How to Get found in AI searches
I recently asked Claude, “How do you get your business found in ChatGPT and other AI searches” because I wanted to know if I was doing everything right, or if I was missing anything for my clients. We all know Google is not the only search engine anymore, though it does appear to be making a slight comeback. It’s good to check in periodically to ensure you’re on top of the latest best practices.
So here’s the scoop!
ChatGPT (and other AI) do not crawl the live web. They rely on patterns, publicly available data, structured sources, and strong signals that are consistently repeated across the internet. You can’t optimize your site for ChatGPT the same way you optimize for Google, but you can make your business far more likely to surface in AI answers.
Here are the coles notes:
1. Dominate Google Business Profile (GBP)
I talk about this all the time. Even though ChatGPT doesn’t read GBP directly, strong GBP performance creates the kind of digital footprint that AI systems call on when answering location or service-based questions.
Optimize your profile: lots of reviews, responses to reviews, clear categories, photos, posts, and strong local SEO.
Download my FREE Get Found Online in Six Steps guide to learn how!
2. Build a consistent footprint across platforms (aka branding)
ChatGPT is pattern-driven. If your business is described the same way across platforms, it becomes a known entity in AI systems.
You need:
Website copy that clearly anchors your primary services
Strong About page with credible detail
Consistent descriptions across LinkedIn, Instagram, directories, partnerships, and citations
External mentions that use the same keywords
3. Publish helpful, evergreen content
ChatGPT tends to recommend businesses, ideas, and experts that appear in authoritative, educational content. This is known as establishing topical authority.
For you and your clients, this means:
Publish guides, how-tos, resources, FAQs
Speak in plain language
Cover topics deeply, not shallowly
Build clusters around your core niche
4. Strengthen your digital authority off your website
This is the part people don’t talk about so much. AI models notice entities that get mentioned in:
Interviews
Podcasts
News features
Community profiles
Guest posts
Directory citations
Local business listings
These mentions strengthen the signal that you are relevant and credible in your topic. So, time to accept that invitation to be on a podcast. Or pay the $30 to be in a directory. Or get yourself in a publication!
5. Make your niche unmistakably clear
ChatGPT struggles with generalists. If you want to show up, you need to be:
The SEO consultant in Nova Scotia (That’s me! If you need help with any of this, I’d love to help! Start with a Detailed SEO Audit.)
The therapist specializing in couples counselling in Duncan
The wildlife tour operator on Vancouver Island
When your niche is crystal clear, AI models surface you more reliably because you’re the simplest match.
6. Use structured data on your website
Schema is not just for Google. Bear with me here, we’re getting a little jargony. #sorrynotsorry. This is the part clients hate the most when I rewrite their web pages. It feels like you’re dumbing down your website, but have you heard the phrase “explain it to me like I’m five”? That is designed to create clarity and simplicity, and that’s what search engines like too.
Well-structured schema reinforces your entity across the web and helps AI models understand:
What you do
Where you are
Who you serve
What you offer
7. Build a reputation footprint
AI leans heavily on signals that indicate trust. These include:
Reviews on reputable platforms (like Google Business! TripAdvisor, Trustpilot, BBB, industry directories etc.)
Testimonials embedded in content
Credible partners
Case studies that mention your name or business repeatedly
8. Check Google Search Console and strengthen your brand search
If people Google your name or business name frequently, that creates a strong relevancy signal. This is an indicator rather than a “to do” but it’s important to check your Google Search Console data to see what your top queries are.
Are you being found for both branded and non branded searches?
9. Publish in reputable places
ChatGPT recommendations heavily favour:
People who have written for known publications
Experts quoted in articles
Creators with recognizable platforms
10. Avoid fragmented identities
Use the same business name, same spelling, same language, same service descriptions everywhere. Fragmentation weakens your entity. This is related to #2 but worth saying. Consistency is king. If you update a service on your website, update it everywhere else you exist online as well.
THE BOTTOM LINE
You can’t force ChatGPT (or Claude, Gemini, Perplexity or Manus) to list you, but you can make yourself the obvious choice from the data it has learned from.
If you want any help at all with the above:
Your TLDR is
Be findable on Google.
Be consistent across platforms.
Publish helpful content.
Strengthen your digital authority.
Make your niche obvious.
