Get your business recommended by ChatGPT.

AI assistants build their answers from websites, search indexes, listings and reviews. There is no switch to flip; you make your business easy to find, easy to understand and widely confirmed. This is often called AEO (answer engine optimization) or GEO (generative engine optimization).

By Ahmad Awwad · Updated October 2026

1. Let AI tools read your site

If they cannot read it, they cannot recommend it.

• Check your robots.txt (yoursite.com/robots.txt) does not block search and AI crawlers such as Googlebot, Bingbot, OAI-SearchBot (ChatGPT search), PerplexityBot and ClaudeBot.
• Check firewall and bot settings at your host or Cloudflare. Some block AI crawlers by default.
• Make sure Bing indexes your site. Add it to Bing Webmaster Tools; several AI assistants use web search results, including Bing's.
• Put your key facts in plain text, not only inside images or PDFs.

2. Make your facts unmistakable

AI tools recommend businesses they can describe with confidence.

• A clear About page: who you are, what you do, where, since when, and who you serve.
• One page per service that says what it is, who it is for, the area served and, where possible, a price range.
• An FAQ section answering the questions people ask before choosing a business like yours, in short, direct answers.
• LocalBusiness and FAQ structured data (schema) so your name, address, hours and answers are machine-readable.
• An llms.txt file summarising your business for AI tools. It is optional and not an official standard, but it is cheap to add.

3. Be confirmed across the web

AI answers lean on what many trusted sources agree on.

• Same name, address and phone on Google, Bing Places, Apple Business Connect, Yelp, Facebook, BBB and industry directories.
• Steady, real Google reviews that mention what you did and where. Reply to them.
• Mentions on other sites: local news, "best of" lists, partners, suppliers, sponsorships and community events.
• Active social profiles that link back to your website and use the same description.

4. Check how AI sees you

Test it like a customer would, then repeat every month.

• Ask ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity questions a customer would ask, such as "best [service] in [city]". Note who gets named and which sources are cited.
• Ask what they know about your business by name. Correct wrong facts at the source: your website and listings.
• Look at the cited sources for competitors and get listed or mentioned on those same sites.

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