How to get your local business recommended by ChatGPT: the 5-step plan
June 7, 2026
When your customers ask ChatGPT or Gemini who to call, the AI gives 2 or 3 names. Here is the 5-step plan to become one of them. No tech skills needed - just a weekend and some patience.
Step 1: Make your name, address and phone identical everywhere
Google Business Profile, Yelp, Facebook, your website footer, every directory. Same spelling, same suite number, same phone format. Mismatches are the #1 reason AI skips real businesses.
Step 2: Rewrite your homepage in plain language
The first paragraph of your website should say what you do, where you do it, and for whom: "We install commercial windows for high-rise and multifamily buildings in the New York tristate area." That sentence is what the AI quotes.
Step 3: Add a FAQ page with real questions
Write down the 10 questions customers actually ask you on the phone, and answer them in writing the way you would say it out loud. AI apps love FAQs because they are pre-packaged answers.
Step 4: Get reviews where AI can read them
Google reviews matter most. Ask every happy customer. The AI reads both the star rating and what the reviews say about which services you did and where.
Step 5: Re-check monthly
AI answers change constantly. Run the same test every month - ask each AI app who it recommends for your trade in your town - and watch whether your name starts appearing. Movement takes weeks, not days. It compounds.
Run the free 30-second check to see exactly which AI apps know your business.