How to get your business found by ChatGPT and Google AI
By Kenan Musa, Instinct Tech ·
More people now put their questions to ChatGPT, Gemini or Google's AI overviews instead of typing a search. That raises a new question: can an AI find my business? Nobody can guarantee it, but you can make it much easier to find and understand you.
The short answer
There is no special shortcut. Google itself says that nothing special is required to appear in AI Overviews and AI Mode: the same good basics for search apply. Your business has the best chance of being mentioned if your website is indexed, has clear text about who you are, what you do, for whom and where, and if other places on the web confirm the same.
What Google itself says
Google's own guidance on AI features and your website says, among other things:
- The page must be indexed and eligible to be shown in search with a snippet, just as for regular search.
- Write helpful, reliable content for people.
- Allow Google to crawl the page, and make content easy to find through internal links.
- Keep important content as text, not only in images.
- If you use structured data (schema), it must match the visible text. Google says there is no special schema you need to add.
- You do not need new machine-readable files or special AI text files.
That means you should not let anyone sell you "AI optimisation" as a secret discipline. It is good, classic SEO that does the work.
How other AI tools find you
Google is one provider. ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and others each have their own way of retrieving information, and they change. What they share is that they read text they can find, and that they can most clearly use pages that answer a question directly. How they choose, nobody outside can see, so do not believe anyone who claims to know the rules in detail.
What you can do
1. Say clearly what you do. Say it directly on your home page and your service pages: "We are a carpentry firm that makes windows, doors and extensions." That is easier to repeat than "We build dreams".
2. Say where you work. Name the towns and areas you cover. Include only what is true.
3. Make a page for each service. One page per service makes it easy to find exactly the answer someone is looking for.
4. Answer questions. An FAQ with the questions customers actually ask gives short answers that can stand alone. Write answers of one to three sentences. The visible FAQ must match any schema.
5. Write concrete facts. Prices, timeframes and terms that are clearly stated are easier to use than "contact us for a price". You do not have to show everything, but something concrete helps.
6. Show who you are. The owner's name, address, phone number and real references let both people and systems see that the business exists.
7. Keep your details consistent. Your Google Business Profile, website, LinkedIn and directories should say the same about name, address and services. See the guide to Google Maps.
8. Make sure the page can be read. The page should load quickly, and the text should be in the page itself. If a page only works once a script has run, some systems may struggle to read it.
How to follow along
In Google Search Console you can see how your site performs in search, and Google says performance in AI Overviews and AI Mode is included in the report under the search type "Web". You can also ask ChatGPT and others questions such as "Which web agencies are there in [your city]?" and see whether you are mentioned. It is not a measurement method, but it is a good indicator.
What you cannot do
You cannot buy your way into being mentioned, and nobody can promise you a place in an AI answer. Be sceptical of those who do. What you can do is be clear, concrete and trustworthy.
Sources
Frequently asked questions
Is AI visibility the same as SEO?
There is a lot of overlap. Google itself says the same basics apply. But AI answers in sentences, so short, direct answers matter more.
Do I need to add special schema or an AI file?
Google says no special schema or special AI text files are required to appear in its AI features. Any schema you use must match the visible text.
Can I pay to be mentioned by ChatGPT?
There is no reliable way to buy your way into AI answers. Focus on making your website clear and credible.
Do I need a new website to be found by AI?
Not necessarily. Many can get far by writing clear service pages and a good FAQ. A new site makes sense if the current one is hard to read or lacks content.
Next step
If your website is hard for both customers and search engines to understand, we can look at it together. See Studio, or write to us with a link to your site.