How to Get ChatGPT to Recommend Your Business
The New AI Game for Getting Found Online
SmartOwner Newsletter
How to Get ChatGPT to Recommend Your Business
The New Game for Getting Found Online
I need to tell you something that might sting a little.
You know all that work you’ve been doing to get found on Google? The website updates, the blog posts, the keywords?
It doesn’t matter to AI.
Well, it matters a little. But here’s the stat that should stop you cold:
Only 12% of sources cited by ChatGPT also rank on page one of Google.
Read that again. The businesses winning on Google are not the businesses getting cited by AI. It’s almost two entirely different games now.
And here’s the problem: your customers are increasingly asking AI for recommendations instead of Googling them.
“What’s the best accountant in Nashville?” “Who should I hire for kitchen remodeling?” “What marketing agency works with small businesses?”
If you’re not showing up in those AI answers, you’re invisible to a growing chunk of your market.
Today I’m breaking down exactly how AI decides what to cite, why it’s completely different from Google, and what you can do about it starting this week.
Word of the Day: GEO (Generative Engine Optimization)
GEO stands for Generative Engine Optimization. It’s the practice of optimizing your online presence so that AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity cite you in their responses.
Think of it as the next evolution of getting found online.
Google optimization asks: “How do I rank on Google’s results page?”
GEO asks: “How do I become the source AI trusts enough to quote?”
Different question. Different strategy. Different winners.
If you’ve been focused on Google, congratulations. You’re halfway there. But only halfway. GEO requires a whole new playbook, and most of your competitors haven’t even heard of it yet.
The Core Shift: From Keywords to Trust
Here’s the fundamental difference:
Google asks: “Who has the best keywords and backlinks?”
AI asks: “Who do humans repeatedly reference when discussing this problem?”
Google is a retrieval system. It finds pages that match your search.
AI is a trust inference system. It synthesizes information from sources it considers authoritative and generates an answer.
That’s why your website might rank #1 on Google and still never get mentioned by ChatGPT. Google cares about your website structure. AI cares about whether other people talk about you.
Look at that last line. Fewer than 6% of AI citations come from brand-owned websites unless they’re already referenced somewhere else.
Your website alone won’t cut it. You need people talking about you in other places.
Reddit. YouTube. Quora. Review sites. Press coverage. Wikipedia.
These aren’t “nice to have” anymore. They’re where AI learns who to trust.
Two Games, Two Scorecards
You’re now playing two completely different games simultaneously:
The Google Game
Goal: Rank #1 on search results
What wins: Keywords, backlinks, website structure
Content length: 2,000-5,000 words for comprehensive guides
Win condition: Page 1 ranking
The GEO Game (AI Tools)
Goal: Be the source AI cites
What wins: Third-party mentions, reviews, forum presence
Content length: 500-1,000 words with direct answers
Win condition: “According to [your business]...” in AI responses
Notice the content length difference. Google rewards comprehensive, lengthy guides. AI rewards concise, quotable answers.
You might need both versions of key content: a long-form piece for Google, and a tight, citation-friendly version for AI.
How Each AI Platform Decides What to Cite
They’re not all the same. Here’s what each one looks for:
ChatGPT (858 million users)
What it needs from you:
An established site with clear expertise
Social proof (reviews, testimonials, third-party mentions)
Structured FAQs with clear question-answer pairs
Current statistics and data
What triggers citations:
“What does [Company] do?”
“Best [service] for [use case]”
Comparison questions (”X vs Y”)
How-to queries
Perplexity (780 million queries/month, growing 370% year over year)
What it needs from you:
Recent publication dates (freshness matters most here)
Precise, quotable statements
Clear author credentials on the page
Well-structured headings
What triggers citations:
Fact-checking queries
Research requests
“What does [source] say about...”
Technical explanations
Claude
What it needs from you:
Detailed reasoning, not just conclusions
Balanced viewpoints
Clear methodology descriptions
Evidence-based content
What triggers citations:
Professional research queries
Process and methodology questions
Case study requests
Technical documentation needs
The Page Structure That Gets Cited
Here’s the exact format AI loves to pull from:
1. Frame your headline as a real question Not: “Our Marketing Services” Yes: “What Does a Fractional CMO Actually Do?”
2. Add a credibility bar Author name + Last updated date + Reviewed by [expert]
3. Answer in the first 1-2 sentences This is called BLUF (Bottom Line Up Front). AI extracts this for citations.
4. Add a summary section 3-5 bullet points with key takeaways. Makes it easy for AI to grab.
5. Include evidence Benchmark data, real examples, screenshots. Evidence beats long explanations.
6. Use clear headers Main sections and subtopics clearly labeled. One idea per section.
7. Format stats for quoting Write: “According to [Study], 73% of businesses...” Not: “Most businesses do this.”
8. Add an FAQ section 5-7 real questions your audience asks. This alone increases citations by 28%.
9. Keep sales pitches subtle AI deprioritizes promotional content. Soft sell only.
That last one is wild. Press release citations in AI responses jumped over 500% in just five months according to Muck Rack’s December 2025 report.
Why? Wire services syndicate to 500+ channels. That creates the third-party validation AI is looking for. (I can’t believe I have to start sending wire releases again!)
The Authority Building Checklist
This is where most small businesses fall short. You need presence beyond your website:
☐ Reddit — Get mentioned in relevant subreddits
☐ Wikipedia — Create or improve your presence
☐ YouTube — Produce content with detailed transcripts
☐ Quora — Answer questions in your expertise area
☐ Review sites — Get listed on G2, Capterra, or industry-specific platforms
☐ Press releases — Distribute through wire services quarterly
☐ LinkedIn/X — Build presence on professional networks
☐ Media placements — Pursue earned coverage and guest posts
Writing Style That Gets Cited
Here’s the irony: AI can detect AI-generated content.
Which means if you’re using ChatGPT to write content hoping ChatGPT will cite it... you might be hurting yourself.
The test: “Would I say this out loud to a smart friend?”
Do this:
Clear, simple language
Short sentences
Active voice
Specific numbers
Real examples
Address the reader as “you”
Avoid this:
“Delve,” “comprehensive,” “landscape”
“Game-changer,” “unlock,” “revolutionize”
Passive voice
Vague claims
“In today’s world...”
“It remains to be seen...”
Kill these words from your vocabulary: delve, comprehensive, landscape, game-changer, unlock, revolutionize, utilize, harness, groundbreaking, cutting-edge, navigating, moreover, leverage, seamless, robust.
They scream “AI wrote this.” And AI knows it.
Your 30-Day Action Plan
Week 1: Audit
Test your brand in ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Claude right now
Screenshot what gets cited (if anything)
Identify your top 10 pages by traffic
Update publication dates on cornerstone content
Week 2: Restructure
Rewrite your top 3 pages using the structure above
Add direct answer blocks to key pages
Create FAQ sections with 5-7 real questions
Add author bios and credentials
Week 3: Build Authority
Find 5-10 relevant subreddits and start contributing value
Answer 10+ questions on Quora
Draft a press release using AI-optimized structure
Request reviews from happy customers
Week 4: Distribute and Track
Send your press release through a wire service
Set up weekly AI citation audits
Add “How did you find us?” to your intake process
Schedule monthly content updates
The Bottom Line
Getting found on Google is about having the right keywords.
Getting cited by AI is about being trusted.
Citations are the new currency.
If you don’t clearly explain yourself, AI fills in the gaps. Usually with your competitors.
This isn’t a website upgrade. It’s a reputation game. The businesses that figure this out first will have a massive advantage as AI search continues to grow.
Next Steps
Start with the audit this week. Test your brand in all three AI tools. See what comes up. Then pick one thing from the checklist and do it.
The game has changed. Time to learn the new rules.
—Scott
SmartOwner is published (almost) daily by Scott McIntosh at DigitalTreehouse. Want AI consulting or automation for your business? Reply to this email.