Getting your business recommended by ChatGPT: a DIY checklist for tradies

What actually decides it (plain English)

There's no form to fill in and no fee to pay. Here's what OpenAI and Google say themselves.

• ChatGPT search reads the web. OpenAI says ChatGPT may search the web, rewrite your question into searches, and use your rough location to find local results. It says results "can be incomplete, outdated, or incorrect" and that placement is not guaranteed. (OpenAI Help (opens in a new tab))
• OpenAI's search bot has to be able to read your site. OpenAI says sites that opt out of OAI-SearchBot won't be shown in ChatGPT search answers. (OpenAI crawler docs (opens in a new tab))
• Google says normal good practice is enough. For Google's AI Overviews and AI Mode there are "no additional requirements" and no special optimisations needed. (Google Search Central (opens in a new tab))
• Google local results are mainly based on relevance, distance and popularity, and Google says there's no way to request or pay for a better local ranking. (Google Business Profile Help (opens in a new tab))

Step 1: Claim and verify your Google Business Profile

This is the free one that matters most. Do it first.

1. Search your business name on Google Maps. If there's a profile, claim it. If not, create one.
2. Verify it. Google shows you how; the method can vary from business to business.
3. Fill in everything: the most specific category that fits (e.g. "Electrician"), hours, phone, website, service area, a short description and photos of real jobs.
4. Working from home? Google says service-area businesses should have one profile with a service area, and not list a "virtual" office.
5. Use your real-world business name only. Google's rules don't allow extra keywords or towns in the name.
6. Keep the description about the business. No prices, promotions or links.

Tip: One profile per business. Duplicates confuse Google and customers. Google's rules are in Guidelines for representing your business on Google (opens in a new tab).

Step 2: Use the same name, address and number everywhere

Write your details down once, exactly, and copy them every time. Then check they match on your website footer and contact page, your Google Business Profile, your Facebook page, your job app's customer emails, trade association or registration listings, and any directories you're already on.

Copy this prompt and fill in the [square brackets]:

Business name: [exactly as on your van and invoices]
Phone: [one main local number you control]
Address or area: [street address if customers visit, or "Serving [towns]"]
Website: [your web address]

Tip: Google says the phone number must be under the business's direct control. Old numbers and old addresses are the most common mismatch.

Step 3: One page on your website for each service you do

A page each for your main jobs, e.g. "Switchboard upgrades", "Heat pump installs", "Hot water cylinder replacement". On each page, say in plain words what the job involves, the towns or suburbs you cover, what the customer needs to do, and how to book. Add real photos of your work (with the customer's OK; no house numbers or faces).

Describe the work, not the price. No "cheapest" claims. Use AI to draft the page, then fix it so it sounds like you.

Copy this prompt and fill in the [square brackets]:

Write a plain-English website page for my [trade] business in [town, NZ/Australia] about this one service: [service, e.g. switchboard upgrades]. Include: what the job involves, signs a customer might need it, the areas I cover ([list towns]), what the customer needs to do before I arrive, and how to book ([phone / booking link]). Use short sentences. No prices, no guarantees, no "best" or "cheapest" claims, no made-up reviews or numbers. Don't invent qualifications. Mine are: [list]. Keep it short. Mark anything you're unsure about with [CHECK].

Tip: Fact-check every line before it goes on the site. See check AI answers. Don't paste customer details into AI: see is ChatGPT safe for business data.

Step 4: Reviews, and replies to them

Ask happy customers for a Google review after the job: see ask for Google reviews automatically. Reply to every review, good and bad: see reply to reviews and AI replies to Google reviews.

⚠️ Never buy reviews, swap reviews or write your own. Google's AI guidance also warns against chasing fake ("inauthentic") mentions.

Step 5: Make sure AI search can read your website

Send this to whoever looks after your website (copy and paste):

Copy this prompt and fill in the [square brackets]:

Hi [name], can you check two things on my website please?
1. That robots.txt doesn't block OAI-SearchBot (OpenAI's search bot), and that our host or firewall isn't blocking OpenAI's published search bot IP addresses.
2. That Google can index the site (check Google Search Console), and that the "Search generative AI" setting in Search Console is left on include.
Please don't change anything else without checking with me. Thanks, [your name]

Tip: OAI-SearchBot is what ChatGPT search uses to read websites. It's separate from GPTBot, which OpenAI uses for AI training, so you can block training and still allow search. OpenAI says robots.txt changes can take about a day to kick in. You don't need an llms.txt file or special code for Google: Google's AI optimisation guide (opens in a new tab) says it neither helps nor harms in Google Search. The Search Console setting is explained in Search generative AI control (opens in a new tab).

Step 6: The monthly check

Once a month, in ChatGPT with search on (and in Google), type the kind of question a customer would. Write down the date, whether you were named, which websites it quoted, and anything wrong about you (old number, wrong area). Fix what's wrong at the source: your profile and your website.

Don't expect the same answer twice. Answers change from day to day.

Copy this prompt and fill in the [square brackets]:

Who are the best [trade, e.g. electricians] in [town] for [job, e.g. switchboard upgrades]? Please list your sources.

What one NZ report looked at

A small NZ check by List-It (opens in a new tab) (Oct 2026) found a findable Google Business Profile made the biggest difference.

Watch out for

Be careful with anyone selling "AI visibility" before you've done the free steps above.

Can I pay to be recommended by ChatGPT?

Not that we know of. OpenAI says placement in ChatGPT search is not guaranteed, and Google says there's no way to request or pay for a better local ranking. Be wary of anyone promising one.

Do I need a website, or is a Google profile enough?

Start with the Google profile, since it's free and quick. A simple website with a page per service gives ChatGPT and Google more to read about what you do and where. Both together is best.

Do I need special code or an llms.txt file?

Not for Google. Google says there are no additional requirements for its AI features, and an llms.txt file neither helps nor harms your visibility in Google Search. For ChatGPT, the main thing is not blocking OpenAI's search bot (OAI-SearchBot).

If I block AI training, will ChatGPT stop recommending me?

Not necessarily. OpenAI runs separate bots: GPTBot for training and OAI-SearchBot for search. Your web person can block one and allow the other.

Why does ChatGPT give a different answer each time?

Answers change from day to day and depend on the search, the wording and your location. That's why the monthly check is about spotting wrong information, not chasing a "position".

ChatGPT has my old phone number. How do I fix it?

You can't edit ChatGPT directly. Fix the number at the source: your Google profile, website, Facebook and directories. Then check again next month.