Think about the questions customers might ask
Someone looking for a gym may describe their needs rather than type a short keyword: “I want a gym near work with day passes and plenty of free weights.” A business owner might ask for help comparing website options before contacting an agency.
Those are illustrative questions, not evidence that a particular platform will return a specific business. They are useful because they reveal the information your pages need to provide.
If your opening hours, facilities, service area or booking arrangements are missing, a person researching your business has less to work with. Start there before worrying about more elaborate optimisation.
Check access for ChatGPT search
OpenAI documents different agents for different purposes:
| Agent | Documented purpose |
|---|---|
| OAI-SearchBot | Crawling associated with search visibility |
| GPTBot | Crawling content that may be used for model training |
| ChatGPT-User | Visits associated with user requests |
These distinctions matter. Search access and training access are separate decisions. Review OpenAI’s crawler documentation before changing settings.
Ask your developer to check the relevant robots.txt rules and whether hosting or security controls are blocking legitimate access to public pages. Changing a text file will not solve every firewall or rendering problem. Keep private areas protected.
Give your main services enough detail
A service page should explain the service in its own right. “Get in touch to find out more” is a useful next step, but it should not be the whole description.
For a local business, include the actual area you serve. For a service with several options, explain the differences. For something that needs a quotation, describe what affects the price and what information you need to prepare one.
For example, a hypothetical cleaning business could explain whether it handles regular domestic cleaning, end-of-tenancy work or both. It could state whether materials are included and how a customer can check availability. Those details help someone make a decision without guessing.
Write a page worth visiting
An article should offer more than an introduction followed by a sales pitch. If it compares options, explain the trade-offs. If it gives a checklist, make the steps usable. If it shares experience, show what happened and what you learned.
Original photographs, clear examples and genuine project details can help readers assess your work. Use them because they support the subject, not as decorations around generic copy.
Our AI search action plan explains how to choose those supporting topics without producing several pages that compete with one another.
Avoid the “recommend my business” test
Asking an assistant to name your company proves very little about whether an unfamiliar customer would discover it. A more useful observation starts with a natural question about a service, location and need, without including your brand name.
Record the wording and date, and note whether web search was used. Treat the result as one observation. Repeating a prompt until you receive a favourable answer is not a reliable visibility measure.
What happens after someone clicks?
Match the next step to the page. A visitor reading about a service should be able to view that service and enquire. Someone reading a general guide may need a related example or a clearer explanation first.
Keep the route simple. Check the mobile layout, contact details and form confirmation. Our AI lead-tracking guide explains how to investigate identifiable referrals without assuming every visitor can be attributed.
Can a small local business appear?
The useful approach is to make your genuine services and local details clear, rather than try to look like a national brand. Read our local AI SEO guide for practical examples.
To explore other platforms, return to the AI Search Visibility Hub. If you want help with your website’s content, structure or enquiry journey, contact Gee Web Design and tell us what you would like to improve.