GUIDE · UPDATED 24 SEPTEMBER 2026
How to show up in AI answers: a small business guide to ChatGPT, Gemini and AI Overviews
More people now ask an AI assistant instead of scrolling through search results: “Who does wedding photography in Halifax?” or “Is there a nurse who does foot care at home?” The assistant answers with a few names. Here is what helps yours be one of them, and be described correctly.
How AI assistants find local businesses
When you ask an assistant a question about the world, it usually searches the web, reads a handful of pages, and writes an answer from them, often with links. Google’s AI Overviews and AI Mode use Google’s search index. Microsoft Copilot uses Bing. ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude and others run their own crawlers and search partnerships. The details change often, but the pattern holds: if a normal search engine cannot find and understand your page, an AI assistant probably cannot either.
Google says there are no additional requirements to appear in its AI features beyond ordinary search best practice. That is good news: there is no secret format to buy.
1. Answer real questions on your pages
Assistants pull short passages that answer the question asked. Pages that bury the answer under slogans are harder to quote. For each main service, make sure a page states, near the top:
- What the service is, in the words customers use
- Who it is for and the area you serve
- What it costs, or what the price depends on
- How to book or get in touch
A short questions-and-answers section on each page, written from real enquiries, works well for people and for machines. Keep answers factual and a few sentences long.
2. Make your facts consistent and machine-readable
When sources disagree about your hours or address, an assistant may pick the wrong one or leave you out. Check your website, Google Business Profile, Bing Places, Apple Business Connect, social profiles and booking platforms, and make them match.
On the website, add structured data: a small block of code that states your business name, type, address, area served, hours and services in a standard vocabulary (schema.org). It does not guarantee anything, but it removes guesswork. Every site we build includes it; you can see an example on our Mr. Foot Care case study.
3. Let the right crawlers in
- Submit your sitemap to Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools. Both are free.
- Check your robots.txt file is not blocking search engines or the AI search crawlers you want to appear in, such as OpenAI’s OAI-SearchBot or PerplexityBot. Some website platforms and security settings block them by default.
- Put important information in text on the page. Details that exist only inside images, PDFs or pop-ups are easy to miss.
- Make sure pages load quickly and work without logging in.
4. Be mentioned elsewhere
Assistants are more confident recommending a business that other sources describe the same way: reviews on your Google profile, a listing in a local association or industry directory, a mention in local news or a supplier’s website. You cannot shortcut this with fake reviews or paid link schemes, and trying can backfire. You can make it easy for happy customers to leave a review and keep your listings current.
5. Optional extras
An llms.txt file is a plain-text summary of your business and key pages for AI tools. It is a proposed convention, and the major assistants have not said they use it, but it takes minutes to add. This site has one at /llms.txt.
How to check where you stand
- Ask the assistants. In a private window, ask ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot and Perplexity the questions your customers ask. Note whether you appear and whether the details are right.
- Look at the sources they cite. If an outdated directory listing is being quoted, fix that listing first.
- Watch your referrals. Analytics tools show visits from chatgpt.com, perplexity.ai, gemini.google.com and copilot.microsoft.com.
Most of this overlaps with local SEO basics, so if you do one, you are most of the way to the other.
Common questions
How do I get my business recommended by ChatGPT?
No one can guarantee it. What you can do is make sure AI assistants can read accurate, consistent information about you: a crawlable website that states plainly what you do, where and for whom; a complete Google Business Profile and Bing Places listing; matching details across the web; and genuine reviews and mentions on other sites.
Is AI search optimisation different from SEO?
Mostly not. Google says its AI features draw on the same index and signals as regular search, with no special extra requirements. The difference is emphasis: AI answers reward pages that answer specific questions clearly, and facts that are consistent everywhere they appear.
Should I block AI crawlers in robots.txt?
Only if you do not want your content used by those services. Blocking a search crawler such as OAI-SearchBot can keep your pages out of that assistant’s search answers. Each company publishes the names of its crawlers and what each one is used for, so you can allow search use while declining model training if you prefer.
What is llms.txt and do I need one?
llms.txt is a proposed convention: a plain-text summary of your site for AI tools. Major assistants have not said they rely on it, so treat it as a cheap extra rather than a strategy. The website itself matters far more.
How can I tell if AI assistants mention my business?
Ask them the questions your customers would, such as “best in-home foot care in Halifax”, in a private window, and note what they say and which sources they cite. In your analytics, look for visits referred from chatgpt.com, perplexity.ai, gemini.google.com and copilot.microsoft.com.
Want a second opinion on your website?
Antrim Studios is a small web studio in Halifax. Our prices are published, and every project starts with a written scope. Tell us what you have and what you need, and we’ll reply by email.