AI assistants search the web, then mention businesses that are easy to find, clearly described, listed in places they trust, and backed by reviews. You can do those five things yourself. No one can promise you will be named.
Five things you can do
1. Be findable
Publish a page for the business, on your own domain if you have one. In Google Search Console, submit a sitemap so Google knows the pages exist, and do the same for Bing. Add a plain text summary of who you are, where you work and what you do, so a tool that cannot read a designed page still gets the facts.
2. Be the clear answer
Write a page for each service and each town you actually cover. Use the words a customer would type, such as “loft conversion Farnborough”, and answer the obvious questions on the page: what you do, where, and how to get in touch. Say your opening hours. Do not add towns you do not serve.
3. Be listed where they look
Claim your Google Business Profile, Apple Maps, Bing and Facebook, and any other free directory that already has a page for your trade. Use the same name, phone number and address on every one. If you find a duplicate or an old number, fix it or ask for it to be removed. Paid memberships, such as Checkatrade or Rated People, are optional. They are not required for the free listings.
4. Be talked about
After a job the customer was happy with, ask for a review and send one reminder. Reply to the reviews you get, including the awkward ones. Reviews on more than one site help, because assistants do not only read Google.
5. Be measured
Once a week, ask ChatGPT, Google AI and Perplexity the question a customer would ask, including your trade and town. Write down whether you were named, who was named instead, and which websites the answer cited. Those sites are the ones worth improving first. Treat one week’s answer as a reading, not a verdict.
Checklist
- A website with a page for each service and town you cover.
- A sitemap sent to Google and Bing.
- The same name, number and address on Google, Apple, Bing and Facebook.
- Duplicates and old numbers removed.
- A review asked for after a finished job, with one reminder.
- A weekly note of who the assistants named, and which sites they cited.
Questions
Can you guarantee ChatGPT will recommend me?
No. Answers change from day to day. You can make the business easier to find and clearly described, then check what the assistants actually say.
Which assistants are worth asking?
ChatGPT, Google AI and Perplexity. Ask the same question a customer would, including the trade and the town.
Do I need to pay a directory?
Not to start. Claim the free listings and keep your name, number and address the same on each one. Paid memberships are a separate decision.
If you want it done each week
The steps above are yours to do. Grow does the weekly work listed here. It does not promise a mention.