More buyers now ask ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude or Perplexity “who’s the best option near me?” before they open Google. The businesses named in those answers aren’t there by luck. AI assistants draw on what the web already says about you, and you can shape that.
How AI assistants decide who to recommend
Assistants combine what they learned in training with live web searches. When they search, they lean on pages that already rank well, trusted directories, review platforms and publications. A business described the same way across many sources is easy to recommend. One with thin or conflicting information is easy to skip.
1. Make your facts unambiguous
Your business name, services, locations, hours and contact details should read identically on your website, Google Business Profile, directories and social profiles. Add Organization and LocalBusiness schema markup so machines can read those facts without guessing.
2. Answer the questions buyers actually ask
AI tools quote pages that answer a question directly in the first few lines. Give every service page a clear statement of what you do, who it’s for, how long it takes and how pricing works, and add an FAQ section built from real customer questions.
3. Earn mentions on sites AI already trusts
What others say about you carries more weight than what you say about yourself. Focus on:
- Reviews on Google and the leading platforms in your industry
- Local press and industry publications
- Association memberships, partner pages and supplier listings
4. Let AI crawlers read your site
Check that your robots.txt allows crawlers such as GPTBot, ClaudeBot, PerplexityBot and Google-Extended. Publish an llms.txt file that summarises your business. Make sure key content is available in plain HTML, because many AI crawlers don’t run JavaScript.
5. Keep winning traditional search
AI answers often start with a web search, so strong Google rankings feed directly into AI visibility. GEO and SEO are the same investment viewed from two angles.
How to measure progress
Each month, ask the major assistants the questions your buyers ask and record whether you’re mentioned, how you’re described and who appears instead. In analytics, track referral traffic from chatgpt.com, perplexity.ai and gemini.google.com.
This is the core of our AI & Search Visibility service.
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