How ChatGPT picks the businesses it recommends
For a question like “best family lawyer in Denver”, ChatGPT usually searches the web before it answers. It turns the question into several searches, reads the pages that come up and writes an answer naming the businesses that appear across those sources, often with a reason for each.
- It reads what others write about you. Directories, comparison sites, reviews, local news and forum threads. Your own site is one source among many.
- It names only a few. Three to five businesses is typical. There is no second page.
- It varies. The same question asked twice can return different names, and the wording matters: “best”, “affordable” and “near me” each produce their own list.
What ranking in ChatGPT means
There is no position one in ChatGPT the way there is on Google. Ranking in ChatGPT means being named in a large share of its answers to the questions your customers ask, and named early in the answer rather than last.
That’s why it’s measured over many questions and repeats, not from a single screenshot.
How to rank in ChatGPT
Ask ChatGPT what your customers ask
Write down ten or so questions in your customers’ words: best, affordable, reliable, reviews, near me. See whether ChatGPT names you, and who it names instead.
Get onto the sites it reads
Look at the sources ChatGPT cites in those answers. The directories, comparison sites and review platforms that come up are where you need a listing first.
Answer the question on your own site
State what you do, where, for whom and what it costs, in plain text. A page that answers the whole question is easier for ChatGPT to quote.
Earn reviews and mentions
Reviews, case studies and mentions in local media and discussions tell ChatGPT that you’re worth recommending, and why.
Let its crawler in
OAI-SearchBot is the crawler behind ChatGPT search. Make sure robots.txt doesn’t block it.
Not only ChatGPT
Claude and Gemini often recommend different businesses for the same questions, and plenty of your customers use them. The work is the same for all three, but measure each one separately: being visible in one doesn’t mean you’re visible in the others.
Frequently asked questions
Can you do SEO for ChatGPT?
Yes. ChatGPT reads web pages when it answers, so what’s on your site and what other sites say about you shape its recommendations. The work overlaps with ordinary SEO, with more weight on mentions, reviews and directories.
How long does it take to show up in ChatGPT?
When ChatGPT searches the web, new pages and mentions can show up within weeks. Its answers from memory change only when the model is updated.
Why does ChatGPT recommend my competitor?
Usually because the competitor appears in more of the sources ChatGPT reads, or because its site answers the customer’s question more directly. The sources ChatGPT cited show where the gap is.
How do I check whether ChatGPT recommends my business?
Ask it several questions in your customers’ words and see whether it names you. Askray’s free scan does this with five questions and shows who ChatGPT recommends instead.