How to get your business recommended by ChatGPT

When you ask ChatGPT to recommend a business like yours, who does it suggest?

If the answer isn't you, it's worth knowing why. Because more of your potential customers are asking that exact question.

Last week, we looked at how Google's AI Mode has changed what it means to be found online. This week, we're turning to the AI assistant that many people now use instead of a search engine. In this blog, we'll explain how ChatGPT decides which businesses to recommend, the practical steps that earn your place in its answers, and the shortcuts you should steer well clear of.

Why AI recommendations matter for your business

ChatGPT isn't a niche tool anymore. In February 2026, OpenAI announced that it had reached 900 million weekly active users.

And people aren't just using it to write emails. They're using it to choose who to buy from.

Yext's 2026 study of UK consumers found that 36.7% had used AI to search for local businesses in the past month. Three quarters of those AI users said they now do it more than they did a year ago. ChatGPT was the most used tool, ahead of Google Gemini and Microsoft Copilot. And almost a quarter had tried a new local business because an AI tool recommended it.

We're seeing this shift in our own data, too. Questions phrased exactly like AI prompts, such as 'can you recommend an SEO service that offers comprehensive analytics?', are now appearing in our Search Console reports. That's how your customers are starting to search. Full questions, asking for a recommendation, expecting a confident answer.

So, the question isn't whether AI assistants will influence who your customers choose. It's whether they'll mention you when they do.

How ChatGPT decides who to recommend

ChatGPT builds its answers from two places.

The first is what it has already learned. ChatGPT has been trained on huge amounts of publicly available information, so it has a general picture of businesses and sectors, built from what's been written about them across the web over time.

The second is live search. When someone asks for a recommendation, ChatGPT can look up current web pages and cite them in its answer. That means what your website and other sites say about you right now really matters.

In both cases, it's looking for the same thing: confidence. An AI assistant doesn't want to recommend a business it isn't sure about. So, it favours businesses that are:

• Clearly described. It's obvious what they do, who they help and where they work.
• Consistent. Their name, location and services match wherever they appear online.
• Vouched for. Customers review them, and trusted websites mention them.
• Genuinely expert. Their content shows real knowledge and experience.

None of that is new. It's the same foundation that good SEO has always been built on. The difference is that AI assistants make the gap between businesses that have it and those that don't much more obvious.

Seven steps to get recommended by ChatGPT

1. Make sure ChatGPT can see your website

This one's easy to miss. ChatGPT's search feature relies on OpenAI's own crawler, called OAI-SearchBot. According to OpenAI's documentation, sites that block it won't appear in ChatGPT's search answers.

Check your website's robots.txt file, or ask your web developer to. OpenAI also runs a separate crawler, GPTBot, which collects content for training its AI models. You can block that one and still allow OAI-SearchBot, so you stay visible in search without your content being used for training.

2. Say clearly what you do, who for and where

AI assistants match businesses to specific questions. If someone asks for 'a web design agency in Worcestershire that works with charities', your website needs to make every part of that easy to find.

Make sure your service pages explain exactly what you offer. Your About page should say who you help. And your location should be clear and consistent, not buried in the footer.

3. Keep your business details consistent everywhere

If your business name, address or services are described differently across your website, Google Business Profile, LinkedIn, Companies House and industry directories, AI tools can struggle to work out whether they're all the same business.

Pick one version of your business name and address, and use it everywhere. It's a small job that removes a lot of doubt.

4. Earn genuine reviews

Reviews are one of the strongest trust signals you have, for people and for AI. BrightLocal's 2026 survey of US consumers found that 64% of people who use AI for local recommendations trust tools like ChatGPT as much as online reviews. Those tools often summarise your reviews for them.

So, make asking for reviews part of how you work. Ask happy customers at the right moment, make it easy for them, and respond to every review, good or bad.

5. Get talked about on trusted websites

AI assistants learn a lot about your business from what others say about you. Mentions in local press, industry publications, partner websites, podcasts and event listings all help build that picture.

This is where off-page SEO comes in. The aim isn't to collect as many links as possible. It's to be recognised by the websites your customers, and the AI tools, already trust.

6. Publish content that answers real questions

Think about the questions your customers ask you before they buy. Then answer them properly on your website, in blogs and guides written by real people with real experience.

Content that shows genuine expertise, in line with Google's E-E-A-T guidelines, gives AI assistants something solid to cite. And the more consistently you publish it, the stronger your case becomes.

7. Make your website ready for the visit

A recommendation from ChatGPT is rarely the end of the user journey.

Yext's research found that after an AI recommendation, 49% of UK users search Google or Bing to check the business, and 43% visit its website. So, when ChatGPT names you, people come looking. Your website needs to back up the recommendation, with clear services, real proof and an easy way to get in touch. Our case studies show how we approach this for our clients.

What not to do

Wherever there's a new way to be found, there's someone selling a shortcut. AI search is no different.

You'll see 'get recommended by ChatGPT' kits, AI ranking services and promises of guaranteed mentions. Be wary. There's no setting you can switch on or file you can upload that makes an AI assistant recommend you.

The same goes for fake reviews and manufactured mentions on forums or low-quality websites. Google's guidance on generative AI features warns that seeking out inauthentic mentions can be treated as spam. Beyond the risk, they simply don't build the kind of trust AI assistants are looking for.

How to check if it's working

You can't track ChatGPT recommendations the way you track Google rankings. But you can get a good idea of where you stand.

• Ask the questions yourself. Regularly ask ChatGPT the questions your customers would ask. Note which businesses it names and which sources it cites. Answers can change each time, so try each question a few times.
• Set up Bing Webmaster Tools. Bing now has an AI Performance report showing how often your pages are cited in Microsoft Copilot and Bing's AI answers.
• Check your AI referrals. Google Analytics now shows visits from AI assistants as their own channel, so you can see when tools like ChatGPT send people to your website.
• Ask your new customers. 'How did you find us?' is still one of the most useful questions in marketing.

Our take

Being recommended by ChatGPT is word of mouth, at scale.

And like word of mouth, you can't really fake it for long. The businesses AI assistants recommend are usually the ones that are easy to understand, easy to verify and well thought of by their customers.

That's why we don't believe there's such a thing as separate 'ChatGPT SEO'. It's the same work that's always built strong businesses online: a clear website, consistent details, real reviews, trusted mentions and useful content. The difference now is that the reward for doing it well is bigger, and the cost of ignoring it is easier to see.

There's good news in that for smaller businesses. AI assistants don't only recommend the biggest names. They recommend the businesses they can be confident about. A specialist with a strong reputation and a clear website can earn that confidence just as well as a global brand.

How can QBD help?

Getting recommended by AI assistants is earned month by month, by showing up consistently with expert content and a strong reputation.

That's what QBD Pulse does. Our structured monthly marketing programme delivers SEO blogs that answer your customers' questions, social posts that keep your business visible and emails that keep you front of mind. And with Atlas, you can see how your search visibility is building, whenever you want.

If you'd like to know what might be holding your website back, our SEO audit service will give you a clear picture. Or get in touch with our team for a chat.

Related reading

• How AI Overviews are changing who gets found in search What gets a business cited in Google's AI answers.
• What is off-page SEO and why is it important? How building your reputation beyond your website boosts your visibility.
• Human strategy in a robotic world Our five-part guide to marketing to robots and winning visibility.