If you’re wondering how to rank in ChatGPT as a local business, it comes down to two things: OpenAI’s search crawler has to be able to read your website, and the places ChatGPT looks for recommendations have to describe your business clearly. When ChatGPT searches the web for “the best plumber in town”, it pulls from business websites, map listings, review sites and directories, so those are the places to work on.
I wanted to see this with real examples rather than theory, so I asked ChatGPT the kind of questions customers ask. Here’s what it recommended, where it got its information, and what that means for your business.
What I asked ChatGPT
I ran three prompts through ChatGPT with web search on, as a US user, in October 2026:
- “Best emergency plumber in Tualatin Oregon”
- “Who is the best family dentist in Boise Idaho”
- “Recommend a roofing company in Fort Worth Texas”
Each answer named three or four businesses, with addresses, phone numbers, star ratings and links to the sources it used. I’m not naming the businesses here, because this isn’t about endorsing anyone. The patterns are what matter.
What ChatGPT cited
| Prompt | Sources ChatGPT cited | What the named businesses had in common |
|---|---|---|
| Emergency plumber, Tualatin | Business websites, including a dedicated “Tualatin” page and a “Tualatin emergency plumber” page | A page on their own site for that exact service and town, stating 24/7 emergency service |
| Family dentist, Boise | A review aggregator, a dental directory, a practice website, Google Maps listings, Yelp | 5.0 ratings, mostly with hundreds of reviews, and clear “family” or “children and adults” wording |
| Roofer, Fort Worth | Google Maps listings and Better Business Bureau profiles | Hundreds of reviews and BBB accreditation, which the answer mentioned by name |
Lesson 1: specific pages get cited
The plumber answer leaned heavily on pages built for that exact search. One business was picked first even though its map listing showed very few reviews. Its website had a page specifically for emergency plumbing in Tualatin, and ChatGPT cited that page directly. Another business had both a Tualatin page and a Tualatin emergency plumber page, and both were cited.
If you want to be recommended for “emergency plumber in [town]”, have a page that says exactly that, with the details a customer needs.
Lesson 2: reviews and ratings travel with you
The dentist and roofer answers showed star ratings and review counts for each business, and the businesses named mostly had hundreds of strong reviews. The answers also cited Google Maps listings and Yelp directly.
Lesson 3: third-party sites vouch for you
The answers didn’t rely only on businesses’ own sites. They cited a review aggregator, an industry directory, Yelp and the BBB, and the roofer answer called out BBB accreditation as a reason to consider a company. Being listed accurately on trusted third-party sites gives ChatGPT something independent to point to. A business that only describes itself on its own website gives ChatGPT less reason to trust what it says.
How to rank in ChatGPT: what to do
1. Let OpenAI’s search crawler in
OpenAI uses a crawler called OAI-SearchBot for ChatGPT search. OpenAI says sites that opt out of OAI-SearchBot won’t be shown in ChatGPT search answers, and recommends allowing it in your robots.txt file. Check yours: if it blocks OAI-SearchBot, or blocks everything, fix that first. OpenAI says changes take about 24 hours to be picked up.
Here’s what allowing it looks like. Add this to your robots.txt file if it isn’t there already, and keep any existing rules for other crawlers:
robots.txt: allow ChatGPT search
User-agent: OAI-SearchBot Allow: /
If your website runs on WordPress, check that an SEO or security plugin isn’t blocking bots you didn’t mean to block.
Blocking GPTBot, OpenAI’s training crawler, is a separate decision and doesn’t stop you appearing in search answers.
2. Build a page for each service and town that matters
This was the clearest pattern. Write a page for each main service, and for each main town you serve if you cover several. Say plainly what you do, where, when you’re available, and what it costs if you can. Answer the questions customers ask before they call.
3. Get your Google Business Profile complete and accurate
ChatGPT’s answers cited Google Maps listings and showed ratings and review counts. Your Business Profile is the source of a lot of that information, so make sure your name, address, phone, hours, categories and services are complete and correct. My local SEO guide for small businesses covers the setup.
4. Earn genuine reviews, steadily
Strong ratings with plenty of reviews showed up again and again. Ask every customer, with a direct link, and never offer incentives. My guide on how to get more Google reviews explains how to do it within Google’s rules.
5. Be listed on the directories AI tools trust
Yelp, the BBB and industry directories all appeared as sources. Claim your listings, keep the details identical to your Business Profile, and add the industry directories that matter in your trade.
6. Test it yourself
Ask ChatGPT the questions your customers ask, in the towns you serve. Repeat it a few times on different days. Note who gets named and which pages are cited. Those cited pages are your to-do list.
ChatGPT SEO services: what to watch for
Plenty of agencies now sell “ChatGPT SEO”. Be wary of anyone who guarantees placement in AI answers: nobody controls them. Good work in this area looks a lot like good local SEO, with clearer pages, better listings and more reviews, and it also helps you in Google. For Google’s own AI feature, see my guide on how to show up in Google AI Overviews.
If you’d like help getting your business recommended in ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews and other AI search tools, that’s what my AI SEO service covers.
