How Do I Get My Business Recommended by ChatGPT?

The honest answer

Nobody can guarantee that ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or Perplexity will recommend you. These tools don't have a sign-up or a ranking you can buy your way into, and their answers can change from one question to the next. Be skeptical of anyone selling a guaranteed result. What you can do is make your business easy for them to find and understand.

Where these tools get their information

When someone asks for a local recommendation, these tools generally look things up on the web. Research on this is early, and most of it comes from marketing companies, so treat it as a rough guide. One BrightLocal study of ChatGPT's local searches found that business websites made up the largest share of the sources it cited, followed by mentions on other sites and directories. Other write-ups report that ChatGPT leans on Bing for local searches, so it's worth making sure you're in Bing as well as Google.

What I'd do, in order

1. Do the basics of local search first. A verified Google Business Profile and a site Google can read will help you with regular search regardless of what happens with AI.
2. Add your business to Bing Places. It's free, and you can usually import from Google.
3. State the facts plainly on your site. Say what you do, who it's for, where you work and what it costs. A vague slogan gives an AI tool nothing to repeat.
4. Answer real questions. A clear page for the questions you hear from customers is useful to people and easy for these tools to quote.
5. Add structured data. Schema markup labels your business name, services and location in a form software can read.
6. Get mentioned elsewhere. Real reviews, directories, local press and client sites that link back to you all help show that you're real.

What I wouldn't get too excited about

• llms.txt files. This is a simple file that summarizes your site for AI tools. I add one because it's cheap, but I wouldn't count on it making a difference.
• Tricks aimed at AI. Hidden text and keyword stuffing can hurt you in search, and they make your site worse for real customers.
• Paying for "AI rankings." Find out exactly what someone would do for you before you pay.

Want help with it?

I build these basics into my websites, and my AI-Ready package starts at $2,000 if you want more of it. I can't promise you'll be recommended, but I can make sure your site gives these tools what they need.

Common questions

Can I pay to be recommended by ChatGPT?

As far as I know, you can't pay to be written into its answers, though this area is changing fast. Be careful of anyone who guarantees you a mention.

How does ChatGPT find local businesses?

It generally looks things up on the web and pulls from business websites, directories and other mentions. Reports suggest Bing plays a big part in local searches, but the details aren't fully public.

Is SEO the same as GEO?

They overlap a lot. SEO aims at search engine results, and GEO aims at AI-written answers. Clear content, accurate details and real credibility help with both.