How to get your business found on Google — and in ChatGPT

The five classic things that get you found on Google

The foundation hasn't changed. Five signals still decide whether Google shows your business when customers search:

1. A complete Google Business Profile. Real opening hours, photos, categories and replies to reviews. Often the fastest route to local visibility.
2. A website Google can read. Fast, mobile-friendly and free of technical errors that block crawling.
3. Content that matches what customers search for. Write about your customers' problems and questions — not just your products.
4. Reviews. Google and Trustpilot reviews are trust signals, for humans and machines alike.
5. Consistent name, address and phone. The same details across your website, directories and profiles.

If you have those five covered, you're ahead of most. But in 2026 they're no longer the whole picture.

The new part: your customers also ask an AI

More and more customers no longer start by googling — they ask ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or Perplexity for a recommendation. And even those who still google increasingly meet Google's own AI answer (AI Overviews) at the top — before the blue links.

The difference matters: an AI answer isn't a list of ten options to scroll through. It's one summary with a few concrete recommendations. If your business isn't in the answer, you don't exist in that customer's world — however well you rank otherwise.

Visible on Google is not the same as visible to AI

Here's the point most people miss: your site can rank fine on Google and still be invisible to AI. The three most common causes:

• AI crawlers are blocked. GPTBot, ClaudeBot and PerplexityBot are often rejected in robots.txt — sometimes without anyone knowing.
• The content requires JavaScript. AI readers don't run JavaScript. If your pages build their content with scripts, the AI sees an empty shell.
• Machine-readable data is missing. Structured data (schema) and an llms.txt are what make your business unambiguous and citable to an AI.

This isn't theoretical: in our own July 2026 scan of 465 search-visible company websites, 89 % lacked an llms.txt. Sites that are fully visible on Google but poorly equipped for AI search are the norm — not the exception.

The discipline that closes the gap is called GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) — colloquially AI SEO. The research behind it is established: the Princeton/Georgia Tech study (KDD '24) measured up to a 40 % visibility lift in generative engines from targeted optimisation.

Five steps you can take this week

1. Update your Google Business Profile. Opening hours, photos, categories — and reply to recent reviews.
2. Check that AI crawlers aren't blocked. GPTBot, ClaudeBot and PerplexityBot must be able to read your site — work through the GEO checklist.
3. Create an llms.txt. The file gives AI a curated overview of your business — the generator builds it free in a minute.
4. Ask the AI about your own business. The AI Mention Checker shows whether ChatGPT and the other engines know and mention you today.
5. Get structured data in place. Organization and FAQPage schema make your facts machine-readable — for Google and AI alike.

All five steps can be done by hand — and must be maintained by hand. That's what Geoa automates: the platform monitors both kinds of visibility continuously and fixes what's missing, directly in your website or online store. Automatic SEO and AI visibility in one.

Frequently asked questions

How do I get my business higher up on Google?

Through the five fundamentals in this guide: a complete Google Business Profile, a technically healthy website, content that matches what customers search for, reviews, and consistent business details. Nobody can promise you position 1 — including us. But work through the checklist and you'll know exactly where you stand.

Why doesn't ChatGPT mention my business?

The most common causes are technical: AI crawlers are blocked in robots.txt, the content requires JavaScript (AI readers don't run it), or structured data and llms.txt are missing. Run the AI Mention Checker to see whether the AI engines know you today.

What does it cost to get found on Google?

Organic visibility is free but takes time and ongoing work. If you want it done automatically, Geoa monitors and fixes both kinds of visibility for you — see pricing. The free AI Visibility Checker requires no account and no card.

Does SEO still work now that people use ChatGPT?

Yes. SEO is the foundation — a technically healthy, crawlable site is needed for both Google and AI. But AI visibility builds on top: the goal shifts from ranking in a list to being part of the answer itself.

What's the difference between SEO and GEO?

SEO optimises for Google's blue links; GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) optimises for generative AI answers — ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Perplexity. The work overlaps, but GEO rewards citability over domain authority.

Can I do this myself without an agency?

Yes. The five steps in this guide are free and require no agency. Geoa is the self-service alternative when you want speed: the platform measures, monitors and fixes automatically — no monthly reports, no lock-in.