How to Get Recommended by ChatGPT and Google AI

What Google and OpenAI actually document

For Google AI Overviews and AI Mode, a supporting page must be indexed and eligible for a Search snippet. Google says there are no extra technical requirements or special AI optimizations needed. Meeting those conditions does not guarantee inclusion. Google’s guidance for AI features is the starting point.

For ChatGPT search, OpenAI identifies OAI-SearchBot as its search crawler. It recommends allowing that crawler and its published IP ranges. This is separate from GPTBot, which is associated with model training. OpenAI documents that the two choices can be managed independently. Read OpenAI’s crawler documentation.

Neither document supplies a formula for becoming the recommended local business. Treat crawler access as an eligibility check. Treat content work as making your information more useful and easier to verify. Neither buys a placement.

Check that your useful pages can be reached

Pick your homepage and two important service pages. Open them while signed out, on a phone. Confirm that the service description, service area, contact details, and main answer are visible without a login or form submission. Follow the links from the homepage to make sure a visitor can find those pages.

Ask your site administrator to inspect robots rules, indexing directives, response codes, and firewall logs. A security challenge that a human can complete may still prevent a crawler from reading the page. Check the specific rule and the provider’s verified crawler information rather than disabling site protection broadly.

In Google Search Console, inspect the important URLs and investigate indexing problems. Google also recommends making important content available as text and keeping structured data consistent with what readers can see. There is no need to create a separate version of your business story just for AI.

Give customers facts they can use

A page that says “quality service at affordable prices” leaves most buying questions unanswered. A useful roofing page could explain which roof materials you repair, the area you serve, how an inspection works, and what information you need before quoting. Add real job photos and explain the work shown, with customer permission where needed.

1. Describe a specific service.Explain the problem it solves, what is included, exclusions, and the next step. When the price varies, explain the variables and how a quote is prepared.

2. Show evidence you can stand behind.Use real work examples, accurate qualifications, and named authors where appropriate. Do not invent a customer story or claim a credential you do not hold.

3. Answer the question before the sales pitch.Give the useful answer near the heading, then explain details and limitations. Readers should be able to understand the page without scheduling a call first.

These are editorial recommendations. Clear facts help a prospective customer evaluate you; they are not a promise that any particular model will quote the page. Keep a record of what you changed so you can test the result.

Correct the public facts about your business

Compare the information on your website with your Google Business Profile and the directories your customers use. Look for an old phone number, obsolete opening hours, a service you no longer offer, or a link to a retired website. Resolve those mismatches at the original source.

Google says complete, accurate profile information helps it understand a business. Its local ranking guidance also discusses relevance, distance, and prominence, including reviews and links. That describes Google local search, not a universal ChatGPT ranking formula. See the local ranking documentation.

When an AI answer gets something wrong, save the answer and inspect its cited pages. If the mistake is on a page you control, correct it there. If it is on a directory, use that directory’s correction process. Do not assume that changing your own site will immediately update every answer.

Measure mentions, citations, and inquiries separately

Build a small test set from real sales questions. For example: “Who repairs tile roofs in Wesley Chapel?”, “What should I ask a roofer before booking an inspection?”, and “Does [your business name] repair tile roofs?” Keep the exact wording, location context, platform, date, and whether search was used in a simple log.

Repeat the same test set after material changes and at a consistent interval. Save the answers rather than relying on memory. A handful of prompts is a diagnostic sample, not a market-share estimate, and a changed answer alone does not prove your edit caused it.

What to ask for if you hire help

Ask for the questions being tested, the pages being checked, a record of access problems, and a prioritized list of fixes. The final report should distinguish documented platform requirements from the consultant’s hypotheses. For implementation, agree on specific changes and a recheck of the original test set.

Our AI Visibility Audit is $1,500 one-time. Implementation is separate: the fixed-scope sprint starts at $5,500, with the price agreed before work begins. See current pricing and inclusions. Neither service guarantees citations, recommendations, or leads.

Buy work you can inspect: an access check, a useful page, a corrected record, and a measured recheck.

Sources

• Google Search Central: AI features and your website
• OpenAI: overview of crawlers
• Google: tips to improve your local ranking
• Agency Crate: published service prices