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You get found in ChatGPT by first being findable in ordinary search engines, and by building pages that answer a question literally and verifiably. When ChatGPT searches the web, it mostly cites pages it found through a search index: according to an Ahrefs study of 1.4 million prompts, 88 percent of those pages are also cited. On top of that, let the search bots of AI services in through your robots.txt and show the same details about your business everywhere. It is not a trick next to SEO; it builds on the same foundation: a site that is found, read and trusted.
If you want us to review and build your site for this, see found in ChatGPT.
How does an AI assistant choose its sources?
When ChatGPT, Gemini or Perplexity searches the web, they fetch pages that match the question, read them and summarise them. The answer often links to the sources. An assistant picks pages that:
- are found in a search index, because that is where fetching starts;
- answer precisely, ideally in the first sentence of a paragraph;
- contain facts that can be checked: figures, prices, addresses, dates;
- are readable, without the text hidden behind a button, a login or a heavy app;
- are confirmed by other sources, such as your Google Business Profile, reviews and mentions on other sites.
That closely resembles what Google rewards. Google itself says there are no extra requirements to appear in AI Overviews or AI Mode: what works in Google Search applies there too. Research into what is called GEO, generative engine optimization, found that quotes, sources and statistics in a text raise visibility in AI answers by up to 40 percent, and that keyword stuffing does not work. What GEO is exactly: GEO; how it relates to SEO: SEO vs GEO.
The bots that read your site
| Bot | From | What it does | Follows robots.txt |
|---|---|---|---|
| OAI-SearchBot | OpenAI | Fetches pages for the search feature in ChatGPT | Yes |
| ChatGPT-User | OpenAI | Fetches a page when a user asks for it | Possibly not |
| GPTBot | OpenAI | Collects text to train models | Yes |
| Claude-SearchBot and Claude-User | Anthropic | Search and fetching for Claude | Yes |
| PerplexityBot | Perplexity | Shows and links sites in answers, does not train models | Yes; Perplexity-User generally not |
| Google-Extended | Controls whether your content trains Gemini; does not affect Google Search | Yes |
The key insight: if you block GPTBot to stay out of training data, you remain findable through OAI-SearchBot, as long as you leave that one in. Block everything by accident and you disappear from the search feature. OpenAI picks up a change to your robots.txt after about 24 hours. Check your own site with our AI crawler checker.
How to get found in AI assistants
- Make sure Google finds youA site that is technically sound and indexed in Google is the starting point. AI assistants search the same kind of index.
- Answer your customers' questionsMake a page per question customers really ask: what does it cost, how long does it take, what is the difference. Put the answer in the first sentence.
- Make your facts verifiableState figures, prices and terms concretely, and make sure they are right. Nobody quotes vague promises.
- Let the search bots inCheck that your robots.txt does not accidentally block OAI-SearchBot, Claude-SearchBot and PerplexityBot, and that your text is readable without JavaScript.
- The same details everywhereName, address, phone and services must match on your site, your Google Business Profile and your social profiles.
- Measure the trafficLook in Search Console and your analytics for visitors from AI Overviews, AI Mode, ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity.
What to change on your site
Write answers, not slogans
"We stand for quality" answers no question. "A custom website costs from 1,500 euros with us for a one-pager" does. An AI assistant can take the second sentence into its answer, not the first.
A slogan
We stand for quality.
Answers no question at all. Nothing to quote.
An answer
A custom website costs from 1,500 euros with us for a one-pager.
- Whatcustom website
- Pricefrom 1,500 euros
- Forone-pager
Three facts an assistant can quote word for word in its answer.
Put questions on your site word for word
People type their question to an assistant the way they would say it: "how much does an accountant cost for a sole trader". An FAQ with exactly those questions and a short, complete answer underneath is ideal reading material. Structured data makes the structure clear to machines too, but it does not replace the answer itself.
Write comparisons
"What is the difference between X and Y" is one of the most common kinds of question. An honest comparison with a table and a conclusion is readily used as a source.
Name your sources and your figures
A text with a figure and where it comes from is easier to cite than a text full of adjectives.
Give machines a summary, as an extra
Some sites publish an llms.txt file: a short, readable summary of what the business does, for AI services. It is a proposal, not an official standard, and it does not replace good pages. It costs little, so it may as well be there.
A site AI assistants can read.
Business Centrum, a payroll office in Ghent, Belgium, got guides in four languages, comparisons with the large payroll providers and 41 employer questions, each with the answer at the top. Every figure sits in a register with its official source; 3,698 figures were checked against that source.
In five weeks its non-brand search terms on page one of Google went from 13 to 1,593, and the first visitors arrived through Google Gemini.
- 41 yes-or-no questions, each on its own page with the answer at the top
- A key figures page, kerncijfers.json and an llms.txt
Beyond your site
AI assistants trust what they read in several places. A complete Google Business Profile, real customer reviews, a listing in a trade directory or an article in the local press: every source that says the same about you makes it more likely you get mentioned. How to set up that profile well: create a Google Business Profile.
What it returns: a worked example
According to an Ahrefs measurement across 76,000 sites, 39.98 percent of traffic comes from Google and 0.21 percent from ChatGPT: about 190 times less. For a small business site with 3,000 visitors a month from Google, that looks like this:
| Source | Share of traffic (76,000 sites) | At 3,000 visitors a month from Google |
|---|---|---|
| 39.98 percent | 3,000 | |
| ChatGPT | 0.21 percent | about 16 |
| Ratio | about 190 to 1 | about 190 to 1 |
Traffic from ChatGPT is small today, and it grows from the same base as your Google traffic. Then there is Google itself: according to Google, AI Mode has more than a billion monthly users, and AI Overviews sit above the regular results. Whoever ranks well in Google also appears more often in those AI answers. That is why you start with SEO; how long that takes: how long does SEO take. The worked example is an average over many sites; in your sector it may differ.
How to measure whether it works
| What | Where | What you see |
|---|---|---|
| Impressions in AI Overviews and AI Mode | Search Console, generative AI report | Impressions per page, country and device |
| Visitors from ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity | Your analytics, referring sites | chatgpt.com, gemini.google.com, perplexity.ai as source |
| Whether you get mentioned | Ask your customers' questions yourself, every month | Which businesses and pages are mentioned |
| Whether the bots read your site | Your server logs or our AI crawler checker | Which bots visit and what robots.txt allows |
The generative AI report has been in Search Console for all sites since 31 August 2026; more in Search Console AI performance report. If you would rather not appear in Google's AI answers, that is possible too: see opt out of Google AI Overviews.
Where to start?
| Your situation | First step | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Your site barely appears in Google | Technical basics and a page per question | AI assistants search the same kind of index |
| You rank well in Google, but not in AI answers | Answers at the top, figures with sources, comparisons | Assistants cite what they can quote word for word |
| You do not know whether the bots read your site | Check robots.txt | One wrong rule shuts you out of the search feature |
| You work locally | Google Business Profile and reviews | Confirmation in several places |
| You want to measure what it returns | Follow Search Console and referring sites | Without measuring you do not know what works |
The technical basics AI crawlers need too are in technical SEO. Doing it yourself? Read do SEO yourself.
What nobody can promise
Nobody can guarantee that ChatGPT mentions your business. Answers differ per question, per person and per day. Since late August 2026 ChatGPT also shows ads next to its answers in Europe, but that is a paid slot, not a mention as a source; see ChatGPT ads in Europe. What you can do: become the best source for your customers' questions. That helps in Google, in AI assistants and with the customer reading your site.
Questions about getting found in ChatGPT
How do you get found in ChatGPT?
By first being findable in search engines, with pages that answer your customers' questions literally and verifiably. Let the search bots of AI services in through your robots.txt and show the same details about your business everywhere. It builds on the same foundation as good SEO.
Can anyone guarantee that ChatGPT mentions my business?
No. Answers differ per question, per person and per day. You can become the best source for your customers' questions, and that raises the chance of being mentioned.
Is getting found in ChatGPT different from SEO?
They overlap strongly. ChatGPT mostly cites pages it finds through a search index, and Google says there are no extra requirements for AI Overviews and AI Mode. AI assistants do pay even more attention to whether a page answers a question literally, with figures and sources.
Should I block GPTBot?
That is your choice. GPTBot collects text to train models; OAI-SearchBot fetches pages for ChatGPT's search feature. Block GPTBot but allow OAI-SearchBot, and you stay findable without ending up in training data.
How many visitors does ChatGPT send?
Few today: in an Ahrefs measurement across 76,000 sites, 0.21 percent of traffic comes from ChatGPT, against almost 40 percent from Google. It is growing, and it follows the same base as your Google traffic.
How do I know whether ChatGPT sends visitors to my site?
Look at the referring sites in your analytics: chatgpt.com, gemini.google.com or perplexity.ai. For AI Overviews and AI Mode, Search Console has shown its own report since 31 August 2026.