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Published by J9 Systems. What's new in business tech, and what it means for yours.

Explainer · AI

Is ChatGPT recommending my business? A 3-hour check for local service companies

Customers now ask ChatGPT and Google's AI Mode for a plumber or a CPA. Nobody can buy a slot in those answers. Here is what decides them, and a checklist an office manager can run in an afternoon.

By Carter Josephson · · 6 min read

The short version

What happened

OpenAI says its OAI-SearchBot crawler decides which websites can appear in ChatGPT search answers, and that sites which block it will not be shown there. Google says its AI features in Search are 'rooted in our core Search ranking and quality systems' and that Business Profiles help local businesses appear in AI responses.

What it means for a 10-to-50-person business

When someone asks an AI assistant for 'a good electrician near me,' it searches the web, reads what it finds, and writes a short list. You cannot pay to be on it. What helps is what already helped in search: a crawlable website that says what you do and where, a complete Google Business Profile, consistent listings, and real reviews. Take a 22-person electrical contractor in Spokane. The office manager asks ChatGPT, Gemini and Copilot five questions customers actually ask. The company shows up in two of fifteen answers. Its website blocks unknown crawlers by default, and its Business Profile lists the old address. Fixing both takes about 3 hours. Nobody can promise a ranking after that, and anyone who does is selling something.

What to do
Try it

Have someone ask three AI assistants the five questions your customers ask, then fix your robots.txt, Business Profile and listings before paying anyone for 'AI SEO'.

What it costs
What it costs
Running the 15 test questions and logging results, office time
1 h
Checking robots.txt and fixing Business Profile and directory listings
2 h
Asking 10 recent customers for an honest review, office time
1 h/month
Paid 'AI visibility' retainers
skip until the free fixes are done
Doing nothing
assistants keep repeating whatever stale or thin information they find
Sources
developers.openai.com (primary) · Google: optimizing for generative AI features in Search · Google Business Profile: tips to improve local ranking · Google: Search can now call businesses for pricing (July 16, 2025) · FTC Consumer Reviews and Testimonials Rule: Q&A

The short version

  • AI assistants build local recommendations from what they find on the web. You cannot buy a place in those answers.
  • The levers are old ones: a crawlable site, a complete Google Business Profile, consistent listings and real reviews. Plus one new one: do not block OpenAI's search crawler.
  • Run a 15-question test across three assistants, fix what you find, and only then talk to anyone selling "AI SEO."

1. What is happening

More customers now ask an AI assistant instead of typing into a search box. "Who's a good electrician in north Spokane who can do a panel upgrade?" ChatGPT, Google's AI Mode and AI Overviews, Microsoft Copilot and others answer with a short list and a few sentences about each business.

Owners ask us two questions about this. Am I on that list? And can I pay to get on it? The second answer is no. The first one you can check this afternoon.

2. How the assistants pick

None of these companies publishes a ranking formula. Here is what they have said in writing.

OpenAI (ChatGPT). ChatGPT search draws on third-party search providers and content from OpenAI's partners. OpenAI's crawler documentation says OAI-SearchBot "is used to surface websites in search results in ChatGPT's search features." If your site blocks OAI-SearchBot in robots.txt, it will not be shown in those answers, though it may still appear as a plain link. A separate crawler, GPTBot, collects training data. You can block GPTBot and still allow OAI-SearchBot.

Google (AI Overviews and AI Mode). Google's guide says its generative AI features "are rooted in our core Search ranking and quality systems." It says structured data "isn't required," that there is "no special schema.org markup you need to add," and that Search does not use llms.txt files. For local businesses it points to Google Business Profiles as a way to be visible "in both AI responses and other Google Search results."

Google also calls businesses now. Since July 16, 2025, Google Search can phone local businesses to ask about pricing and availability for a searcher. Google says businesses stay in control through Business Profile settings. If your CSR gets a robotic call asking for a quote, that is probably why.

3. A worked example: a 22-person electrical contractor

A 22-person electrical contractor in Spokane does residential service, panel upgrades and EV chargers. The office manager runs the check below in an afternoon.

The test. Five questions customers really ask, put to ChatGPT, Gemini and Copilot. Logged out where possible, with location set to Spokane.

  1. Best electrician in Spokane for a panel upgrade.
  2. Who installs EV chargers in Spokane Valley.
  3. Emergency electrician open Sunday in Spokane.
  4. Licensed electrician near the South Hill with good reviews.
  5. How much does a 200-amp panel upgrade cost in Spokane.

The result. The company appears in 2 of 15 answers. Two competitors appear in 9 and 7.

What they find. The website's robots.txt was set by a security plugin to block unknown bots, which included OAI-SearchBot. The Google Business Profile lists an address they left two years ago. The website has no page for EV chargers; it is one line on the home page. They have 41 Google reviews; the two competitors have over 200.

What they fix. Allow OAI-SearchBot (10 minutes). Correct the Business Profile and the top directory listings (1 hour). Write a real EV charger page with service area, permit process and a price range (1.5 hours). Start asking every completed job for a review.

They re-run the 15 questions a month later. We cannot tell you the result, and anyone who promises one is guessing.

4. The checklist

  1. Run the test. Five customer questions, three assistants, logged in a spreadsheet. Note who appears and what is said about you. Wrong facts matter more than missing mentions.
  2. Check robots.txt. Visit yoursite.com/robots.txt. Look for lines that block OAI-SearchBot, or block all bots with "Disallow: /". Ask your web person if unsure.
  3. Google Business Profile. Correct name, address, phone, hours, service area, categories and services. Add real photos.
  4. Other listings. Bing Places, Apple Business Connect, Yelp, your trade association directory, the BBB. Same name, address and phone everywhere.
  5. One page per main service. Say what you do, where, roughly what it costs, and how to book. Assistants quote pages that answer the question.
  6. Reviews. Ask every happy customer. Reply to the bad ones calmly.

5. What it costs

About 3 hours of office time for the first pass, then an hour a month on reviews. No software required.

Paid "AI visibility" or "GEO" retainers are a growing category. Some will do the checklist above for you, which is fine if your time is short. None can guarantee placement. Ask what they will do in the first 30 days that you could not do from this list.

6. What to watch: reviews and the law

Do not buy reviews, swap them, or have staff write them. The FTC's Rule on the Use of Consumer Reviews and Testimonials took effect October 21, 2024. It bans buying or selling fake reviews and lets the FTC seek civil penalties against knowing violators. In December 2025 the FTC sent warning letters to 10 companies about possible violations. AI tools that write reviews for you are the fastest way into that problem.

7. What to do

  1. This week: run the 15-question test and check robots.txt.
  2. This month: fix the Business Profile, listings and your two most important service pages.
  3. Every job: ask for a review.
  4. In 60 days: re-run the test and compare.

Sources and method

The verdict

Try it

Have someone ask three AI assistants the five questions your customers ask, then fix your robots.txt, Business Profile and listings before paying anyone for 'AI SEO'.

Questions owners ask

How does ChatGPT decide which businesses to recommend?

When ChatGPT searches the web, it draws on third-party search providers and partner content, then summarises what it finds. OpenAI does not publish a ranking formula. Being crawlable by OAI-SearchBot and having clear, consistent information across the web are the parts you control.

How do I get my business to show up in ChatGPT?

Make sure your robots.txt does not block OAI-SearchBot, keep your website's service and location pages clear, keep your Google Business Profile and directory listings accurate, and earn real reviews. There is no paid placement.

Can I pay to be recommended by ChatGPT or Google AI Mode?

Not in the organic answers. Be wary of anyone selling guaranteed AI recommendations. Google says no special schema or llms.txt file is needed for its AI features.

Do I need an llms.txt file for AI search?

Google says its Search does not use llms.txt and that the file will neither help nor harm your visibility there. It costs little to add, but do not pay someone to make it.

Do reviews affect AI recommendations?

Google says more reviews and positive ratings can help local ranking, and its AI features build on that ranking. Never buy reviews: the FTC's rule, in effect since October 21, 2024, allows civil penalties for knowingly buying or selling fake ones.

Can Google's AI call my business?

Yes. Since July 2025 Google Search can call some local businesses to ask about pricing and availability for a searcher. Google says businesses control this in their Business Profile settings.

Three to five of these, every weekday morning.

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