How to Get Your Business Recommended by ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

More buyers now start with a question to an AI assistant instead of a list of search results: "Which accounting firms in Dubai work with startups?" or "What is a good clinic for physiotherapy in Jumeirah?" The answer names a few businesses. If yours is not among them, you may never know you were considered.

There is no switch that makes an AI tool recommend you. But the signals these systems rely on are understandable, and most of them are within your control. This guide covers what matters and what to do about it.

How AI assistants decide who to mention

Tools such as ChatGPT search, Google AI Overviews, Gemini, Perplexity and Microsoft Copilot combine a language model with information retrieved from the web. When someone asks for a recommendation, the system looks for sources it considers reliable, then summarises what they say.

That has two consequences. First, you need to be present in the sources these tools read: your website, but also directories, review platforms, news coverage and industry sites. Second, the information about you needs to be clear and consistent, so the model can describe you accurately.

Step 1: Make sure AI crawlers can read your site

Check your robots.txt file. Some sites block AI-related crawlers by accident, often through a security plugin or a copied template. The main ones to be aware of are OAI-SearchBot (used for ChatGPT search), GPTBot (OpenAI model training), PerplexityBot and Googlebot, which feeds Google AI Overviews. Google-Extended controls whether your content is used for Gemini model training, but it does not affect Google Search or AI Overviews.

Also check that your important pages show their content in the HTML itself. Some sites load text only through JavaScript, which not every crawler processes. If you view the page source and cannot see your main text, AI crawlers may not see it either.

Step 2: Get the basics of SEO right

Google AI Overviews draw on pages that Google already indexes and trusts, and other assistants use search indexes too. A site with technical problems, thin pages or no clear topic will struggle in AI answers for the same reasons it struggles in normal results.

• One clear page for each core service, written for the questions buyers actually ask.
• Descriptive page titles and headings that say what the page is about.
• Fast loading on mobile, with no broken pages or redirect chains.
• Location information that matches where you really operate.

Step 3: Make your business easy to identify

AI systems need to be confident that the "Al Noor Dental Clinic" on your website, on Google Maps and in a news article is the same business. Inconsistent names, addresses or phone numbers make that harder.

1. 1Use the exact same business name, address and phone number everywhere.
2. 2Complete your Google Business Profile, including categories, services, hours and photos.
3. 3Add structured data (schema markup) to your site describing your organisation, services and location.
4. 4Write an About page that states plainly who you are, what you do, where and for whom.

Step 4: Answer questions directly

Assistants favour content that answers a question clearly and early. If a buyer asks what a service costs, how long it takes or who it is for, the page that answers in a clear sentence near the top is easier to quote than one that buries the answer in marketing copy.

A practical approach is to collect the questions your sales team hears every week and answer each one properly on your site, either on the relevant service page or in a dedicated article. Include specifics that only your business can provide: your process, typical timelines, the areas you serve.

Step 5: Earn mentions from other sources

Your own website is only one voice. AI assistants weigh what others say about you. Useful sources include:

• Genuine customer reviews on Google and relevant industry platforms.
• Listings on respected directories and business platforms in the UAE.
• Coverage in local or industry publications.
• Partner, supplier or association websites that mention you.

Quality matters more than volume. A handful of credible, relevant mentions is worth more than dozens of low-quality directory links.

Step 6: Check what AI tools say about you

Once a month, ask the main assistants the questions your customers would ask, and note whether you are mentioned, how you are described and which competitors appear. Answers vary between sessions, so look for trends over time rather than reacting to a single response. If an assistant describes you incorrectly, find where that information comes from and correct it at the source.

What not to do

• Publishing large volumes of generic AI-written pages. They rarely earn trust and can weaken the whole site.
• Fake reviews or paid mentions presented as independent. They create risk and erode trust.
• Stuffing pages with every possible question. Answer the real ones well.

AI search visibility is part of our SEO, AEO and GEO service. If you want an outside view of where you stand today, book a consultation.