How to get your business recommended by ChatGPT, Gemini and AI Overviews
By Bilal, Co-founder, Setli Solutions · Updated · 8 min read
The short answer
AI assistants recommend businesses they can understand and verify. To show up, publish clear pages that directly answer the questions customers ask, add structured data so machines can read your services and location, keep your Google Business Profile and other listings complete and consistent, earn reviews on more than one platform, get mentioned on trusted sites, and let AI crawlers read your site. You cannot pay to be the recommended answer.
How AI assistants choose businesses
When someone asks ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Perplexity or Google's AI Overviews for "the best roofer near me", the assistant searches the web, reads a handful of sources and summarises them. It favours businesses whose details are clear, consistent and backed up by other sources such as reviews, directories and local mentions.
1. Write pages that are easy to quote
- Open each page with a direct, one or two sentence answer, then the detail.
- Have one page per service, stating what it is, who it is for, where you offer it and what it costs or what affects the price.
- Answer real questions in plain language in an FAQ section.
- Show proof: named results, reviews and examples of real work.
2. Add structured data
Structured data (schema markup) labels your business name, services, service area, hours, reviews and FAQs in a format machines read reliably. Use LocalBusiness or ProfessionalService, Service and FAQPage markup at minimum, and make sure it matches what is visible on the page.
3. Be consistent everywhere
Keep your name, address, phone number, hours and services identical on Google Business Profile, Apple Business Connect, Bing Places, Facebook and industry directories. Bing Places matters more than most owners think, because several AI assistants draw on Bing's index.
4. Earn reviews and mentions
Reviews on Google and at least one other platform, plus mentions on local news, partner sites, associations and industry lists, give an assistant independent confirmation that you are real and well regarded.
5. Let AI crawlers read your site
Check that your robots.txt does not block search and AI crawlers such as Googlebot, Bingbot, OAI-SearchBot, PerplexityBot and ClaudeBot. Many sites add a short llms.txt file that summarises who they are and links to their most important pages.
6. Check what the assistants say
Every month, ask ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity the questions your customers ask, such as "who is the best [service] in [city]". Note who they recommend and which sources they cite. Those sources are where you need to appear.
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