How to Get Your Business Recommended by ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

To get your business recommended by ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google AI Overviews, make it easy for them to find, read and trust public information about you. That means letting their crawlers in, keeping a complete Google Business Profile, publishing clear pages that answer customer questions, earning detailed reviews, and being mentioned consistently on other reputable sites. Google says there are no special tricks or extra files required for AI Overviews: a page has to be indexed and eligible to show a snippet. Nobody can guarantee an AI mention, but these steps raise your odds and also help your normal Google rankings.

How AI assistants choose which businesses to mention

AI assistants do not keep a secret directory of approved businesses. When someone asks "who's the best plumber near me?" or "which dentist in Tampa offers same-day crowns?", they search the web, read sources and summarize what those sources agree on.

• Google AI Overviews and AI Mode draw on Google's own index. Google's AI features guide explains that both may use "query fan-out", issuing several related searches to build an answer, and that a page must be indexed and snippet-eligible to be shown as a supporting link. It also says Business Profile information should be kept up to date.
• ChatGPT search uses third-party search providers and content from partners, according to OpenAI's ChatGPT search announcement. OpenAI's crawler documentation says sites that block OAI-SearchBot will not be shown in ChatGPT search answers, though they can still appear as navigational links.
• Perplexity uses PerplexityBot to "surface and link websites in search results", per its crawler documentation.

The common thread: these tools recommend businesses they can describe with confidence. Your job is to make that description easy, accurate and corroborated.

8 steps to get recommended by AI assistants

1. Let the right crawlers in

Check your robots.txt and any CDN, firewall or bot-protection settings. Allow:

• Googlebot (Google Search, including AI Overviews and AI Mode)
• OAI-SearchBot (ChatGPT search)
• PerplexityBot (Perplexity search)
• Bingbot (Bing, and a good idea since ChatGPT relies on third-party search providers)

OpenAI notes that robots.txt changes can take about 24 hours to take effect for search. Blocking GPTBot (training) is a separate choice and does not remove you from ChatGPT search.

2. State your core facts in plain words

Put one clear paragraph near the top of your home and about pages: business name, what you do, the cities or counties you serve, who you serve, years in business, licenses, and hours. Use the exact same business name everywhere. AI tools quote plain, specific sentences far more easily than slogans like "excellence in every job."

3. Complete and maintain your Google Business Profile

Google's AI features guide specifically tells businesses to keep Business Profile information up to date. Pick the most accurate primary category, list every service, set a real service area, add photos, and keep hours current. Follow Google's guidelines for representing your business. Keyword-stuffed names or fake addresses can get the profile suspended, which removes you from Maps and AI answers alike. Our GBP checklist walks through each field.

Also claim your listing on Bing Places so your information is consistent outside Google.

4. Publish answer-first service pages

Each core service deserves its own page that answers the questions customers actually ask:

• What it is and who it is for
• What it typically costs (a range is fine)
• How long it takes
• What areas you serve
• What makes you different, with proof

Lead each section with a direct one- or two-sentence answer, then the detail. That format suits both featured snippets and AI summaries. Google's guidance on helpful, people-first content is the right standard: written for customers, by people who know the work.

5. Earn reviews that say something specific

A review that says "Fixed our tankless water heater in Mesa the same afternoon" gives an AI tool far more to work with than "Great service!" Ask every customer, make it easy with a review link, and reply to every review. Never buy, gate or incentivize reviews. That breaks Google's prohibited content policy and the FTC's consumer reviews rule, in effect since October 2024.

6. Get mentioned on other trusted sites

AI answers lean on sources that agree with each other. Consistent listings and mentions on industry directories, local chambers of commerce, trade associations, suppliers' "find an installer" pages, local news and well-known "best of" roundups all corroborate your own claims. Check that each one uses the same name, address, phone and services.

7. Add structured data that matches the page

Mark up your business with LocalBusiness structured data (or a more specific schema.org type such as Plumber or Dentist), plus FAQ and Service markup where it fits. Google says there is no special schema required for AI features, but structured data must match the visible text. Treat it as labeling, not magic.

8. Test and measure every month

• Pick 10 to 20 prompts your customers would use ("best roofer in Plano", "emergency dentist open Saturday near Tampa") and run them in ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google each month. Log who gets mentioned and what is said about you.
• In Google Analytics, filter for utm_source=chatgpt.com. OpenAI's publisher FAQ says ChatGPT adds it to referral links.
• In Search Console, AI Overviews and AI Mode traffic is counted inside the normal "Web" performance report, per Google.
• If an assistant gets a fact wrong, find and fix the source it is likely reading: your site, your profile or an outdated directory listing.

What you cannot control

Be wary of anyone selling guaranteed placement in ChatGPT or AI Overviews. Google states that AI Overviews often do not trigger at all, and that meeting every requirement does not guarantee crawling, indexing or serving. Answers also change between users, locations and days. What you can control is the quality, consistency and reach of information about your business.

Do you need an llms.txt file?

Google's guidance says you don't need to create new machine-readable files or AI text files to appear in its AI features. An llms.txt file is cheap to add and harmless, but it is not a substitute for the eight steps above. Spend your time on your profile, pages and reviews first.

How this fits with regular SEO

AI optimization goes by several names: GEO (generative engine optimization), AEO (answer engine optimization) or AI SEO. In practice, it is built on the same foundation as local SEO. Our explainer on SEO vs AEO vs GEO covers which one to build first. For a trade-specific version of this guide, see how roofers get recommended by ChatGPT and Gemini.

Get a free 1-page AI visibility audit

Want to know what ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google say about your business today? Email dm@whiteseolabs.com with your website and main city, or use our free audit form. Your free 1-page audit covers crawler access, your Google Business Profile, how AI assistants describe you right now, and the first three fixes. Learn more about our generative engine optimization work.

Sources

• Google Search Central, AI features and your website
• Google Search Central, Creating helpful, reliable, people-first content
• Google Search Central, LocalBusiness structured data
• OpenAI, Overview of OpenAI crawlers
• OpenAI Help Center, Publishers and Developers FAQ
• OpenAI, Introducing ChatGPT search
• Perplexity, Perplexity crawlers
• Google Business Profile Help, Guidelines for representing your business on Google
• Google Maps, Prohibited and restricted content
• Federal Register, Trade Regulation Rule on the Use of Consumer Reviews and Testimonials