November 9, 2026 · 3 min read

How to Get Your Business Recommended by ChatGPT and AI Search

More buyers ask AI tools who to hire. Here's how answer engine optimization (AEO) works, in plain language.

AI tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google's AI answers recommend businesses they can find, understand, and trust. To show up, make sure search engines can index your site, answer your buyers' questions plainly on your own pages, and get mentioned on the other sites these tools read. This is often called answer engine optimization, or AEO.

How AI tools choose what to recommend

When an AI tool searches the web to answer a question, it pulls from search indexes and then decides which sources to trust and cite. Pages that answer the question directly, that come from a business with a clear and consistent identity, and that other sites refer to, have a better chance of being used.

There's no setting you can switch on to get recommended. It's the same work as good SEO, aimed at questions rather than keywords.

Make sure you can be found at all

Check that your site is indexed by both Google and Bing. Several AI tools rely on Bing's index, so register your site with Bing Webmaster Tools as well as Google Search Console.
Don't block AI crawlers in your robots.txt unless you mean to.
Keep important information in the page text, not only in images or downloadable files.

Answer the questions your buyers actually ask

Make a list of the questions people ask before they buy from you: what it costs, how long it takes, how you compare, whether it's right for them. Then answer each one on your site, starting with the answer in the first sentence or two. Use the question as the heading.

Plain, specific answers beat clever copy. AI tools quote sentences that can stand on their own.

Help machines understand who you are

Use the same business name, address, and description everywhere: your site, Google Business Profile, LinkedIn, and directories.
Add structured data (schema) for your organization, services, and FAQs, so search engines can read the facts without guessing.
Make your About page clear about who does the work and what they know.

Get mentioned where AI tools look

For many "who should I hire" questions, AI tools lean on list articles, directories, reviews, and discussions on other sites. Earning real mentions there, with reviews from real customers, articles you contribute, and listings in the right directories, matters as much as anything on your own site.

Measure it

Ask the AI tools your buyers use the questions your buyers ask, every month, and note whether you're mentioned and what's said. Watch your analytics for visits from AI tools as well. It's imperfect, but it shows whether the work is moving.

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Questions people ask

01What's the difference between SEO and AEO?

SEO aims to rank in search results. AEO aims to be found, trusted, and cited in AI-generated answers. They overlap heavily: AI tools rely on search indexes, so good SEO is the foundation for both.

02Does an llms.txt file help?

It's a cheap, harmless way to summarize your site for AI tools, but there's no confirmation that the major AI tools rely on it. Treat it as a small extra, not a strategy.

03How long does it take to show up in AI answers?

It depends on how established your site is and how competitive your field is. Technical fixes can help as soon as pages are recrawled. Earning mentions on other sites takes longer.