What we know about how to rank in ChatGPT
OpenAI publishes very little about how ChatGPT picks businesses. Here is what its own pages say, as of October 2026:
- Your site has to be crawlable by OAI-SearchBot. OpenAI says sites opted out of it will not be shown in ChatGPT search answers, except as plain navigational links (OpenAI crawler documentation). GPTBot is a separate crawler used for training, and you can block one while allowing the other.
- ChatGPT search sometimes uses outside search providers. It rewrites a question into targeted searches, may use an approximate location from your IP address for local results, and may get nearby business listings from third-party providers (OpenAI Help Center: ChatGPT search).
- Results are ranked on several factors meant to find relevant, reliable information. OpenAI doesn't list them, and says "Placement is not guaranteed."
What we don't know
OpenAI doesn't say which providers supply local business listings in each case, how reviews are weighed, or how much your own website counts against directories and articles that mention you. Tools that claim to track "ChatGPT rankings" sample answers to prompts, and answers change from one session to the next. Treat those numbers as a rough signal, not a rank.
So we don't sell ChatGPT ranking as a separate product. We build the things every one of these systems can read: a site that can be crawled, pages that answer real questions, and business details that match everywhere. That's the same base as our organic SEO services.
What Google says about AI Overviews SEO
Google's guidance on AI features is more direct (Google Search Central: AI features and your website, last updated December 2025, so check for changes):
- There are no additional requirements to appear in AI Overviews or AI Mode. The page has to be indexed and eligible to show with a snippet.
- You don't need new machine-readable files, AI text files or special schema. Structured data you already have should match the visible text.
- The usual basics apply: allow crawling, link to pages internally, keep important content in text, support it with good images, and keep your Business Profile current.
- Both features may use query fan-out, running related searches across subtopics, so answers can link to a wider set of pages than classic results.
- Clicks and impressions from AI Overviews and AI Mode are counted in Search Console under the Web search type, mixed in with your other search traffic.
Because AI traffic is mixed into the normal Web numbers, Search Console can't tell you exactly how often you were cited. The practical test is to search your main services the way a customer would and check whether your pages are linked in the AI answer.
Steps that make a home service business easy to cite
- Check robots.txt and your firewall. Make sure Googlebot and OAI-SearchBot aren't blocked. OpenAI says its published crawler IP addresses also must not be blocked at your host or CDN.
- Give each service its own page. "Furnace repair in Woodbridge" is easier to cite than a page listing twenty services in one paragraph.
- Answer the question in the first lines. Cost ranges you actually charge, how long a job takes, what's included. AI answers pull from pages that say things plainly.
- Keep business details identical everywhere. Name, phone, address, hours and service area should match on your site, Business Profile and main listings, since outside listing providers may be the source.
- Earn mentions on sites people trust. Local news, suppliers and trade associations. Because of query fan-out, answers can link to pages well beyond your own site.
- Keep getting reviews. When an AI answer names you, many people check your profile next, and reviews are what they read.
Controlling what AI features use
Some owners want the opposite: less of their content in AI answers. Both companies give you controls, and they're separate.
- Google: AI Overviews and AI Mode follow the same controls as regular Search. Google lists nosnippet, data-nosnippet, max-snippet and noindex for limiting what's shown, and a separate Google-Extended setting for use in other Google systems. Google notes that recrawling after a change can take days to months.
- OpenAI: OAI-SearchBot controls ChatGPT search, GPTBot controls training, and each is set separately in robots.txt. OpenAI says robots.txt changes can take about 24 hours to take effect. ChatGPT-User visits are started by people inside ChatGPT, so robots.txt rules may not apply to them.
For a home service business, blocking search crawlers rarely makes sense. Your prices, service area and phone number are things you want repeated correctly. A common middle ground is allowing the search crawlers and blocking training, which both companies support. Whatever you choose, write it down, because a later plugin or CDN change can undo it without anyone noticing. We check robots.txt and crawler access as part of every technical audit.
What doesn't help
- An llms.txt file or "AI schema". Google says you don't need them for its AI features. OpenAI's pages don't mention them either.
- Pages written for bots. Long keyword lists and fake FAQ pages don't read as reliable to a person or a model.
- Buying "AI visibility" guarantees. Neither company guarantees placement, so nobody else can.
Measure it the boring way: Search Console for Google, and referral visits from chatgpt.com in your analytics for ChatGPT.