How to get your business recommended by ChatGPT and other AI assistants

When someone asks ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini or Google’s AI Overviews to recommend a local business, the tool draws on information it can find and trust: web pages it can read, business listings, review sites, directories and articles that mention the business. Some answers come from a live web search; others lean on what the model has already learned.

In practice, the businesses that get named tend to have three things in common: a website that clearly states what they do, for whom and where; consistent information across many sources; and credible third-party signals such as reviews and mentions. If an AI tool can’t confirm something about you, it’s less likely to say it.

Many AI crawlers don’t run JavaScript. If your site loads its content with JavaScript, the crawler may see an almost empty page. Make sure your key pages deliver their text in the HTML itself.

• Give each core service its own page, with a clear title and a first paragraph that says exactly what the service is.
• State your service area plainly on the page, not only in an image or map.
• Keep a sitemap and allow reputable crawlers in your robots.txt file.
• Make sure pages load quickly and work on mobile.

AI assistants are answering questions, so pages that answer questions directly are easier to quote. Collect the questions you hear on the phone and in sales conversations, and answer each one in a sentence or two before adding detail.

• Put a short FAQ on each service page.
• Lead each section with the answer, then explain.
• Use the words customers use, not internal jargon.
• Keep answers accurate and current — outdated pricing or hours hurt trust.

Structured data (schema markup) is code that labels the facts on a page: your organization, the services you offer, your contact details, FAQs and reviews. It doesn’t replace good content, but it removes guesswork for search engines and AI systems reading your site.

The most useful types for service businesses are Organization or LocalBusiness, Service, FAQPage and BreadcrumbList.

AI tools cross-check. If your website, Google Business Profile, directories and social profiles list different names, phone numbers or services, the signals conflict. Pick one exact version of your business name, address, phone and service list, and use it everywhere.

• Complete your Google Business Profile, Bing Places and Apple Business Connect.
• Claim the main directories for your industry.
• Link your social profiles from your website, and your website from them.

Reviews and third-party mentions are how AI tools judge whether a business is credible. Ask every happy customer for a review, reply to reviews, and look for ways to be mentioned on industry sites, local news, partner pages, podcasts and community resources.

Mentions don’t always need a link to help — being described accurately by credible sources is the point.

Ask the AI tools the questions your customers ask — by service and by area — and record which businesses they name today. Repeat the same questions every month or two. Pair that with the usual measures: calls and form fills from search, and branded searches for your business name.