Guides · Get found on Google
How to Get Your Small Business Recommended by ChatGPT and AI Search
More people now ask ChatGPT, Gemini and Google's AI answers for local recommendations. What small businesses can do in 2026 to be the one they suggest.
“Who’s a good plumber in Lewisham?” “Find me a florist near Clapham that delivers today.” More and more people are asking questions like these to ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot or Google’s own AI answers, instead of scrolling through a list of links.
The AI then names a few businesses. If you’re not one of them, you may never get a look in. So how do you become one of the businesses it suggests?
How AI assistants choose who to recommend
Nobody outside these companies knows exactly how they decide. But they all build answers from information they can find and trust online. That includes:
- Your website
- Your Google Business Profile and other map listings
- Reviews on Google and other sites
- Directories and listings, like Yell, Bing Places or trade bodies
- Mentions on other websites, like local news, blogs or partner sites
The more clear and consistent information there is about you, the easier it is for an AI to understand what you do, where, and whether people rate you.
1. Say exactly what you do and where
AI tools can’t recommend you for something they can’t tell you do. On your website, spell it out in plain words:
- Your main service on the home page: “Emergency plumber in South East London”
- A separate page for each service
- The areas or postcodes you cover
- Your opening hours and how to contact you
Vague lines like “Solutions for your home” don’t help anyone, human or machine.
2. Keep your details identical everywhere
Your business name, address, phone number and website should be exactly the same on your website, Google Business Profile, Bing Places, Apple Business Connect, Facebook and any directories. Mismatched details make it harder for both Google and AI tools to be sure all those listings are the same business.
Bing and Apple Maps are worth a few minutes of your time. Not everyone uses Google, and some AI tools draw on other search engines.
3. Answer the questions customers actually ask
AI answers are built from text. If your website clearly answers common questions, it’s more likely to be used.
Add a short FAQ section to your key pages. For example:
- How much does a boiler service cost?
- Do you cover Bromley?
- Can you come out at weekends?
- Are you Gas Safe registered?
Write the answer in the first sentence, then add detail. That’s how all the guides on this site are written, with an “In short” box at the top.
4. Get more good reviews
Reviews are one of the clearest signals that people rate you. AI answers often mention them directly (“highly rated for fast response times”). Read our guide on how to get more Google reviews.
5. Get mentioned elsewhere
Being mentioned on other trusted websites helps both Google and AI tools see you as a real, established business. Ideas:
- Your trade body or accreditation directory
- Local business groups and chambers of commerce
- Suppliers or partners who list recommended businesses
- Local news, community sites or event pages
6. Make your website easy for machines to read
A few technical basics help AI tools and search engines read your site:
- Fast-loading pages with real text, not text inside images
- Structured data (behind-the-scenes code that labels your business name, address, hours and reviews)
- A sitemap submitted to Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools
We build all of these into every website we make. If you’re not sure whether your site has them, we can check.
7. Test it yourself
Ask ChatGPT, Gemini or Google something like “best [your trade] in [your area]” every month or two. See who comes up and what the AI says about them. It’s a quick way to spot what your competitors are doing that you’re not.
Want to show up in AI answers?
Getting recommended by AI is mostly about doing the basics really well. For more on Google’s AI answers, read our guide to Google AI Overviews for small businesses. Or get a free website check and we’ll look at how your business appears on Google and in AI search.
