A good test: could someone who has never heard of you answer “what do they do, where, for whom and roughly what does it cost” from your page alone? If not, neither can an AI.

Step 2: Keep your business details identical everywhere

AI tools cross-check. If your name, address, phone number, hours or services are different on your website, your Google Business Profile, Bing Places, Facebook and directories, it is harder for them to be confident you are the right answer.

• Use one exact version of your business name, address and phone number everywhere.
• Claim and complete Bing Places for Business, not just Google. BrightLocal reports that ChatGPT search relies mostly on Bing’s index, and many businesses have never touched their Bing listing.
• Keep your Google Business Profile complete: categories, services, service area, hours, photos. Google’s own AI answers draw on it, and other tools read it too.
• Fix old listings with outdated addresses or phone numbers.

Step 3: Get reviews on the platforms AI tools read

Reviews tell AI tools what customers think, and the words in reviews often end up in the answer (“known for fast response times”, “great with nervous patients”).

• Ask every happy customer, right after the job or visit, with a direct link.
• Spread them across platforms. Google first, but also Facebook, Yelp and the directories that matter in your industry. Whitespark’s research into Bing Places listings found Facebook to be the most common review source shown, followed by Yelp, with industry sites like Angi and Porch also appearing.
• Reply to reviews, good and bad. It shows you are active and adds more context.
• Keep them coming. A steady flow of recent reviews beats a burst from three years ago.

Industry experts still disagree about exactly how much reviews weigh in AI answers, and the tools themselves change often. But reviews also win customers directly, so there is no downside to doing this well.

Step 4: Get mentioned on other websites

When ChatGPT answers “best med spa in Austin”, it often reads local “best of” lists, news articles, industry directories and community sites. If other websites mention you, AI tools have more reasons to trust you.

• Get listed in the right directories for your industry and city, not hundreds of random ones.
• Get into local “best of” lists and roundups. Many are open to suggestions or run yearly awards.
• Show up in local news and community sites: sponsorships, events, expert comments, charity work.
• Partner with related businesses that can mention and link to you, like a realtor recommending a home inspector.

Step 5: Add structured data to your website

Structured data (schema markup) is code that labels the facts on your pages, like your business name, address, opening hours, services and reviews, in a format machines read easily. It does not guarantee anything, but it removes guesswork.

The basics for a local business:

• LocalBusiness (or a more specific type like Dentist or Plumber) with your name, address, phone, hours and service area.
• Service details on each service page.
• FAQPage for the questions sections on your pages.

Most website builders and SEO plugins can add these without custom code.

Step 6: Let AI tools into your website

Some websites accidentally block the crawlers AI tools use to read pages, usually through a security setting or a robots.txt file copied from somewhere else. If they cannot read your site, they cannot recommend it from your own words.

• Check your robots.txt file (yoursite.com/robots.txt) for lines that block crawlers like OAI-SearchBot, ChatGPT-User, PerplexityBot or Bingbot.
• Check your security or firewall settings, which sometimes block bots by default.
• Make sure important content loads as normal text, not only after clicks or inside tools that crawlers cannot use.

Step 7: Ask AI tools about yourself, and track the results

You can see where you stand today. Ask ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google’s AI Mode the questions your customers ask: “best [service] in [city]”, “[service] near [neighborhood] open on weekends”, and so on. Note who gets recommended and what the answer says about them. Repeat it every month or two.

Then measure what AI tools actually send you. Our step-by-step guide on how to track AI traffic in GA4 shows how to see AI visits, catch the ones GA4 misses and find out which of them become leads.

What doesn’t work

• Stuffing pages with keywords or writing for robots. AI tools summarize meaning; clear writing wins.
• Fake reviews. They break platform rules, can get your profile suspended and can be illegal.
• Hundreds of low-quality directory listings. A few accurate, relevant ones are worth more.
• Expecting instant results. AI tools pick up changes as they recrawl the web. Expect weeks to months, not days.

Putting it together

1. Write pages that answer real questions, one per service, with real details.
2. Keep your details identical everywhere, including Bing Places.
3. Get steady reviews on Google, Facebook, Yelp and your industry’s sites.
4. Get mentioned in directories, local lists and news.
5. Add structured data for your business, services and questions.
6. Make sure AI crawlers can read your site.
7. Check what AI tools say about you and track the traffic they send.

Being recommended by AI is the start of the journey, not the end. The visitor still needs a page that converts, a fast reply and good follow-up. We cover every step from first search to repeat customer in our guide on how to get and keep customers.

Questions about getting recommended by AI

Can I pay to be recommended by ChatGPT?

Not in its regular recommendations. AI tools build answers from what they find across the web, so the way in is the same work that helps you in search: clear pages, consistent details, reviews and mentions. Some AI tools are starting to show ads, but those are labeled separately from the answer.

Does ChatGPT use Google or Bing?

ChatGPT search has relied largely on Bing’s index, which is why your Bing Places listing matters. But AI tools change their data sources over time, and Google’s own AI answers use Google’s data. The safe approach is to be complete and consistent on both.

How long does it take to show up in AI answers?

It depends on how often the tools recrawl the sites that mention you. Fixes to your own website and listings can show up within weeks; building reviews and mentions takes months. Check every month or two and track the trend.

Is AI search optimization different from SEO?

Mostly it builds on the same foundations: useful pages, accurate business information, reviews and links from other sites. The difference is emphasis. AI tools reward pages that answer specific questions clearly and businesses that many sources describe the same way.

Why does ChatGPT recommend my competitor and not me?

Usually because the competitor is easier to understand or better supported by other sources: clearer service pages, more reviews, more mentions or more consistent listings. Ask the AI tool why it recommended them; the answer often points to the sources it used.

Want help getting recommended more often? See our AI search optimization service or contact us.