For years, businesses have focused on one big digital marketing question: How do we get to the top of Google? Now they are asking another question. As an agency offering AI optimization and SEO services in Burlington, we’re hearing it often. “We’re wondering how to get recommended by ChatGPT.”
The simple answer is that there is no guarantee that you will be mentioned or cited by ChatGPT. OpenAI says that ChatGPT Search ranks results using multiple factors related to relevance and reliability and that placement is not guaranteed.
The reality is that AI assistants — also called AI chatbots or LLMs — are becoming another way people research products, services and companies. One of the most popular ones is ChatGPT. Instead of searching through a list of links, someone can ask a conversational question such as, “Who are the best digital marketing agencies in Burlington?” or “What companies provide SEO services in Burlington?” ChatGPT can search the web when current information would improve its answer and return information and sources directly within the conversation.
That creates a new visibility channel for businesses. Being discoverable is no longer only about appearing on a traditional search engine results page. It is also about becoming one of the businesses that AI assistants can find, understand, and confidently mention when answering relevant questions.
So, let’s look at how to get recommended by ChatGPT, including improving your chances of being mentioned and cited in ChatGPT.
Why Being Recommended By ChatGPT Matters
Think about how people search when they want a recommendation. This is usually the start of the customer journey.
Traditional Google searches might look like:
- “SEO services in Burlington”
- “best digital marketing company near me”
- “overhead cranes in Ontario”
- “family lawyer Toronto”
- “control panel manufacturer Ontario”
AI allows people to make these searches much more conversational and specific.
Someone might ask, “What are some reputable marketing agencies with SEO services in Burlington that work with small businesses?” They could follow that with more specific queries.
That difference matters.
AI search is increasingly becoming part of the research and consideration stage of a customer’s buying journey. People use ChatGPT more as they become familiar with it: OpenAI’s June 2026 adoption research found that six months after signing up, users were sending 50% more messages per day than when they joined. They had also doubled the number of different types of tasks they had tried with ChatGPT. One of these tasks is research.
A potential customer may discover your business while researching a problem, comparing providers or asking for a shortlist. They do this all before they ever search for your company by name.
A recommendation doesn’t necessarily mean ChatGPT tells someone, “Hire this company.” It may mean your company is included among relevant options, referenced as an example, cited as a source or included as a potential answer to a specific local or industry question.
What Do ChatGPT Business Recommendations Look Like?
There are many types of prompts that can potentially lead to your business being discovered.
For example, users might ask:
- “What are the best companies for [service] in [city]?”
- “Who provides [specialized service] near me?”
- “What companies should I consider for [service]?”
- “What are some reputable alternatives to [competitor]?”
- “Which local companies specialize in [specific problem]?”
- “Who works with businesses in [specific industry]?”
- “Compare companies that provide [service].”
This is why understanding how to get your business recommended by ChatGPT and AI assistants goes beyond ranking for one or two high-volume keywords.
Businesses need a digital presence that establishes relevance across the questions potential customers are actually asking.
It’s also why understanding your target audience and potential customers is extremely important. When you know what they are seeking, you can align your marketing and brand messaging to work with their queries. It’s one step toward improving your chances of being mentioned by ChatGPT in recommendation queries.
How To Get Recommended By ChatGPT: 5 Ways To Improve Your Chances
No agency can guarantee that they can get your company recommended by ChatGPT with every prompt.
However, what businesses can do is strengthen the signals that make their brand easier for search engines and AI systems to discover and understand.
1. Get Your SEO Fundamentals Right
The rise of AI search doesn’t make traditional SEO obsolete. It actually makes a strong search foundation even more valuable.
OpenAI says websites need to allow its search crawler to access their content to be eligible for inclusion in ChatGPT search. Google similarly continues to emphasize established SEO fundamentals for its own AI search experiences. As a result of this, your website should have strong technical SEO, logical site architecture, clear service pages, relevant internal links, descriptive headings and useful content.
For a local business, that also means clearly communicating what you do and where you do it.
A company looking to improve its visibility for SEO services in Burlington, for example, needs content and supporting signals that establish its relevance to both the service and location.
2. Create Content That Answers Real Customer Questions
When you create content that delivers on customer queries, you’re more likely to get recommended by ChatGPT. AI assistants are built around questions and conversations. Your content strategy should reflect that.
Don’t simply publish content because a keyword has search volume. Consider the questions customers ask before choosing a provider, the comparisons they make, the terminology they don’t understand and the problems that lead them to seek your services.
FAQs, guides, service pages, location content, comparison pieces and educational blog posts can all help establish greater topical depth.
The objective is to make your website a genuinely useful resource within your area of expertise.
NOTE: Balance SEO and AI optimization. While more people are seeking information via prompt questions, there are still many who go to Google first for answers.
3. Build Authority Beyond Your Own Website
Information about your website exists beyond your website. Mentions on credible third-party websites, directories, industry publications, association websites, news articles, reviews and other relevant sources can help with AI recommendations.
AI is pulling signals and information about your brand from multiple sources rather than simply finding one optimized web page.
A business that is consistently discussed and accurately represented across the web has stronger external evidence supporting what it says about itself.
4. Make Your Business Easy To Understand
Your website shouldn’t leave visitors, or search technology, confused and guessing.
Be clear about your services, industries, locations, experience and areas of expertise. Keep important business information consistent across your website and other online profiles.
Structured content also helps. Descriptive page titles, logical headings, relevant schema markup and clearly organized information can make website content easier for search technologies to process.
NOTE: This isn’t about stuffing pages with keywords or creating content specifically for robots. It’s about removing ambiguity around your business.
5. Strengthen Your Brand Search Presence
AI visibility and brand visibility increasingly go hand in hand.
If someone searches for your company, what do they find?
Ideally, search results should reinforce a consistent picture of your business through your website, Google Business Profile, social channels, reviews, industry listings and third-party mentions.
This is one reason SEO, digital PR, content marketing, local search and brand building shouldn’t operate as completely separate strategies. Together, they create the online presence that helps establish your company as a recognizable entity within its market.
AI Visibility Starts With A Stronger Digital Marketing Strategy And SEO Services In Burlington
Learning how to get recommended by ChatGPT isn’t about discovering a secret AI optimization trick. There isn’t one.
It’s about making your company easier to discover, understand and trust across the digital landscape.
That means combining technical SEO with useful content, local optimization, brand consistency, third-party authority and a website that clearly demonstrates your expertise. These are practices that can support traditional search visibility while positioning your business for a search environment increasingly influenced by AI.
At CM2 Media, we’re helping businesses adapt their SEO and content strategies for the way people are searching today, and where search is heading next.
Want to strengthen your visibility across Google, ChatGPT and AI-powered search? Contact CM2 Media to discuss how SEO, content and a stronger digital presence can help your business get found.
Follow CM2 Media on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram for more tips on local search and digital marketing. Contact CM2 Media today to schedule your free consultation and take the first step toward owning your local market.