A few months ago, a dentist in Carlsbad called me, a little rattled. A new patient had told her, "ChatGPT said you were one of the best family dentists around here." She was thrilled, then immediately worried. "If ChatGPT is sending people to dentists," she asked, "how many is it sending to someone else?"
Good question. I spend a lot of my day job helping big websites show up in AI answers. Here's the small business version, in plain English.
Yes, people are really doing this
In BrightLocal's 2026 consumer survey, 45% of people said they'd used ChatGPT or another AI tool to find a local business. The year before, it was 6%. That's not a trend. That's a stampede.
Meanwhile, almost half of small business owners haven't checked whether they show up in AI answers, or don't know. So if you check today, you're already ahead.
How AI tools decide who to recommend
AI tools don't have a secret ranking list. When someone asks for "a good family dentist in Carlsbad," the tool searches the web, reads what it finds, and summarizes. It recommends the businesses it can find the most clear, consistent, trustworthy information about.
That information comes mostly from other people talking about you:
| What AI reads | Why it matters | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Google and other reviews | Reviews describe what it's actually like to be your customer | Get reviews that mention specifics: the service, the staff, the result |
| Your Google Business Profile | Basic facts: what you do, where, when | Keep it complete and current |
| Reddit and forum conversations | ChatGPT cites Reddit more than almost any other site | Know what's being said about you in your city's subreddit |
| Local news and directories | Third-party proof you're real and active | Get listed, get mentioned |
| Your website | Your own description, in your own words | Answer real questions plainly |
| Consistent info everywhere | Conflicting details make AI less confident | Match your name, address, phone, and hours everywhere |
What AI reads: Google and other reviews
Why it matters: Reviews describe what it's actually like to be your customer
What to do: Get reviews that mention specifics: the service, the staff, the result
What AI reads: Your Google Business Profile
Why it matters: Basic facts: what you do, where, when
What to do: Keep it complete and current
What AI reads: Reddit and forum conversations
Why it matters: ChatGPT cites Reddit more than almost any other site
What to do: Know what's being said about you in your city's subreddit
What AI reads: Local news and directories
Why it matters: Third-party proof you're real and active
What to do: Get listed, get mentioned
What AI reads: Your website
Why it matters: Your own description, in your own words
What to do: Answer real questions plainly
What AI reads: Consistent info everywhere
Why it matters: Conflicting details make AI less confident
What to do: Match your name, address, phone, and hours everywhere
Notice that most of that list isn't your website. Your website is what you say about yourself. AI trusts what everyone else says more.
Check yourself in 5 minutes
Open ChatGPT, Google (look for the AI answer at the top), and Perplexity if you have it. Ask each one these questions, using your real details:
- "What's the best [your service] in [your city]?"
- "I need a [your service] in [your neighborhood] who is [honest / fast / good with kids]. Who should I call?"
- "What do people say about [your business name] in [your city]?"
- "What are the hours and phone number for [your business name]?"
Write down whether you're mentioned, who is mentioned instead, and whether anything about you is wrong. That's your starting point.
When the Carlsbad dentist ran these, ChatGPT recommended her for one question and not the other three. It also listed her old Saturday hours. That one wrong detail traced back to an outdated listing on a directory she'd forgotten she was on.
How to show up more often
1. Get reviews that say something
"Great service!" is nice. "Dr. Patel was so patient with my 6-year-old, who is terrified of dentists" is gold. AI tools pull those details when someone asks for a dentist who's good with kids. When you ask for reviews, give people a gentle prompt about what to mention. Here's how.
2. Keep your Google Business Profile complete
Google removed the public Q&A section from Business Profiles in late 2025 and replaced it with AI-written answers. That means Google's AI now answers questions about your business using your profile, your reviews, and your website. Make sure they all say the right things. Use the checklist.
3. Answer real questions on your website
Write pages that answer the questions customers ask you on the phone, in plain sentences. "Do you take walk-ins?" "How much is a cleaning without insurance?" AI tools love a clear, direct answer they can quote.
4. Show up where people talk
Search Reddit for your city plus your industry. If people are asking for recommendations, it's fine to reply as yourself, say who you are, and actually help. Don't fake posts or create fake accounts. People notice, and so do the platforms.
5. Fix every inconsistency
Same name, same address, same phone, same hours, everywhere. Boring? Yes. Important? Very.
The exact prompts to run on yourself
Copy these into ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot, or Perplexity and read the answers like a customer would. Do this once a quarter.
- "Best [your service] in [your city]"
- "I need a [your service] near [your neighborhood]. Who should I call?"
- "[Your service] vs. [common alternative] — which is better for [situation]?"
- "What should I look for when hiring a [your service]?"
- "Is [your business name] a good choice for [your service]?"
The last one is the one most owners never think to try, and it's the most revealing. If the AI doesn't know your business by name, it will rarely suggest it by category.
What AI tools actually do with your website (plain English)
There are two ways AI tools learn about you, and both matter:
- Training data. The models were trained on years of the web, including review sites, directories, and articles. This is why consistency across the internet matters so much — years of matching information is a strong signal.
- Live lookups. Most modern AI tools can search the web when someone asks a fresh question. When they do, they're looking at your website, your Google Business Profile, your reviews, and what other sites say about you — right then.
You don't need a special file or a secret technique to be "AI-friendly." You need the same things that make you trustworthy to a human: a clear website, real reviews that say something, consistent listings, and mentions in places people actually discuss your industry.
Free 20-second self-check
How ready is your business?
Three questions. No email required. You'll get an honest read on where you stand — and what I'd look at first.
Which businesses get recommended most
After looking at how AI answers come together, the patterns are consistent:
- The ones with review volume. AI tools treat "200 reviews averaging 4.8" very differently than "6 reviews averaging 4.8."
- The ones whose reviews contain specifics. "Fixed our AC in two hours on a Sunday" tells the AI more than "great service."
- The ones with clear, plain-language websites. A site that says "we repair air conditioners in Chula Vista, usually same day" is quotable. "Quality You Can Trust Since 1998" is not.
- The ones discussed elsewhere. AI answers often draw on review platforms, forum threads, and articles. If the only place your business exists is your own website, the AI has less to go on.
- The ones that have been around. New businesses can break in fast with strong reviews, but history is an edge.
Notice what's not on the list: ad spend, website age, or how many pages you have. None of that is what the recommendation is built on.
What not to do
- Don't buy fake reviews. It breaks the rules, and AI tools are getting better at spotting patterns.
- Don't stuff keywords into everything. "Best dentist Carlsbad dentist near me" reads like a robot wrote it, because a robot will read it and not be impressed.
- Don't chase every new AI tool. The fundamentals work across all of them.
FAQ
Does ChatGPT recommend local businesses?
Yes. When people ask for local recommendations, ChatGPT and other AI tools often search the web and name specific businesses, usually based on reviews, listings, and what other sites say.
Can I pay to be recommended by ChatGPT?
Not in the regular answers. You show up by having strong, consistent information about your business across the web.
How long does it take to start showing up in AI answers?
It varies. Fixing wrong info can help within weeks. Building enough reviews and mentions to get recommended regularly usually takes a few months.
Is this different from regular SEO?
It overlaps a lot. The big difference is that AI leans even harder on what other people say about you, especially reviews and community conversations.
Which AI tools should I check?
The big four for local businesses: ChatGPT, Google Gemini (including the AI answers at the top of Google results), Microsoft Copilot, and Perplexity. Run the same prompts in each. You'll often see different answers, which tells you which tools know you and which don't.
Do I need an "llms.txt" file or special AI SEO?
No. "AI SEO" is mostly a new label on the same fundamentals: a clear website, consistent listings, real reviews, and content that answers customer questions. Nobody has shown that special AI-only files change what assistants recommend. Be skeptical of anyone selling you a magic AI technique.
Why did ChatGPT recommend my competitor instead of me?
Usually one of four things: they have more and better reviews, their website answers the question more clearly, they're mentioned in more places online, or the AI simply doesn't know your business exists yet. All four are fixable, and none of them require paying OpenAI anything.
Does my Reddit presence matter for AI?
It can. AI tools frequently draw on discussion threads and review sites when they answer questions, so being part of real conversations in your industry helps. I wrote a whole guide on it: Managing Reddit for AI Search.
Can AI see my website if it's brand new?
Eventually, yes, but new sites have little for AI to draw on. The fastest path for a new business is a complete Google Business Profile plus a steady flow of reviews, because those signals are picked up quickly. The website content catches up over the first year.
Want to know where you stand?
I'll run the AI check for you across the major tools and send you a short report on what they say, what's wrong, and what to fix first. .
Get a free AI visibility check