Written by
Vadim Kotin
Published on
Sep 22, 2026
Read time
12 minute read
When someone searches Google for a local business, they usually see a list of websites, ads, maps and business listings.
AI search is changing that experience.
Instead of scrolling through pages of results, a potential customer can ask ChatGPT a question such as:
- “Who are the best roofing companies in Vancouver?”
- “Find a digital marketing agency for a small business in Toronto.”
- “What landscaping companies serve homeowners in Burnaby?”
- “Which local contractors specialize in commercial roofing?”
The answer may include a handful of businesses, websites or sources.
For businesses, this creates a new digital visibility opportunity—but there is no button you can press to “submit your business to ChatGPT” or guarantee that an AI system will recommend you.
The goal is to build an online presence that is credible, consistent, understandable and discoverable across the web.
This is often referred to as AI SEO, AI search optimization, Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), or AI visibility.
How Does ChatGPT Find Businesses?
ChatGPT Search can use information from the web to answer questions and provide links to relevant sources. OpenAI says that public websites can appear in ChatGPT Search and that websites should allow its OAI-SearchBot to crawl content they want to be discoverable in search.
This means your website can be part of the information ecosystem that AI systems use when answering questions.
But visibility is not determined by your website alone.
AI systems may encounter information about your company across multiple sources, including:
- Your website
- Google Business Profile
- Bing Places
- Apple Maps
- Industry directories
- Review websites
- Local publications
- News websites
- Trade associations
- Social media
- Other websites that mention your company
- Customer reviews and testimonials
The important question is therefore not simply:
“How do I get my business into ChatGPT?”
A better question is:
“How do I build an online presence that AI search systems can confidently understand and reference?”
There Is No Guaranteed “Rank #1 in ChatGPT”
This distinction is important.
Traditional SEO already involves multiple ranking factors, and AI search adds another layer of complexity.
There is no guaranteed method for making ChatGPT recommend a particular company for a specific query.
OpenAI states that ChatGPT Search uses multiple factors to determine relevant and reliable results, and placement is not guaranteed.
Instead of chasing a supposed AI ranking trick, businesses should focus on the underlying signals that make a company easier to discover, understand and verify.
Here are the areas to focus on.
1. Build a Website That Clearly Explains What You Do
Your website remains one of your most important digital assets.
An AI system – and your potential customers – should be able to quickly understand:
- What your company does
- Which products or services you provide
- Where you operate
- Who you serve
- What makes your company different
- How customers can contact you
- What areas you serve
- What experience or qualifications you have
Avoid making important information difficult to find.
For example, a landscaping company shouldn’t rely on a single generic “Services” page.
Instead, it could have dedicated pages for:
- Landscape Design
- Lawn Care
- Garden Maintenance
- Irrigation
- Commercial Landscaping
- Snow Removal
- Landscape Construction
Each page gives search engines and AI systems additional context about the company’s expertise.
Make your content specific
Instead of:
“We provide high-quality landscaping solutions.”
Consider explaining exactly what you do:
“We provide residential landscape design, garden installation and ongoing property maintenance for homeowners throughout Vancouver and the Lower Mainland.”
Specific information is easier for both humans and machines to interpret.
2. Make Your Business Information Consistent Everywhere
One of the most overlooked aspects of AI visibility is consistency.
Your company name, address, phone number, website, services and other important business information should be as consistent as possible across the web.
Check your presence on platforms such as:
- Google Business Profile
- Bing Places
- Apple Business Connect
- Yelp
- Industry directories
- Local directories
- Chamber of commerce websites
- Professional associations
- Social media profiles
For a local business, this creates a broader digital footprint that can help establish that the business is real, where it operates and what it does.
For example, if your website says:
ABC Roofing Ltd.
while another directory says:
ABC Roofing & Construction
and a third lists a completely different phone number, customers may become confused—and search systems have less consistent information to work with.
Consistency matters.
3. Optimize Your Google Business Profile
For local businesses, your Google Business Profile should be treated as a core part of your online presence – not simply a map listing.
Make sure your profile contains accurate and complete information about:
- Business category
- Services
- Service areas
- Hours
- Phone number
- Website
- Photos
- Business description
- Customer reviews
- Updates and relevant posts
Your website and Google Business Profile should reinforce the same basic story about your company.
If your website says you specialize in commercial roofing but your business profile contains little information about commercial roofing, there is an opportunity to strengthen that connection.
4. Create Content That Answers Real Customer Questions
AI search is built around questions.
That makes useful informational content particularly important.
Think about the questions your customers ask before contacting your business.
For a roofing company:
- How much does a roof replacement cost in Vancouver?
- How long does a roof typically last?
- When should I replace my roof?
- What is the difference between flat and sloped roofing?
- How do I know if my roof has a leak?
- What roofing material is best for a commercial building?
For a digital marketing agency:
- How much does Google Ads management cost?
- How long does SEO take to generate leads?
- How does Google Ads work for local businesses?
- What is AI SEO?
- How can my business appear in ChatGPT?
Create useful pages that answer these questions thoroughly.
The objective isn’t to fill your website with hundreds of low-quality AI-generated articles.
The objective is to build a useful knowledge base around your business expertise.
5. Demonstrate First-Hand Experience
Generic content is everywhere.
Businesses can differentiate themselves by publishing information based on actual experience.
For example:
Instead of publishing:
“Roofing is important for protecting your home.”
A roofing company could publish:
“5 Roof Problems We Commonly Find During Residential Inspections in Vancouver”
Then explain the problems based on actual projects and observations.
Other examples include:
- Project case studies
- Before-and-after examples
- Customer questions
- Industry insights
- Detailed service guides
- Cost explanations
- Project timelines
- Common mistakes
- Expert commentary
- Frequently asked questions
This creates content that is more useful than generic definitions copied from other websites.
6. Use Structured Data – But Don’t Treat Schema as a Magic AI Switch
Structured data, commonly called schema markup, helps machines interpret information on a webpage.
Depending on the page, relevant structured data can describe things such as:
- Organization information
- Local business information
- Products
- Services
- Articles
- Events
- Reviews
- Locations
For example, a LocalBusiness schema implementation can help communicate basic information about a local company in a machine-readable format.
However, schema should not be viewed as a guaranteed way to make ChatGPT recommend your business.
It is better understood as part of your website’s technical foundation.
The goal is to make important information easier for search engines and other systems to interpret – not to manipulate an AI response.
7. Earn Mentions From Other Websites
Your own website is only one piece of your online reputation.
Third-party references can provide additional context about your company.
Potential sources include:
- Local news publications
- Industry publications
- Business associations
- Chambers of commerce
- Supplier websites
- Professional organizations
- Community organizations
- Podcasts
- Interviews
- Local blogs
- Relevant business directories
For example, a Vancouver roofing company mentioned in several local publications and industry websites has a broader online footprint than a company that only has its own website.
The key is quality and relevance, not simply accumulating hundreds of links.
Avoid thinking of this as a numbers game.
One meaningful industry mention can be more useful than dozens of irrelevant directory listings.
8. Build a Strong Review Profile
Customer reviews are important for local businesses because they provide real-world information about customer experiences.
Encourage legitimate customers to leave reviews on relevant platforms.
Don’t manufacture reviews, buy reviews or create fake customer profiles.
Instead, make requesting feedback part of your normal customer process.
Pay attention to the language customers naturally use.
For example, customers might mention:
- Roof replacement
- Emergency roofing
- Commercial roofing
- Landscaping
- Google Ads management
- Basement renovations
- Local service areas
These genuine descriptions can provide additional context about the types of services a business actually provides.
9. Keep Your Business Information Fresh
An outdated website can create an inaccurate picture of your company.
Review your website and business profiles regularly.
Update:
- Services
- Locations
- Phone numbers
- Business hours
- Team information
- Pricing information
- Photos
- Projects
- Case studies
- Certifications
- Areas served
If you no longer offer a service, remove it.
If you have added a major service, create a dedicated page for it.
If you’ve completed an important project, document it.
Your online presence should reflect the business that exists today – not the business you operated five years ago.
10. Make Sure AI Search Can Access Your Website
Technical accessibility matters.
OpenAI’s current publisher guidance specifically identifies OAI-SearchBot as the crawler used for discovering and surfacing website content in ChatGPT Search. Websites that want their content included should make sure they are not blocking the crawler.
Your technical SEO checklist should include:
- Crawlable pages
- Proper robots.txt configuration
- No accidental noindex directives
- Working internal links
- Fast-loading pages
- Mobile-friendly design
- HTTPS
- Clean URL structures
- XML sitemap
- Accessible important content
- No unnecessary login requirements
If your website is technically difficult for search systems to access, even excellent content may be difficult to discover.
11. Think Beyond ChatGPT
AI search isn’t limited to one platform.
Your customers may use:
- ChatGPT
- Google AI search experiences
- Microsoft/Bing
- Gemini
- Perplexity
- Other AI-powered discovery tools
You shouldn’t build your entire digital marketing strategy around one AI platform.
Instead, build a strong entity and information ecosystem around your business.
Your website, business listings, reviews, content, third-party mentions and social profiles should all communicate a consistent picture.
Think of it as creating a connected digital identity for your company.
12. Monitor How AI Describes Your Business
One of the most useful things a business can do is periodically test how AI systems understand its brand.
Try searches such as:
“What companies provide [service] in [city]?”
“Who are the leading [industry] companies in [location]?”
“What should I look for when choosing a [service provider] in [city]?”
“Which companies specialize in [specific service]?”
Then look at:
- Which businesses are mentioned
- Which sources are cited
- What information is being used
- Whether your company appears
- Whether the information about your company is accurate
- Which competitors or industry sources are repeatedly referenced
This isn’t about trying to manipulate an AI answer.
It is about identifying gaps in your online presence.
If an AI system consistently misunderstands your services, for example, your website and third-party profiles may not clearly communicate what you actually do.
What Can Prevent a Business From Appearing in AI Search?
Several issues can make your company harder to discover or understand.
Inconsistent business information
Different names, addresses, phone numbers or service descriptions across websites can create ambiguity.
Weak or outdated website content
If your website provides little information about your services, location and expertise, there may simply be less useful information available to reference.
Poor technical accessibility
Blocked crawlers, noindex directives or technical problems can prevent important pages from being discovered.
Thin content
Pages that contain little original information provide limited value to customers or search systems.
Lack of third-party credibility
A company with almost no independent references may have a weaker online presence than one that is consistently mentioned across relevant websites.
Poor reputation management
Unanswered customer complaints, outdated information and inconsistent reviews can affect how people perceive a business online.
A Practical AI SEO Checklist
If you want to improve your company’s visibility in ChatGPT and other AI search systems, start with these fundamentals:
Website
- Clearly explain your services
- Create dedicated service pages
- Create location pages where appropriate
- Publish useful customer-focused content
- Add case studies and original experience
- Improve technical SEO
- Implement relevant structured data
Local SEO
- Optimize Google Business Profile
- Maintain Bing and Apple business listings
- Correct inconsistent directory information
- Build legitimate customer reviews
- Keep business information updated
Authority
- Earn relevant industry mentions
- Publish original insights
- Participate in industry organizations
- Develop partnerships and legitimate citations
- Build useful external references
AI Search
- Make sure OAI-SearchBot can access relevant pages
- Test how AI systems describe your company
- Monitor citations and references
- Identify information gaps
- Keep important business information current
The Future of Search Is Becoming More Conversational
The way people discover businesses is changing.
Instead of typing:
“roofing company Vancouver”
a customer may ask:
“I need to replace the roof on my commercial building in Vancouver. What companies should I consider?”
That is a fundamentally different search experience.
The customer isn’t simply looking for a list of websites.
They’re asking an AI system to interpret their needs and identify relevant options.
Businesses that want to participate in this new discovery process need more than traditional keyword optimization.
They need a strong digital presence that communicates:
Who you are.
What you do.
Where you operate.
Who you serve.
Why your business is credible.
That starts with good SEO – but extends into local search, reputation management, content, structured data, digital PR and ongoing brand visibility.
AI Visibility Is an Ongoing Process
There is no single optimization that guarantees your business will appear in ChatGPT.
AI search results can change based on the user’s question, location, available web information, sources and other factors.
The most sustainable approach is to build an online presence that is accurate, authoritative, useful and easy to understand.
In other words, don’t try to “game ChatGPT.”
Build a business presence that gives ChatGPT – and your customers – good reasons to understand and trust what your company does.
That is the foundation of AI search optimization.
