How to Get Your Business
Recommended by ChatGPT

People are already asking AI for recommendations. Right now, someone is typing "who's the best [your service] in [your city]?" into ChatGPT, Perplexity, or Google. The question isn't whether AI recommendations matter. The question is whether you're the answer.

Getting recommended by AI isn't random and it isn't complicated. It follows a clear process. AI systems use specific signals to decide who to mention and who to skip. When you give them the right signals in the right format, they recommend you. When you don't, they recommend someone else.

Here are the seven steps to getting your business recommended by ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI, and every AI assistant that follows.

Step 1: Implement Schema Markup

Schema markup is structured data in JSON-LD format embedded in your website's code. It tells machines -- in their own language -- what your business is, what you offer, where you're located, and who runs it. This is the single most impactful thing you can do for AI visibility.

Without schema markup, AI has to scrape your content and interpret it. That leaves room for errors, confusion, and missing information. With schema markup, you're giving AI a clean, structured data sheet about your business that it can reference with confidence.

Think of schema markup as your business card for machines. Humans read your website. AI reads your schema. Give it everything it needs to recommend you confidently.

Step 2: Create Content AI Can Extract

AI doesn't read your website the way a human does. It doesn't scroll, doesn't browse, doesn't appreciate your design. It scans for extractable answers -- clear, specific, self-contained sections that directly answer a question.

The content structure that works best for AI findability:

• ›Direct answers in the first 2-3 sentences -- don't bury the answer below three paragraphs of setup. State it upfront, then elaborate.
• ›Clear H2 headings that match questions -- "What does an AI visibility audit include?" is better than "Our Comprehensive Approach"
• ›Self-contained sections -- each section should make sense on its own if AI pulls it out of context
• ›FAQ sections with specific answers -- this is the easiest content format for AI to extract and the one most likely to be cited
• ›Specifics over generalities -- "We serve Portland, Beaverton, and Lake Oswego" beats "We serve the greater metro area"

Step 3: Allow AI Crawlers in robots.txt

This is the most commonly overlooked step -- and the easiest to fix. Your robots.txt file tells bots which parts of your site they can access. Many websites block AI crawlers by default, either intentionally or because their hosting provider set it up that way.

The AI crawlers you need to allow:

If these crawlers are blocked, they can't index your content. If they can't index your content, they can't recommend you. Check your robots.txt file today. This five-minute fix can have an outsized impact on your AI discoverability.

Step 4: Add an llms.txt File

The llms.txt file is an emerging standard -- a plain-text file at your domain root that gives AI systems a clean, structured summary of your business. Think of it as a README file for AI.

While not yet universally adopted, early data suggests that sites with llms.txt files see improved AI recognition. The file should include your business name, what you do, who you serve, your key services, your location, and links to your most important pages.

It takes 15 minutes to create and costs nothing. The potential upside is significant. For a deeper look at how to implement it, see my guide on the llms.txt standard.

Step 5: Build Third-Party Signals

This is the step that takes the most time -- and has the most impact. 85% of AI citations come from third-party sources, not your own website. If the only place that talks about your business is your business, AI doesn't have enough evidence to recommend you confidently.

The third-party signals that matter most for AI recommendations:

• ›Google Business Profile reviews -- volume, recency, rating, and whether you respond to them
• ›Industry directory listings -- Yelp, industry-specific directories, local business directories
• ›Roundup articles and listicles -- "Best [service] in [city]" or "Top [industry] tools" articles that mention your business
• ›Reddit and forum mentions -- organic mentions where people recommend your business
• ›Press coverage and media mentions -- local news, trade publications, podcast appearances

Building these signals takes consistent effort over months. But they compound. Every new mention, every new review, every new listing strengthens AI's confidence in recommending you. This is what I call earned visibility -- and it's the most powerful layer of AI visibility.

Step 6: Establish Entity Clarity

AI needs to understand that your business is a distinct, real entity in the world. Not just a website. Not just a name on a page. A recognizable entity with consistent attributes across every platform where it appears.

Entity clarity means:

Step 7: Monitor and Iterate

AI visibility isn't a one-time project. AI systems update their knowledge continuously. New competitors enter the space. Review profiles change. Content gets stale. You need to monitor what AI says about you on a regular basis and adjust your strategy.

Set a monthly reminder to check:

• ›What does ChatGPT say when asked about your business directly?
• ›Does ChatGPT recommend you for your primary service and location?
• ›What does Perplexity say? Does it cite your website?
• ›Does Google's AI Overview mention you for relevant searches?
• ›Is any information wrong or outdated across platforms?

Track what's working and double down. Fix what's not. AI presence is a living asset that needs attention -- but the returns compound with every month you stay on it.

What Happens When You Get This Right

When all seven steps are working together, something powerful happens. AI doesn't just know about your business -- it trusts you enough to recommend you. And AI recommendations compound in ways that traditional search rankings don't.

When ChatGPT recommends you, it often cites your website. That drives traffic. More traffic improves your SEO signals. Better SEO signals feed back into AI's assessment. People who find you through AI leave reviews. Those reviews strengthen your third-party signals. Stronger signals lead to more AI recommendations.

It's a flywheel. And the businesses that build it first have an advantage that gets wider with every rotation. That's the real power of AI visibility -- it doesn't just get you one recommendation. It builds a compounding system that feeds itself.

Frequently Asked Questions