Why isn't my business showing up in ChatGPT?
AI assistants such as ChatGPT, Gemini and Google's AI Overviews name businesses they can find, understand and trust. If your website is thin, unclear about what you do and where, or barely mentioned anywhere else online, they will recommend someone else.
More people now ask an AI assistant for a recommendation instead of scrolling through search results. When someone on the Sunshine Coast asks for a local plumber, accountant or web designer, the assistant names a handful of businesses. Being one of them is the aim of AI search optimisation.
What AI assistants look for
- A website that says plainly what you do, where you do it and who for
- Pages that answer the questions your customers actually ask
- Structured data that tells machines your business name, address, services and reviews
- Mentions of your business on other sites: directories, local press, industry bodies and reviews
- Consistent details everywhere, so your name, address and phone number match
Common reasons a business gets missed
The usual culprits are a website that is mostly images with little text, service pages that never mention a location, no reviews or directory listings, and conflicting details across the web. Assistants are cautious: if they cannot be sure about you, they will not recommend you.
How it relates to SEO
Most of the work overlaps with good SEO. Clear pages, solid technical foundations and a strong reputation help you in Google and in AI answers. The difference is that AI assistants reward direct, quotable answers and evidence from other sites even more heavily.
Where to start
Start by searching for your own services in ChatGPT, Gemini and Google and see who gets named. Then compare their websites and listings with yours. If you would like a hand, we can check how often AI assistants mention your business and show you what to fix first.
Frequently asked questions
No one can guarantee that, and you should be wary of anyone who does. What we can do is fix the things that stop assistants finding and trusting you, and measure how often you get mentioned over time.
Not yet. Most people still use Google, and Google now shows AI Overviews at the top of many searches. Doing both well matters, and most of the groundwork is shared.
More on Getting found
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