AI tools like ChatGPT, Google's AI Overviews and Perplexity recommend businesses they understand and trust. You get named by being clearly described on your own site, backed by structured data, and mentioned in places the AI already reads, like reviews, directories and reputable websites. There is no ad to buy here. You earn the mention.
Why this matters now
A growing share of people no longer scroll a page of blue links. They ask ChatGPT for a plumber, or read Google's AI answer at the top of the page, and act on what it says.
If those tools cannot understand your business, you are simply not in the conversation, no matter how good you are. The businesses that get named are the ones the AI can read and trust.
How AI decides who to recommend
Three things matter more than anything else:
- It reads your website. Major AI crawlers run no JavaScript, so your business needs to be clearly described in plain, server-rendered text, not hidden behind a script.
- It reads your structured data. Schema markup tells the AI exactly what your business is, what you do and where you work, in a format it trusts.
- It weighs what others say. Reviews, directory listings and mentions on reputable sites tell the AI you are real and worth recommending.
What you can actually do
You do not need a trick. You need to be legible and trusted:
- Answer the real questions on your site, clearly and near the top of the page.
- Add structured data so AI tools understand your business as an entity.
- Keep your Google Business Profile complete and your reviews flowing.
- Get mentioned on the local sites and directories the AI already reads.
- Keep your name, address and details identical everywhere they appear.
Skip the shortcuts
There is a lot of noise about quick GEO hacks. An llms.txt file and a few meta tags will not get you recommended. No AI engine uses them to decide who to name.
What works is the slower, real work: being easy to understand, backed by data, and trusted by the wider web. That is exactly what earns rankings on Google too, which is why the two pull in the same direction.
