How Can Customers Find Your Small Business on ChatGPT?

Imagine someone asking ChatGPT:

“Find a dog groomer in York who offers one-to-one appointments for nervous dogs.”

You run exactly that kind of business. But your website says “professional grooming with a personal touch,” and the details about nervous dogs only come up when someone phones.

A potential customer has described what they need. Your business can provide it. The missing piece is information they can find.

That’s a useful place to start if you want customers to discover your business through ChatGPT.

First, there’s no guaranteed way to appear

ChatGPT can search the web for current information and link to sources. When someone asks about local services, their location and the details in their question can influence the results. OpenAI says search results use multiple factors, and placement is not guaranteed.

So be skeptical of anyone promising that a few changes will get your business recommended.

What you can do is make your website accessible, explain your services clearly and keep your business information accurate. Those are useful steps for customers generally, not a proven formula for climbing ChatGPT’s rankings.

Describe the work customers actually need

Let’s use a fictional business, Willow Dog Grooming in York. Its services and policies are made up for this example.

Its homepage currently says:

“Quality grooming services for your beloved pet. Contact our friendly team today.”

That sounds pleasant, but it leaves most of a customer’s questions unanswered.

A more useful description would be:

“Willow Dog Grooming provides one-to-one appointments for small and medium dogs in York. We offer full grooms, bath-and-brush appointments and introductory visits for nervous dogs. Visits are by appointment, with prices confirmed after we discuss your dog’s size, coat and needs.”

Now a reader can work out whether the business might suit them.

You don’t have to rewrite your whole website. Start with your main service page. Does it explain:

• What you do, using words your customers use?
• Who the service is suitable for?
• Where you work or which areas you cover?
• How pricing works?
• How someone can enquire or book?

Specific details help people rule themselves out, too. If you repair domestic appliances but not commercial equipment, say so. Getting enquiries you can actually help with matters more than appearing in every possible search.

Put your phone answers on your website

Think about the questions people ask before they buy. For the fictional groomer, they might include:

“Can you help a dog that is nervous around other dogs?”

“Can I stay during the appointment?”

“How do you work out the price?”

Those questions deserve straightforward answers. They don’t each need a thousand-word article.

Start with five questions you’ve answered recently and add the useful answers to the relevant page. Make sure everything you publish accurately describes your service.

Check that ChatGPT can access your site

There’s one technical check worth making.

OpenAI uses a crawler called OAI-SearchBot to help surface websites in ChatGPT search. A crawler is software that visits web pages. Your website settings or security tools can prevent it from getting in.

Ask whoever manages your site to check that your public service pages allow OAI-SearchBot and that your hosting or security service permits its requests from OpenAI’s published IP addresses. The details are in OpenAI’s crawler documentation.

If you manage the site yourself, your hosting provider may be able to help. Don’t broadly switch off security protections just to let a crawler through.

One useful distinction: OAI-SearchBot is for search, while GPTBot collects content that may be used for model training. OpenAI says site owners can control them separately. You can allow search access while disallowing GPTBot.

Allowing access doesn’t guarantee a recommendation. It removes a potential obstacle.

Tidy up your information elsewhere

Check the business profiles and directories where customers already find you.

Does an old listing have your previous phone number? Does a trade directory say you cover an area you no longer serve? Do your opening hours disagree with your website?

Correct those details where you can. A listing that says “walk-ins welcome” could frustrate a customer if you now work by appointment only.

Focus on the profiles that genuinely matter to your business. You don’t need to scatter the same description across dozens of unfamiliar directories.

Try a few realistic searches

Open a new ChatGPT conversation, select Search and ask something a prospective customer might ask. Include the location rather than relying on “near me.”

For the fictional groomer, you could try:

“Find dog groomers in York that offer one-to-one appointments.”

“Which dog groomers in York mention introductory visits for nervous dogs? Show me the sources.”

Try a few versions, then inspect the links. OpenAI cautions that search results and citations can be incomplete, outdated or incorrect.

If your business appears, check whether the description is right. If it doesn’t, look at the sources used. Are there useful details your own website leaves out?

Keep a short note of the question, date and sources. One answer is a snapshot, not a dependable ranking report.

There’s also a difference between asking about your business by name and asking for a service without naming it. The first checks whether ChatGPT can find information about you. The second checks whether it suggests you among the options. Success at one doesn’t prove success at the other.

Start with one useful change

Before paying for a service that promises to get you recommended by AI, improve one page customers already need.

Explain the service clearly. Add answers to common questions. Check your contact details and booking route. Ask your website provider about crawler access.

Then pay attention to actual enquiries. A simple “How did you hear about us?” can tell you more about business value than repeatedly checking whether your name appears in a chatbot answer.

You can’t control every recommendation ChatGPT makes. You can make sure there’s a clear, accurate explanation of what your business does and who it can help.