How to appear in ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity answers
ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity have no list of businesses you can sign up for. They build answers from what they find about you online. Getting in means being findable, being readable and being mentioned in more places than your own website. Here are eight steps in the order that makes sense.
How an AI answer is created
The system has two sources. The first is what the model learned in training: older, general knowledge. The second is search: when you ask about a business in your city or a current price, the system runs a search, opens several pages and builds the answer from them. It usually shows links to the sources.
For a local business the second source decides. The model knows almost nothing from training about a plumber in a small town. But when it finds them in search results and their website clearly says what they do and where, it can name them.
1. Let the right robots in
Each system has its own robot that loads pages for search. If robots.txt or hosting settings block it, the website will not appear in answers. OpenAI says so directly in its documentation: websites that block OAI-SearchBot will not be shown in ChatGPT search answers.
| System | Search robot | Note |
|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT | OAI-SearchBot | GPTBot collects data for model training and can be blocked separately |
| Perplexity | PerplexityBot | According to Perplexity it is not used for model training |
| Google: AI Overviews and AI Mode | Googlebot | The same robot as normal search |
| Google: Gemini app | Googlebot, Google-Extended rule | Google-Extended is a robots.txt rule, not a separate robot. It does not affect Google Search. If you want to appear in Gemini, do not block it |
| Microsoft Copilot | Bingbot | Built on the Bing search index |
On most websites robots.txt is open and there is nothing to do. Check it if your website was built by someone who blocked AI robots across the board, or if you use bot protection at your hosting provider.
2. Be in the Google and Bing index
Most businesses only think about Google. But Copilot answers are built on Bing and other systems take results from several search engines. Set up Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools, submit your sitemap and check that the main pages are indexed. It takes half an hour and is free. If your website is not visible even in normal search, start with why your website is not showing on Google.
3. Write a sentence that can be quoted
AI needs a short statement it can take over. The homepage should have one sentence: who you are, what you do, where and for whom. For example: Bathroom renovations in Brno and the surrounding area, with the price agreed upfront in writing. A slogan about quality and tradition cannot be quoted, because it says nothing.
4. Answer the questions people ask AI
People ask AI in full sentences: how much does it cost, how long does it take, what should I watch out for, who does it in my city. Write down ten questions you hear on the phone and answer them on your website in two to four sentences. Start the answer with the main point, explanation afterwards.
5. Give concrete data
Starting price, usual delivery time, the area you serve, opening hours, who the service is not for. The more concrete the website, the easier it is to build an answer from it. Prices and contacts must be in the page text, not in an image or PDF.
Want a website that brings enquiries?
Tell me in two minutes what you need. I reply within 24 hours with a free homepage design and a fixed price in writing.
Get a free proposal →6. Add structured data
Structured data are labels in the page code that tell machines what the business name, address, price or a question with an answer is. They must match what the visitor sees on the page. Google lists them among recommended practices for its AI features too.
7. Get mentioned outside your own website
An AI answer relies on several sources. A business mentioned only on its own website has a weak position. A complete Google Business Profile with reviews helps, as do directory listings, mentions on supplier and customer websites and industry portals. How to get reviews is in how to get more Google reviews.
8. Keep details identical everywhere
Business name, address, phone and website should be the same on your website, Google profile, directories and social media. When a machine finds three different phone numbers, it does not know which to trust.
What nobody can promise you
That AI will recommend you first. Answers differ by the wording of the question, by location and even between two attempts in a row. You can raise the chances, you cannot buy certainty. The llms.txt file often offered for this is, by Google's own statement, not used by Google.
How to check it
- Ask three systems who offers your service in your city.
- Ask about your company name: what the system knows and where it got it.
- Ask about the price of your service and watch which websites are cited.
- Write the answers down and repeat the test a month after your changes.
- Ask new customers where they heard about you.
What the whole field means and how it differs from normal search optimisation is explained in what is GEO and how it differs from SEO.
Want a website that brings enquiries?
Tell me in two minutes what you need. I reply within 24 hours with a free homepage design and a fixed price in writing.
Get a free proposal →Frequently asked questions
Can I register my business with ChatGPT?
No, there is no such form. ChatGPT takes information from the web, so what decides is what it finds about you and whether its robot can reach it.
How long until AI starts mentioning me?
Robots pick up website changes within days to weeks. Reviews and mentions elsewhere take months. An established business with reviews moves faster than a new brand.
Do I need to pay for a tool?
No. Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools are free and you can test AI answers by hand. Paid tools for tracking mentions only make sense for larger companies.
Will it help to write text only for robots?
No. Hidden text and pages written only for machines break search engine rules. What helps is text that a person understands.
Are social media enough without a website?
Usually not. Social media content is often closed to robots and business details are hard to piece together from it. A website is the place you control.