Getting found in AI answers as well as Google
A customer who would once have typed “plumber in Ashford” into Google may now ask ChatGPT, or read the AI summary at the top of the results, and never reach the list of websites underneath. If the answer does not mention you, or describes you wrongly, you never get the chance to be chosen.
That is not a reason to throw out your SEO. Google’s own guidance is that the route into its AI Overviews and AI Mode is the same as the route into ordinary search. It is a reason to change how you write, how you keep your details consistent, and how you check what these tools say about you.
The practical checklist, with the source documents from Google, Microsoft and OpenAI, is in our guide to how to show up in AI answers. This page is about how that work fits into a normal week for a small business, and what to do over the next 90 days.
By Mike Dunkling, founder of Zatheo, a web design and SEO agency in Ashford, Kent. Sources checked 12 November 2026.
What’s changed
When people talk about AI answers, they usually mean four things: Google AI Overviews, the summary that sometimes appears at the top of a results page; Google AI Mode, a more conversational search mode; ChatGPT search, which looks the web up and shows its sources; and Microsoft Copilot, which grounds web answers in Bing’s index.
They work differently, but they share one limit: they can only mention pages they can find, read and trust.
Google’s guidance for site owners is direct. There are no additional requirements to appear in AI Overviews or AI Mode, and no special optimisation is needed. To be shown as a supporting link, a page must be indexed and eligible to appear in Google Search with a snippet. You do not need new machine readable files, AI text files or special markup. Meeting every requirement still does not guarantee that a page will be crawled, indexed or shown.
Microsoft and OpenAI publish their own rules for Copilot and ChatGPT search. The short version, set out with sources in the how-to guide, is: do not block Bingbot or OpenAI’s OAI-SearchBot, put a clear answer near the top of each page, keep one strong page per topic, and keep your business name, services and areas consistent everywhere. OpenAI has also opened Business Hub, which lets some owners claim a business profile in ChatGPT. Availability depends on location and type, and claiming a profile does not guarantee more visibility.
What it means for your process
Most small businesses already have a website and a Google Business Profile. What has to change is the habit of writing for keywords alone, and the habit of never checking what an AI tool actually says.
| Before | After |
|---|---|
| Write a service page that eases into the subject | Open with a two-sentence answer: what you do, who it is for, and where |
| Check Google rankings now and then | Also ask ChatGPT, Google’s AI Mode and Copilot the questions your customers ask, and write down what they say |
| Update the website and the Google profile at different times | Change your name, phone number, hours and areas in every place on the same day |
| Publish several short posts on the same topic | Keep one strong page per topic and improve it, rather than adding near-duplicates |
| Treat reviews and directories as a side job | Treat them as part of how you get mentioned, because AI tools draw on more than your website |
The weekly job becomes: make sure the crawlers can still read the site, keep the facts identical, and notice when an answer gets you wrong.
A 90-day plan
Weeks 1-2: find out what the tools say today
Set aside half an hour. Open your website’s robots.txt file, which is usually yourdomain.co.uk/robots.txt, and check it does not block Googlebot, Bingbot or OAI-SearchBot. Then, in a private or temporary window so your own history does not shape the answer, ask ChatGPT, Google’s AI Mode and, if you use it, Copilot a handful of real questions:
- Who is a good [your service] in [your town]?
- Do you cover [a nearby town you actually work in]?
- What does [your service] usually involve, and what should I ask?
Write down whether you are mentioned, how you are described, and which sites are cited. Repeat the same questions a couple of days later. One result on one day does not tell you much.
In the same fortnight, compare your business name, phone number, email and service areas on your website and your Google Business Profile. Fix anything that does not match.
Month 1: make the important pages easier to quote
Pick your two or three most important service pages. For each one, write down the questions customers ask before they buy, then make sure the page answers them in plain words, near the top: what the service involves, who it is for, how long it takes, which areas you cover, and what the price depends on, or what it costs if you publish prices.
If you have three old blog posts on the same subject, consider merging them into one good page rather than leaving them to compete. Only redirect a page that is not already doing a useful job in search.
If you are eligible, look at claiming a ChatGPT business profile so you have an official place to correct your details. Treat it as housekeeping, not a shortcut.
Months 2-3: keep the facts consistent and watch the trend
Spend the next two months on the work that sits around the website. Get your Google Business Profile, reviews and local listings into a state you would be happy for an AI tool to read. Reply to reviews. Make sure the main directories you already belong to show the same name, number and website.
Once a month, repeat the same questions you asked in week 1 and note what has changed. If you have Google Search Console, look at the Performance report. Google counts visits from its AI features in the “Web” search type, but does not separate them out. If you verify the site in Bing Webmaster Tools, its AI Performance report shows which of your pages are cited in Copilot.
Look for a trend over a few months. AI answers vary from one search to the next.
Common mistakes
Buying a package that promises placement in ChatGPT or AI Overviews. Google, Microsoft and OpenAI all say nothing guarantees it. Nobody outside those companies controls what their tools show.
Adding special AI files or hidden markup. Google says you do not need new AI text files or special markup for its AI features, and Bing’s guidelines do not ask for them either.
Leaving the answer buried under a long introduction. If a person cannot tell what you do in the first two sentences, an AI tool will struggle too.
Letting your details drift. A different phone number on the website and the Google profile, or a town you no longer cover still listed, gives the tools mixed signals.
Checking once and assuming the job is done. Answers change. A short monthly check is part of the process.
How Zatheo can help
Our AI SEO service starts by checking what AI tools say about your business today, then works on whatever is stopping them describing you accurately. It runs alongside our local SEO and onsite SEO work. SEO plans, including AI search, start from £400 a month.
If the website itself is the problem, see our web design service. The full checklist, with the source documents, is in how to show up in AI answers.
If you would like a hand, Book a free 30-minute call.
Frequently asked questions
Do I still need to care about Google if people are using ChatGPT?
Yes. Google’s AI Overviews and AI Mode are part of Google Search, and Google says the best practices for SEO still apply. A site that cannot be crawled or is not indexed will not be used as a supporting link. Ordinary search still brings a large share of enquiries for most local businesses.
Is there a special trick to get mentioned in AI answers?
No. Google says there are no additional requirements and no special optimisation for its AI features. The work is the unglamorous kind: crawlable pages, clear answers, consistent facts and a reputation that can be checked.
Can you guarantee my business will appear in ChatGPT or AI Overviews?
No, and nobody honestly can. Each tool decides what to show for each question. What you can do is remove the things that stop them finding and trusting you, and watch how you are described over time.