How AI assistants pick what to recommend
When an assistant searches the web to answer a question, it retrieves pages, reads them and writes a summary, often with links. You cannot buy your way into those organic answers. You can make your pages easy to retrieve, easy to understand and consistent with what other sources say about you.
Step 1: allow the AI search crawlers
Each company publishes its crawlers. Search crawlers decide whether you can appear in answers; training crawlers collect content for model training. You can treat them differently.
| Company | Search or retrieval | Training | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAI | OAI-SearchBot (ChatGPT search), ChatGPT-User (user-initiated visits) | GPTBot | OpenAI docs |
| Anthropic | Claude-SearchBot, Claude-User | ClaudeBot | Anthropic help |
| Perplexity | PerplexityBot, Perplexity-User | Perplexity says neither is used for model training | Perplexity docs |
| Googlebot (Search, including AI Overviews) | Google-Extended controls Gemini training use and does not affect Search | Google docs |
Check your robots.txt, and any firewall or bot protection, for rules that block these user agents by accident. Bot protection is a common silent blocker.
Step 2: make pages readable without JavaScript
Put your important content in the HTML the server sends. FAQ answers hidden behind JavaScript tabs or content loaded only after scripts run is harder for crawlers to read. Keep pages fast, with one clear topic each.
Step 3: answer the questions buyers ask AI
People ask assistants full questions: “who is the best paid media consultant for an app launch”, “HubSpot or Salesforce for a 20-person team”, “how much does a marketing consultant cost”. Build pages that answer those questions directly:
- One page per service, product or use case, with the answer in the first lines.
- Comparison pages that are fair to competitors.
- FAQ sections written in plain language, marked up with FAQPage structured data.
- Specific facts: who you serve, where, prices or pricing model, credentials.
Step 4: make your brand facts consistent
Assistants build a picture of your brand from many sources. If your site says one thing, LinkedIn another and a directory a third, the description you get back will be vague. Use the same name, one-line description, services, locations and credentials everywhere, and add Organization or Person structured data that links to your official profiles with sameAs.
Step 5: earn mentions on sites AI tools trust
Recommendations lean on what others say. Reviews, client case studies, podcast and press interviews, guest articles, association memberships and listings in respected directories all give assistants independent sources that describe you.
Step 6: measure your AI visibility
- Write 20 to 30 prompts your buyers would ask, including your category, location and comparisons.
- Run them monthly in ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity and Google AI Overviews.
- Record whether you are mentioned, how you are described, and which sources are cited.
- Fix the gaps: missing pages, inconsistent facts, or sources that describe you wrongly.
Organic answers versus ChatGPT Ads
Organic recommendations cannot be bought, but OpenAI now sells ads inside ChatGPT. If you need visibility while organic work builds, see the guide to ChatGPT Ads.
Want this done for you? See SEO, AEO and GEO services or book a free marketing audit.
FAQ
Can I pay to be recommended by ChatGPT?
Not in organic answers. OpenAI sells ChatGPT Ads, which are separate paid placements. Organic recommendations depend on what ChatGPT can find and read about you.
Does blocking GPTBot stop me appearing in ChatGPT search?
OpenAI documents GPTBot as its training crawler and OAI-SearchBot as the crawler that surfaces sites in ChatGPT search. They are controlled separately in robots.txt, so blocking GPTBot alone is not the same as blocking ChatGPT search.
How long does it take to show up in AI answers?
It depends on how often your pages are crawled and how established your brand is elsewhere. Technical fixes can be picked up within weeks; building mentions and authority takes months.
Does llms.txt help me rank in ChatGPT?
There is no confirmation that ChatGPT uses llms.txt. It is a proposed convention and cheap to add, but crawler access, clear content and consistent brand facts matter far more.