1. Home
  2. Resources
  3. How to show up in ChatGPT

Guide · AI search optimization

How to get AI assistants to recommend your business.

ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Perplexity and Copilot can search the web to answer. What their official sources say about how they find the pages they cite, and the steps to make your business one of them.

Updated .

robots.txt Example

Search crawlers: let them in

  • OAI-SearchBotChatGPT Allow
  • Claude-SearchBotClaude Allow
  • PerplexityBotPerplexity Allow
  • GooglebotGoogle and its AI answers Allow
  • BingbotBing and Copilot Allow

Model training: a separate decision

  • GPTBot · ClaudeBot · Google-ExtendedThey don't change your search visibilityYour call
Each name comes from its company's official documentation; the links are under Sources.
A bakery owner checks her phone, leaning on the counter

Illustrative image generated with AI.

Definition

AI search optimization, also called GEO (generative engine optimization), is the work of preparing your website and your online presence so AI assistants find, understand and cite your business when someone asks them about what you sell.

01 How it works

When an AI searches, it cites pages.

When you ask ChatGPT, Claude or Perplexity about something current, they can search the web, read a few pages and answer with links to their sources. Google does something similar in its AI Overviews and in AI Mode, which show links to the sites the answer draws on.

To search, each company uses its own crawlers: OAI-SearchBot at OpenAI, Claude-SearchBot and Claude-User at Anthropic, PerplexityBot at Perplexity. Google and Bing rely on their regular search engines. If your website keeps those crawlers out or isn't indexed, it can't be one of the sources.

What none of them publishes is a formula for getting recommended. Google says there are no additional requirements or special optimizations for its AI features, and Bing says SEO fundamentals also apply to Copilot. What follows are the steps that are up to you.

02 The steps

Six steps so an AI can cite you.

The first two are technical and done once. The other four are monthly work.

  • 01

    Let the search crawlers in

    Check your robots.txt and your firewall. OpenAI recommends allowing OAI-SearchBot to appear in ChatGPT search, Perplexity recommends the same for PerplexityBot, and Anthropic warns that blocking Claude-SearchBot may reduce your visibility.

    Training crawlers (GPTBot, ClaudeBot) are a separate decision.

  • 02

    Make sure you're indexed

    Google requires a page to be indexed and meet its Search technical requirements to appear as a link in its AI features. Register your site in Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools and submit your sitemap.

  • 03

    Answer your customers' questions in text

    What you do, in which city, for whom, how long it takes and how to hire you. One page per service and real FAQs, in text and not inside images or PDFs.

  • 04

    Mark up your details with schema.org

    LocalBusiness or Organization, Service and FAQPage structured data state your name, address, hours and services in a standard format.

  • 05

    Keep the same details everywhere

    Your website, your Google Business Profile, Bing and your social accounts should all say the same thing. If your hours change, update them everywhere on the same day.

    Local SEO and Google Maps guide

  • 06

    Get others to talk about you

    Google explains that its AI features can run several related searches to put an answer together. Real reviews, industry directories, media and partners give you sources beyond your own website.

03 The llms.txt file

What about the llms.txt file?

It's a proposal, not an official standard: a text file at the root of your website that sums up the essentials of your business for AI agents. Jeremy Howard proposed it in 2024.

The Google, OpenAI, Anthropic and Perplexity guides cited here don't ask for it. It's easy to publish and does no harm: use it as a complement to the six steps, not as a replacement.

Sample llms.txt

# Horno Alba
> Artisan bakery in Brooklyn, New York. Custom cakes with 48 hours' notice.

## Services
- [Custom cakes](https://hornoalba.co/cakes)
- [Orders on WhatsApp](https://hornoalba.co/orders)

Horno Alba is a made-up brand for this example.

04 What to avoid

What doesn't work.

Shortcuts that promise to put your brand in AI answers usually cost more than they deliver.

  • Pages made for AI

    Copy stuffed with keywords or different content for crawlers. Google asks for helpful, people-first content, and its policies also apply to its AI features.

  • Blocking everything out of fear

    If you shut out every AI crawler, you also shut out the ones that could cite you. Decide on each one.

  • Measuring with a single question

    Answers change from one query to the next. One screenshot tells you nothing; a trend over several months does.

  • Believing in guarantees

    Nobody controls what an AI answers. Be wary of anyone who guarantees you'll be recommended.

05 How to measure

Three steps to know if you're improving.

You don't need paid tools to start: a spreadsheet and half an hour a month.

  1. 01

    Make your list of questions

    Ten or twenty real, complete questions from your customers: “which bakery in Brooklyn makes custom cakes,” not “bakery.”

  2. 02

    Ask several AI assistants

    ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Perplexity, Copilot and Google. Note whether you show up, what they say about you and which sources they cite.

  3. 03

    Repeat every month

    With the same questions and in the same tools. That way you see trends, not flukes.

Would you rather we do it for you?
Book your free assessment See our AI search optimization service

06 Questions

Frequently asked questions about showing up in AI answers.

Have another question? Message us and we'll reply the same business day.

Ask on WhatsApp
How do I show up in ChatGPT?

Allow the OAI-SearchBot crawler in your robots.txt, make sure your website is indexed and publish clear text about what you do, where and for whom. OpenAI doesn't publish a formula for getting recommended: the rest depends on how clear and consistent your information is online.

Do I have to pay to appear in AI answers?

No. None of the official sources cited in this guide requires payment for a page to appear as a source in answers. Advertising, where it exists, is a separate product.

Should I block GPTBot or ClaudeBot?

It's your call. OpenAI and Anthropic separate the crawlers that collect content to train models (GPTBot, ClaudeBot) from the ones they use for search (OAI-SearchBot, Claude-SearchBot), so you can block some and allow others. At Google, blocking Google-Extended doesn't affect your inclusion in Search.

Does the llms.txt file help?

It's a useful proposal and easy to publish, but it isn't an official standard, and the Google, OpenAI, Anthropic and Perplexity guides cited here don't ask for it. Publish it as a complement to everything else, not as a replacement.

How long until a change shows up?

It depends on each tool. OpenAI and Perplexity say a robots.txt change can take about 24 hours to be reflected. New content and mentions on other sites take longer, so measure month by month.

Sources

What the official sources say.

These tools change fast. Check each company's current documentation; every link was verified on October 28, 2026.

ChatGPT, OpenAI, Claude, Anthropic, Gemini, Google, Perplexity, Copilot, Bing, Microsoft and the other brands mentioned belong to their owners. Blinq has no commercial agreements with them and is not affiliated with them.

Want to know what AI assistants say about your business today?

We ask the main AI assistants your customers' questions and show you what to fix. The assessment is free, no strings attached.

Book your free assessment Message us on WhatsApp