The short answer: when someone asks ChatGPT "who's a good plumber near me?", the answer is built from information published on the web: business websites, map listings, directories, review sites and articles. You can't buy or force a mention. What you can do is make accurate, consistent facts about your company easy to find and read: a clear website that states what you do and where, a complete Business Profile, the same details on major directories, recent reviews, and pages that answer real customer questions directly. Then check regularly what assistants say.
This guide covers ChatGPT first, then the same ideas for Gemini, Perplexity and AI summaries in search.
How assistants answer local questions
Chatbots don't keep a private list of the best plumbers in each town. For questions about local businesses they typically search the web, read a handful of sources and summarize them. The sources vary: your own website, map and listing data, review platforms, local news, "best of" articles and forum threads.
That has three consequences:
- If your site doesn't say plainly what you do and where, the tool has little to quote.
- If directories disagree about your phone number or address, the summary may repeat the wrong one.
- If people talk about you positively in places the tool reads, that can be reflected in the answer.
Answers also vary from one question to the next and one day to the next. A single test tells you little; a sample over time tells you more.
Can crawlers read your site?
ChatGPT's search feature relies on OpenAI's search crawler, which OpenAI calls OAI-SearchBot, and its help pages explain that sites need to allow it to appear in ChatGPT search answers. Other AI tools have their own crawlers. Check your robots.txt file (at yourdomain.com/robots.txt). If it blocks crawlers broadly, or if a security service blocks bots you didn't intend to block, these tools may not be able to read your pages.
Blocking AI training crawlers is a separate choice from blocking search crawlers; some companies treat the two separately. If you are unsure what your site blocks, our free AI visibility checker and what we check for each assistant are good starting points.
What helps you get described correctly
A website that states the facts plainly
Somewhere obvious (the home page and an about page), say in plain sentences:
- what you do and which services you offer,
- the towns or areas you cover,
- your hours, phone number and how to book,
- licenses, insurance and years in business, if true and relevant.
Chatbots quote clear sentences more easily than slogans. "We repair and replace water heaters across Lakeside and Elm Grove, seven days a week" beats "Excellence in every drop".
Pages that answer questions directly
Customers type full questions: "how much does a water heater replacement cost?", "is a dripping tap urgent?". A page that answers a common question in the first two sentences, then explains, is easy to summarize. Use question headings where they fit. Our local service page checklist shows how.
Structured data
Schema markup (LocalBusiness or a more specific type, with your name, address, phone, hours and area served) puts the key facts in a machine-readable form. It isn't a ranking switch, but it removes guesswork. See what schema markup is.
Consistent details everywhere
Your Business Profile, Apple Maps, Bing Places, Yelp, Facebook and trade directories should all show the same name, phone and address. Our guide to NAP consistency and citations walks through the cleanup.
Reviews and mentions
Recent reviews on the platforms people use, and genuine mentions in local news or community sites, give these tools more to work with. Earn them; never buy or fake them.
How to check what assistants say
- Write down five to ten questions a real customer would ask, such as "best emergency plumber in [town]" or "dentist open Saturday near [neighbourhood]".
- Ask them in ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and a search engine with AI summaries, logged out or in a fresh chat.
- Note whether you are mentioned, which competitors are, and which sources are cited.
- Repeat monthly and compare.
Our guide to checking what AI assistants say has a template for the log.
Example: a short fact sheet
Many companies add a plain "about us" or facts section that reads like a reference card. For an imaginary heating company (not a client) it might say:
- Founded in 2009, family owned, eight technicians.
- Repairs, maintenance and installation of furnaces, heat pumps and central air.
- Serves Lakeside, Elm Grove and North Hill; no work outside those areas.
- Open weekdays 7 to 6, emergency calls answered 24 hours.
- Licensed and insured; license number shown at the bottom of every page.
- Book by phone or with the online form; most repair visits within one working day.
Every line is a fact a customer might ask about, written so it can be quoted without rewording. Keep it true and update it when anything changes.
What nobody can promise
A recommendation from an assistant cannot be guaranteed by any agency, tool or trick. Be wary of anyone selling "ChatGPT placement". The honest work is the same work that helps customers: accurate facts, useful pages, real reviews.
Common questions
Does ChatGPT use Google results?
Different assistants use different search sources, and those details change. Rather than chase one source, make your facts consistent everywhere people and machines look.
Should I write content just for chatbots?
No. Write for customers, in plain language, with clear answers. That is what gets quoted anyway.
Do I need an llms.txt file?
It is an optional, emerging convention for listing a site's key pages for AI tools. It does no harm, but it does not replace clear pages and accurate listings.
How often do answers change?
Often. Treat each check as a sample and look at trends over months.
Next steps
Run the free AI visibility checker to see whether AI tools mention you for a service and town. For ongoing tracking with plain monthly reports, see our AI search visibility service. For AI summaries in search results, read about Google AI Overviews for local businesses.