The short answer
Let OpenAI's search crawler read your site, get properly indexed in Bing, answer common questions clearly on your pages, and build real reviews and mentions. There's no switch to flip and no one can guarantee it.
More and more Australians ask ChatGPT for recommendations the way they used to ask Google. Roy Morgan found around 45% of Australians used ChatGPT in an average four weeks in early 2026. So it's a fair question: how does ChatGPT decide which businesses to mention?
How ChatGPT finds businesses
When ChatGPT searches the web to answer a question, it uses its own crawler (OAI-SearchBot) and search partners, with Bing a major source. It reads the pages it finds, then writes an answer and usually cites a few sources.
So to be mentioned, three things need to be true:
- ChatGPT can reach your site.
- Your site is in the indexes it draws on, Bing in particular.
- Your pages and reputation make you a clear, trustworthy answer to the question.
1. Let the right crawler in
OpenAI is explicit: sites that block OAI-SearchBot won't be shown in ChatGPT search answers. Separately, GPTBot is used for training. You can block GPTBot and still appear in search answers, but blocking OAI-SearchBot removes you.
Check your robots.txt, and check that your hosting or security plugin isn't quietly blocking these bots.
2. Get properly into Bing
Verify your site in Bing Webmaster Tools, submit your sitemap and switch on IndexNow so new and changed pages are found quickly. Bing's AI Performance report (in preview since early 2026) also shows when your pages are cited in Copilot answers.
3. Answer questions plainly
AI tools quote pages that answer questions directly. Put a short, clear answer near the top of each important page, then the detail. Say what you do, where you do it, who it's for and roughly what it costs. Keep it in plain text on the page, not hidden in images or behind scripts.
4. Build a reputation AI can see
Ahrefs' study of 75,000 brands found the strongest links to AI visibility were brand mentions across the web, not page count. In practice that means:
- a complete Google Business Profile
- a steady flow of genuine reviews
- your business mentioned by local media, associations, suppliers and clients.
These are correlations, not proof, but they match what we see.
What doesn't work
- Guaranteed ChatGPT rankings. No one controls the answers.
- Magic files. An llms.txt file won't fix anything on its own. Here's why.
- Hundreds of AI-written articles. Thin content doesn't build trust with people or machines.
Check where you stand
Ask ChatGPT the questions your customers would ask, such as "who's a good [your trade] in [your suburb]?", and see who it names. If it isn't you, we can help you find out why.
How we can help
AI search optimisation (GEO) for Melbourne businesses
Practical, evidence-based work to help ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Gemini and Perplexity find, trust and recommend your business, without the hype.
Local SEO for Melbourne businesses
Google Business Profile, reviews, location pages and the local signals that put you in the map results, and in the AI answers that increasingly draw on them.