How do I get my business recommended by ChatGPT?

Make sure AI crawlers can read your site, say plainly what you do, who for and where, answer buyers’ real questions including price and comparisons, build a genuine presence on Reddit, YouTube, LinkedIn and review sites, and keep your details consistent everywhere.

Does ranking on Google help with AI search?

Yes, partly. Pages that rank well in Google are more likely to be retrieved and cited, especially in Google’s AI Overviews, but AI assistants also weigh structure, relevance and third-party mentions, so ranking alone isn’t enough.

What content do AI assistants prefer?

AI assistants favour clear, self-contained answers under descriptive headings, original data and examples, FAQs, and content backed by third-party sources. They break pages into chunks and cite the most relevant chunk, not the whole page.

How long does it take to show up in AI answers?

Technical fixes such as crawlability and structured data can take effect within weeks. Building third-party mentions, reviews and authority usually takes three to six months of consistent work.

How to Get Recommended by ChatGPT, Claude & Perplexity (AI Search)

More of your buyers now start their research by asking an AI assistant instead of typing into Google. “Who are the best B2B sales consultants in Sydney?” “What should I look for in a CRM for a ten-person team?” If ChatGPT, Claude or Perplexity don’t mention you, you’re not on the shortlist, and you won’t know you were left off.

The good news is that most of what gets you recommended is within your control. Here’s what the research says, and what to do about it.

What AI assistants actually cite

AI assistants build their answers from sources they trust, and those sources are not always your website. Peec AI analysed 30 million citations across ChatGPT, Google AI Mode, Gemini, Perplexity and Google’s AI Overviews in March 2026. The most-cited domains overall were Reddit, YouTube, LinkedIn, Wikipedia and Forbes, followed by review sites like G2. Reddit and YouTube were the only two in the top five for every engine.

Each engine also has its own habits. An earlier study by Profound, covering August 2024 to June 2025, found Wikipedia made up almost half of ChatGPT’s top-ten citations, while Reddit led for Perplexity and Google’s AI Overviews. Peec found G2 in Perplexity’s top five, which matters if you sell software to businesses.

And ranking well on Google is not enough on its own. Frase’s analysis found Google rankings still predict citations in Google’s own AI Overviews, but barely predict them in ChatGPT, Perplexity or Gemini.

Six steps to get recommended

1. Find out where you stand

Ask the assistants the questions your buyers ask, in a logged-out or private window so your own history doesn’t skew the answer. Note whether you’re mentioned, recommended, or missing, and who appears instead. Our free AI Search Visibility Checker writes the questions for you and keeps score.

2. Make sure AI can read your site

Check your robots.txt doesn’t block AI crawlers such as GPTBot, ClaudeBot and PerplexityBot. Verify your site in Bing Webmaster Tools and Google Search Console and submit a sitemap. Bing’s index powers Microsoft Copilot, so it’s worth the ten minutes. Add structured data that says who you are and what you do. An llms.txt file is cheap to add, but don’t expect it to work miracles on its own.

3. Say what you do, plainly

AI assistants summarise. If your homepage says “we unlock potential through innovative solutions”, there’s nothing to summarise. Say what you do, who for and where, in the first two sentences. Then answer the questions buyers actually ask: what it costs, how long it takes, how you compare with the alternatives, and who it’s not for.

4. Be present where AI looks

This is the step most businesses skip. If the engines cite Reddit, YouTube, LinkedIn and review sites, you need a genuine presence there:

YouTube: short, useful videos answering your buyers’ questions.
LinkedIn: an active company page and a founder who posts useful thinking, not just announcements.
Review sites: ask happy customers for reviews on Google and the directories in your industry, and on G2 or Capterra if you sell software.
Communities: take part in Reddit threads and industry forums where your buyers ask for advice. Be useful; obvious self-promotion backfires.

5. Be consistent everywhere

If your business is described three different ways across your site, LinkedIn, Google Business Profile and directories, AI assistants have to guess which is right. Use the same name, description, location and contact details everywhere.

6. Measure it every month

AI answers change. Re-run your questions monthly, or use a tracking tool. FreeSOV is free if you bring your own API keys, and paid platforms like Searchable add audits and reporting. Both are in Adam’s Stack with current prices.

What not to do

Don’t publish dozens of thin AI-written pages hoping one gets picked up. Assistants favour sources that are useful and trusted.
Don’t post fake reviews or astroturf Reddit. It’s against the platforms’ rules and it’s easy to spot.
Don’t treat this as separate from good marketing. Being clear, useful and well regarded is what gets you cited.

Sources

Adam Agresta is the founder of Promptwise Advisory in Sydney. He has spent 15+ years in sales, marketing and partnerships, including running ActiveCampaign’s ANZ partner channel and building an AI start-up’s sales function from the ground up. More about Adam.

How to get your business recommended by ChatGPT, Claude and Perplexity