How businesses get mentioned in ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google’s AI answers

The short answer

There is no ranking formula for ChatGPT, and nobody outside OpenAI knows exactly how it picks the businesses it mentions. What is known, as of 2026, is this: ChatGPT search, Perplexity and Google’s AI answers all pull from web pages they can crawl, and they favor pages that answer questions clearly and sources that other sites already trust. So the practical steps are, first, make sure their crawlers are allowed on your site (OpenAI’s is called OAI-SearchBot); second, publish specific, well-structured pages that answer your customers’ questions better than anyone else; and third, build your reputation where these tools look, such as reviews, directories and mentions on other reputable sites. Good SEO does most of this work already.

How AI answers find businesses

AI assistants answer in two broad ways. Some answers come from what the model learned in training, which is months or years old and cannot be updated on demand. Increasingly, though, the assistant searches the web in real time, reads a handful of pages, and writes an answer with links. That second path is the one a business can influence, because it depends on what is published today.

• ChatGPT search uses OpenAI’s crawler, OAI-SearchBot, to find pages it can show in answers. OpenAI’s documentation says sites that block OAI-SearchBot will not be shown in ChatGPT search answers, although they may still appear as plain navigational links.
• Perplexity uses PerplexityBot to find and link websites in its results, and its documentation recommends allowing it in robots.txt if you want to appear.
• Google AI Overviews and AI Mode use Google’s normal index. Google says there are no additional requirements: a page needs to be indexed and eligible to show a snippet in regular search.
• Microsoft Copilot draws on Bing, so being indexed in Bing matters.

Step 1: check that the right crawlers are allowed

Some security plugins, hosting firewalls and content delivery networks now block AI crawlers by default. That can quietly remove you from AI search. Open yourdomain.com/robots.txt and check with your host or developer:

• OAI-SearchBot should be allowed if you want to appear in ChatGPT search.
• GPTBot is separate. OpenAI says it collects content that may be used to train its models. You can block GPTBot and still allow OAI-SearchBot; OpenAI treats the two settings independently.
• PerplexityBot should be allowed for Perplexity.
• Googlebot must be allowed for Google, including AI Overviews. Google-Extended is a separate control for use of your content in Google’s other AI systems; Google says it does not affect regular Search.
• Bingbot should be allowed, and it is worth verifying your site in Bing Webmaster Tools, which is free.

OpenAI notes that robots.txt changes can take about 24 hours to take effect for its crawler.

Step 2: be the clearest answer

AI tools read a page and lift the parts that answer the question. Pages that make that easy tend to be the ones cited. Practical habits:

• Answer first. Put the direct answer in the first paragraph under each heading, then explain.
• One topic per page. A page about “emergency AC repair in Boca Raton” is easier to cite than a page listing twenty services.
• State the specifics. Service areas, hours, what is included, what affects the price, how long jobs take, who you work with. Vague marketing copy gives an AI nothing to quote.
• Use question headings that match how people ask, such as “How long does a roof replacement take?”
• Explain comparisons and costs honestly. People often ask assistants to compare options or explain what drives a price. Pages that do this clearly give the tool something specific to cite.
• Keep important facts in text, not only in images, PDFs or videos.
• Keep it current. Date-sensitive pages should say what year the information applies to.

Google says you do not need special AI files, AI-specific markup or new structured data to appear in its AI features. Treat sellers of “AI ranking files” with caution.

Want to know how AI tools see your business?

Book a free 30-minute call. We will check what ChatGPT and Google’s AI answers say about your business today, look at your site and crawler settings, and tell you what we would change first. Book a time here.

Step 3: be mentioned beyond your website

When someone asks an assistant to recommend a business, it has to decide who is credible. It cannot call your references, so it leans on what the web says about you. The same signals that build local prominence in Google help here:

• Reviews on Google and on the platforms your industry uses, with recent dates and specific details. Our guide to getting more Google reviews covers how to ask.
• A complete Google Business Profile with accurate categories, services, hours and photos.
• Consistent business details (name, address, phone, website) across directories, so tools do not find conflicting information.
• Mentions on reputable sites: local news, trade associations, suppliers, chambers of commerce, podcasts and industry publications.
• A clear About page that says who you are, where you work and what you specialize in.

How to check whether it is working

There is no Search Console for ChatGPT yet, so measurement is partly manual:

1. Each month, ask ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google the questions your customers ask, such as “who does commercial roofing in Chattanooga”. Use search mode so the tool looks at the live web. Note whether you appear and which sources are cited.
2. In Google Analytics, look for referral traffic from chatgpt.com, perplexity.ai and copilot.microsoft.com.
3. Ask new customers how they found you, and add “an AI assistant” as an option on your forms.

Google counts clicks from AI Overviews and AI Mode within its normal Web search numbers in Search Console, so they are included in your totals but not shown separately.

What to ignore

• Anyone promising a set position in ChatGPT. Answers vary by user, wording and day.
• Tools that claim to measure an exact “AI visibility score”. They sample a set of prompts, which is useful for spotting trends but not a precise ranking.
• Mass-produced AI articles. Google’s spam policies call this scaled content abuse when pages are generated mainly to manipulate rankings, and thin pages rarely get cited anyway.
• Paying for listicles on low-quality sites that call you the best in your city. They tend to look like what they are.

Our article on Google AI Overviews and SEO covers the Google side in more depth.

How JLB USA helps

JLB USA has done web design and search for growing businesses for more than 15 years, with 500+ clients and 1,000+ projects. We treat AI search as part of SEO: clear pages, clean technical setup and a stronger reputation around the web. Our SEO services are billed month to month, and you can cancel after any month.

Keep reading

• How often should I blog for SEO? A plan for small businesses
• Does changing your domain name affect SEO? How to switch safely
• How to use Google Search Console: a monthly routine for business owners
• How much does SEO cost for a small business in 2026

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