Answers
Getting recommended by AI.
The short answer: make your business easy for AI to find, read and trust, then check it more than once. ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude and Google’s AI build their answers from your website, your Google Business Profile, your reviews and what other sites say about you. If those are thin, out of date or disagree with each other, the AI names someone else.
Why ranking on Google is not enough
Being top on Google still matters, and Google’s own AI leans on Google’s results. Other assistants find businesses in their own ways. In a 2026 study of around 200,000 local searches, businesses showed up in 66% of Google Maps searches but in only 33% of ChatGPT answers, and ChatGPT and Google’s AI agreed on only about one in five businesses (BrightLocal).
And people are asking. 29.6 million people in the UK used AI tools in July 2026, up from 20.2 million a year earlier (IAB UK).
What the assistants look at
Your website. Most AI crawlers read the plain HTML of a page and do not run JavaScript, so words that only appear after scripts load can be missed. Your robots file also has to let them in.
Your Google Business Profile. It was the most quoted source in Google’s AI answers in the same BrightLocal study, so it needs to be complete and correct.
Your listings and reviews. Bing Places, Apple Business Connect and the directories your trade uses, such as Checkatrade, all feed the picture. Genuine reviews, on more than one site, help.
What others say about you. Local press, trade bodies and honest best-of lists. For brands that sell across the UK, comparison articles, press coverage and video matter most.
What you can do this week
- Ask ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude the question your customers ask, such as “best carpet cleaner in Liverpool”. Ask three times each and write down who comes up, because the answers change.
- Check your Google Business Profile is complete: categories, services, areas, hours and photos.
- Claim your listing on Bing Places and Apple Business Connect, with the same name, address and phone as your website.
- Ask every happy customer for a review, and reply to every review you get.
- Run the free check to see whether AI tools can read your website.
What to avoid
- Fake reviews. They have been banned in the UK since April 2025 under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act.
- Copied town pages or bought mentions. Google treats mass-produced pages and fake mentions as spam.
- Anyone who guarantees a top spot. AI answers change from one ask to the next, and OpenAI says itself that placement in ChatGPT is not guaranteed.
How we help
We test what AI says about you, fix what holds you back, and track it every month, in your town or across the UK. See AI search and local SEO, or book a 15-minute call.
Questions
Is this the same as SEO?
It builds on it. Google says optimising for its AI is still SEO. What is new is checking each assistant, keeping your details right in more places, and earning mentions on the sites AI trusts.
Does an llms.txt file help?
There is no good evidence that it does. Google says you do not need special AI files to appear in its search. We add one because it does no harm, but we do not sell it as a fix.
How long does it take?
The technical fixes take days. AI answers usually take a few months to move, and it is worth checking every month rather than once.