How to get your business recommended by ChatGPT and AI search

Ask a friend for a recommendation today and there's a good chance they'll ask ChatGPT first. Buyers now type "best CRM for a small agency" or "reliable plumber near me" into an AI assistant and get a short, confident shortlist — often without ever visiting Google. If your business isn't on that shortlist, you're invisible to a fast-growing slice of demand. Here's how to change that.

Why this is the biggest SEO shift in a decade

Classic search gave you ten blue links to choose from. AI search gives one answer and maybe three names. The competition went from "rank on page one" to "be one of the three brands the AI trusts enough to name." This is sometimes called AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) or GEO (Generative Engine Optimization). If you haven't read it yet, our primer on AI Overviews & GEO sets the foundation.

How AI assistants decide who to recommend

They don't have opinions — they pattern-match across the web. A brand gets named when it's clearly described, frequently mentioned, and consistently reviewed across many trusted sources. Your job is to make your business the easiest, safest answer for the AI to give.

The 6 moves that get you mentioned

1. Answer real questions in plain language

Write content that directly answers the questions buyers ask — clearly, with the answer up top. AI lifts crisp, well-structured answers far more than clever marketing prose. This is the backbone of modern SEO.

2. Be unmistakably specific about what you do and who you serve

"We help X do Y in Z" beats vague taglines. The clearer your positioning, the easier you are to categorise and recommend.

3. Earn third-party mentions and reviews

AI trusts consensus. Reviews, directory listings, podcast mentions, and press all teach the model that you exist and that you're credible. One brand-owned page isn't enough.

4. Use clean structured data

Schema markup (business type, services, location, ratings) hands AI the facts in a format it can't misread. Get the basics right and you remove ambiguity.

5. Keep your facts consistent everywhere

Name, services, and location should match across your site, profiles, and listings. Contradictions make the model unsure — and unsure means unmentioned.

6. Build genuine topical depth

A cluster of helpful articles on your specialty signals expertise. It's why we publish guides like this one — depth compounds into authority.

Old SEO got you found. New SEO gets you recommended. The brands that win are the ones an AI can describe in one confident sentence.

How to check if it's working

Ask the assistants directly. Open ChatGPT, Gemini, and Google's AI search and ask the questions your customers would ask. Are you mentioned? How are you described? Is anything wrong? Do this monthly — it's the new rank tracking. Then close the gaps with content and reviews, and watch the return build over time.