Guide · UK small businesses
How to get your business recommended by ChatGPT (UK)
When someone asks ChatGPT, Gemini or Perplexity “who is good near me?”, the answer usually names a handful of businesses. This guide explains, in plain English, what you can do to give yourself the best chance of being one of them. No tricks, and no promises nobody can keep.
By Word of Chat · Published 21 October 2026
Short on time? Our free check asks ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini for you.
Why it matters
Search engines show a page of links. AI assistants tend to give a short answer with a few names in it. If a customer asks for a recommendation and your business is not in that answer, they may never see you at all. The good news: most of what helps is ordinary, honest housekeeping that also helps you win customers in every other way.
1. See what AI says about you today
Ask ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity the questions a customer would ask, in their words: "who is a good roofer in Bourne?", "where can I get my dog groomed near Oakham?". Use your own trade and town.
Ask each question more than once and on more than one day. AI answers change from one ask to the next, so a single answer tells you very little.
Write down who gets named, how often, and what the answer says about them. That is your starting point.
2. Make your Google Business Profile complete and true
For a local business this is often the most important single listing. Choose the right main category, list every service you offer, set the towns you cover, keep opening hours (including holidays) up to date and add real photos.
Fill in the attributes that apply to you, such as wheelchair access, emergency call-outs or dog-friendly. People ask AI about exactly these things.
3. Say clearly what you do and where, on your own website
Have one page for each main service, written in the words customers use, saying which towns or areas you cover. Only list places you genuinely serve.
Put the basics in plain text, not only in images or PDFs: services, prices or "from" prices if you share them, opening hours, contact details, and any registrations or memberships.
4. Get real reviews, steadily
Ask every happy customer, in a simple, consistent way: a text or email with a direct link after the job. Reviews that mention the job and the place are the most useful to the next customer.
Reply to reviews, good and bad, politely. Never buy, write or swap reviews, and never offer anything in return for a positive one.
5. Keep your details the same everywhere
Your business name, area and phone number should match on your website, Google, Facebook and any directories or trade bodies you are listed with. Conflicting details make it harder for anyone, people or AI, to be sure who you are.
6. Answer the questions customers really ask
Add a short FAQ to your website using the questions you hear on the phone: "do you cover weekends?", "how soon can you come out?", "do you do free quotes?". Answer them honestly and in plain words.
7. Let AI tools read your website
Some websites block AI crawlers by accident, through a setting in the robots.txt file or a security plugin. If you want to be found in AI answers, ask whoever runs your website to check that the search crawlers used by AI assistants are allowed in.
Also check that your important pages show their text without needing a login or a click to "load more".
8. Be mentioned in the right places locally
Local news, community groups, trade associations, suppliers you work with and local "best of" lists are all places your business can be mentioned for real. Earn these mentions; do not pay for fake ones.
9. Check again, the same way
After making changes, ask the same questions the same way and compare. Changes are not instant and there is no fixed timescale, so re-check monthly rather than daily.
What to avoid
- Fake reviews of any kind. Buying, writing or swapping reviews breaks review sites' rules and UK consumer law.
- Anyone promising a guaranteed spot in ChatGPT's answers. AI assistants decide for themselves; nobody can sell you a place in them.
- Stuffing your pages with town names you do not really cover. It misleads customers and rarely helps.
- Copying AI-written pages that say nothing specific about you. Real detail about your services and area is what helps.
Want to know where you stand?
Our free check asks ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini the kind of questions your customers ask and emails you, in plain English, whether you were named and who was named instead. If you want more, every service has a fixed price.
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Questions
How does ChatGPT decide which businesses to recommend?
Nobody outside the AI companies knows exactly, and it changes. When an AI assistant searches the web to answer, it draws on what is published about businesses: websites, Google Business Profiles, reviews, directories and local news. Being clear, consistent and well reviewed in those places gives it accurate things to say about you.
Can I pay to be recommended by ChatGPT?
You cannot buy a guaranteed place in an AI assistant's answer. Be wary of anyone who offers one. What you can do is make sure the information AI assistants rely on is complete, accurate and positive.
How long does it take to start being recommended?
There is no fixed timescale. Some changes may be picked up sooner than others, and AI answers vary from one ask to the next. That is why we measure before and after, asking the same questions the same way.
Do I need a website?
It helps a lot, but it is not the only thing. A complete Google Business Profile, steady real reviews and consistent directory listings matter too, and they are where many small businesses should start.
Is this different from SEO?
It overlaps. Much of what helps you show up in Google also helps AI assistants: clear pages, accurate listings and real reviews. The difference is that AI gives a short list of names instead of ten links, so being one of those names matters more.
Can I do all of this myself?
Yes. Everything in this guide can be done by a business owner. If you would rather know where you stand first, our free check asks ChatGPT and Google's Gemini about your business and emails you what they said.