How to Get Your Business Recommended by ChatGPT (and Google’s AI)

ChatGPT and Google’s AI recommend local businesses they can confirm across many trusted sources: the same details everywhere, plenty of recent reviews, a clear page for each service, and mentions on sites they already trust. You can’t pay for a spot in ChatGPT’s regular answers. Since November 2026, eligible businesses can claim a profile in ChatGPT’s new Business Hub, but for now OpenAI says local stores can claim only an existing U.S. listing.

This guide covers how AI assistants choose which businesses to name, what the new ChatGPT business profiles do and where they’re available, a step-by-step plan, and what changes for dental practices, clinics, salons, auto repair shops, law firms and home services.

How AI assistants pick local businesses

When someone asks ChatGPT “who’s a good family dentist near me?”, it can search the web, read what it finds and cite the sites it used. Google’s AI Overviews and AI Mode draw on pages in Google’s search index, and Google says there are “no additional requirements to appear in AI Overviews or AI Mode” beyond normal SEO. Neither publishes a list of ranking factors for recommendations. What you can control comes down to six things:

• Consistent facts. The same business name, address, phone number, hours and services on your website, Google, Bing, Apple Maps, Facebook and every directory. Conflicting details make it harder for any system to be sure which are right.
• Reviews. Google says “more reviews and positive ratings can help your business’s local ranking.” Reviews that name the service (“they fixed my crown the same day”) give AI tools something specific to repeat.
• Being named on trusted sites. Industry associations, local news, community sponsorships, supplier “find a pro” pages and editorial “best of” lists. Google says prominence also reflects how many websites link to your business.
• Clear service pages. One page for each main service, written in plain words: what it is, who it’s for, price range, how long it takes and where you are. Google advises keeping important content in text form.
• A site the crawlers can reach. OpenAI says sites that block its OAI-SearchBot crawler “will not be shown in ChatGPT search answers.” Check your robots.txt and any firewall or CDN settings.
• Structured data that matches the page. Business details and FAQ markup help machines read your page, but Google says structured data should match the visible text.

ChatGPT’s new business profiles

On November 10, 2026, OpenAI introduced Businesses in ChatGPT, in beta. Through Business Hub, a business can claim its organization in ChatGPT and, once verified, update its key details and add product feeds with pricing and availability. When a business appears in an answer, people can click through to its ChatGPT profile.

Business Hub also shows aggregated insights: how many times you’re mentioned, the website clicks you get, and “discovery topics”, the common themes of conversations where your website is cited. OpenAI says it doesn’t share users’ conversations, and insights only appear once there are enough conversations to meet its thresholds.

Where it’s available

OpenAI says any eligible business located where ChatGPT is available can claim its business through Business Hub. But OpenAI’s Help Center says that, for now, local stores and restaurants can claim only an existing U.S. listing, and availability depends on the business’s location and type. So most storefronts in Canada, the UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand have to wait.

Business Agents are different. A Business Agent is an assistant that answers customer questions about your business inside ChatGPT. For now they’re only open to eligible ecommerce and online service businesses in the United States. Storefront businesses such as clinics, salons and garages aren’t named in that launch, so check OpenAI’s list of eligible categories before planning around one. OpenAI says it plans to expand to more markets and business categories over time.

What to do if you’re outside the US

1. Check whether Business Hub lets you claim your business yet (for now OpenAI says local stores can claim only an existing U.S. listing), and claim and verify it as soon as it does.
2. Make every detail match your Google Business Profile and website exactly.
3. Check the insights each month once they appear, and note which discovery topics you’re cited for.
4. Keep doing the work in the plan below. Your ChatGPT profile is one more source of facts about you, not a replacement for your reviews, website and listings elsewhere.

Step-by-step plan

1. Ask the assistants first. Type the questions your customers ask into ChatGPT, Google AI Mode, Gemini and Copilot, with your area. Write down who gets named and which sites are cited.
2. Claim every profile. Google Business Profile, Bing Places, Apple Business Connect and ChatGPT Business Hub. Fill in every field.
3. Fix your facts everywhere. Make your name, address, phone, hours and website identical across your site, profiles, social accounts and directories.
4. Build a page for each main service. Plain words, prices or price ranges, who does the work, and how to book.
5. Add an FAQ. Answer the questions people ask on the phone, in one or two sentences each, and mark it up so the structured data matches the visible text.
6. Ask every customer for a review, the same way each time. Don’t tell them what to write: Google’s rules don’t allow asking for specific content. Reply to every review.
7. Get named on trusted sites. Associations, local media, partners and editorial lists. The sites that AI tools cited in step 1 are your shortlist.
8. Let the crawlers in. Allow Googlebot, Bingbot and OAI-SearchBot in robots.txt, and check that your firewall or CDN isn’t blocking them.
9. Re-check every month. Ask the same questions again and track who’s named. AI answers change as the sources change.

Dental practices

Patients ask AI things like “dentist accepting new patients with Saturday hours” or “emergency dentist open today.” Put new-patient status, hours, emergency availability, payment and insurance options, and each treatment on its own page and on your Google profile. Reviews that name a treatment or a dentist help AI match you to those questions.

Clinics

For physiotherapy, chiropractic, naturopathic and other clinics, list each practitioner, their discipline and the conditions you treat, in plain words. Follow Google’s rules for practitioner profiles so you don’t end up with duplicates. Say clearly whether you take walk-ins, direct billing or referrals.

Salons

People ask for “the best salon for curly hair” or “a nail salon open on Sunday.” Name every service, show real photos of your work and ask every customer for a review. Our guide on how to get your salon recommended by ChatGPT and our salon SEO guide go deeper.

Auto repair shops

Drivers ask for a mechanic who works on their make, does a specific job or can see them today. List the makes you service, the repairs you do, your warranty, your technicians’ certifications and whether you offer a shuttle or loan car. Reviews that name the job (“brakes”, “timing belt”, “MOT”) are what AI tools quote back.

Law firms

People ask which lawyer handles their exact problem, like a wrongful dismissal, a fixed-fee will or a contested divorce. Give each practice area its own page, name the lawyers who do that work and where they’re licensed, and explain how a first consultation works. Keep every claim within your regulator’s advertising rules.

Home services

For plumbers, electricians, heating and cooling, cleaners and similar trades, AI needs your service area, licences, emergency hours and the jobs you take on. If you don’t have a storefront, set up your Google profile as a service-area business and list the towns or suburbs you cover on your website.

Questions about getting recommended by AI

Can I pay ChatGPT to recommend my business?

No. There’s no way to buy a place in ChatGPT’s regular answers. OpenAI does sell ChatGPT Ads, and eligible US businesses can sponsor a Business Agent, but OpenAI says sponsored placements are clearly labelled and kept separate from ChatGPT’s responses.

Can businesses in Canada, the UK, Australia, New Zealand and Ireland use ChatGPT business profiles?

Not yet for most storefronts. OpenAI says any eligible business located where ChatGPT is available can claim a profile, but for now local stores and restaurants can claim only an existing U.S. listing, so most storefronts in Canada, the UK, Australia, New Zealand and Ireland have to wait. Business Agents are a different matter: as of November 2026 they’re only open to eligible ecommerce and online service businesses in the United States.

How long does it take to start showing up in AI answers?

Fixing your details and profiles can show up within weeks. Reviews, service pages and mentions on other trusted sites build over several months.

Do I need special code or an llms.txt file for AI search?

Not for Google. Google says you don’t need new machine-readable files, AI text files or markup to appear in its AI features. Make sure your important content is in plain text, your site can be crawled, and any structured data matches what’s on the page.

How do I check what ChatGPT says about my business?

Ask it the way a customer would, such as “best emergency dentist near [your area]”, and try a few versions of the question. Once you’ve claimed your business in Business Hub, it also shows how often you’re mentioned and how many website clicks you get, when there’s enough volume to report.

Sources: OpenAI, “Introducing Businesses in ChatGPT” (Nov 10, 2026); OpenAI Help Center, “Setting up your business on ChatGPT”; OpenAI, “Overview of OpenAI crawlers”; Google Search Central, “AI features and your website”; Google Business Profile Help, “Tips to improve your local ranking on Google”; Google Business Profile Help, “Guidelines for representing your business on Google”.