Builder

Get found · Guide

How to get your business
recommended by ChatGPT.

More buyers now ask ChatGPT who to call. Here is what the research says helps it know your name, in six steps you can start today.

Check if AI names meRead the 6 steps

A service business owner taking a call beside her work van
Cathy Bernard

By Cathy BernardCo-owner of a commercial cleaning company in MontrealUpdated October 15, 2026 · 7 min read

The short answer

ChatGPT tends to name businesses it can find and clearly understand, and that other trusted places talk about. Give each main service a clear page, say which cities you serve, write your proof on your site, and keep your listings complete. Then check often: AI answers change every time.

Why it matters

Your next client may ask AI first.

In a 2026 survey of US adults, 45% had used AI tools to find local businesses, up from 6% a year earlier. Google is still used most. But more buyers now ask ChatGPT as well, and get a short list of names back.

If your business is not on that list, you may never hear about the job. You don’t lose it on price. You lose it before the call.

Size isn’t everything. A business that is clearly described can be named next to bigger ones.

A business owner at his desk reading a document
Step 1

Ask ChatGPT what your buyers ask

Before you fix anything, find out where you stand. Open ChatGPT and type the question a buyer would type. Not your company name: your service and your city.

  • Who does commercial snow removal in Terrebonne?
  • Which HVAC company maintains office buildings in Longueuil?
  • Who cleans medical clinics in Laval?

Ask each question several times, in ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini. In one study of nearly 3,000 runs, the same question gave the same list of brands less than once in 100 tries. One answer proves nothing. Count how often you are named.

TipAsk like a buyer in a hurry. Never type “near me”: name a city, the way a property manager does.

Or let us ask all three for you, free →

An electrician testing a distribution panel
Step 2

Give each main service a clear page

A single “Our services” list with eight lines says very little. A clear page for each main service, in your buyer’s words, makes it easier for people and AI to understand what you do. A 2026 study of AI citations found that business websites were among the sources AI tools cite most.

Each service page needs:

  • The service in the title: “Commercial electrical maintenance”, not “Solutions”.
  • Who it is for: offices, warehouses, clinics, condos.
  • What is included, in plain words.
  • The answer first: what it is, who it is for and how to reach you, in the first lines.

TipStart with the one service you want more work in. One good page beats six thin ones.

A plow truck clearing a commercial parking lot at dawn
Step 3

Say where you work, city by city

Buyers ask for a city. Google says its local results depend on relevance, distance and prominence, and that complete, accurate details help it match you. If your site only says “Greater Montreal”, a buyer in Blainville has less to go on.

  • Name the cities and areas you really serve.
  • Keep your name, address and phone identical everywhere, so people and machines don’t get conflicting facts.
  • List only cities you actually serve. Claims you can’t back up can backfire.

TipPick your best three cities first. A real job photo from each one says more than a list of thirty towns.

A technician checking the filter of a commercial air handling unit
Step 4

Write your proof on your site

In a 2024 research paper on AI search, adding statistics, quotes and sources to a page made it up to 40% more visible in AI answers. Specific, checkable facts help. Big words don’t.

  • Your licence number, written as text, not only in a picture.
  • Years in business and the types of buildings you work in.
  • Your guarantee or warranty, if you offer one.
  • One real job, told with numbers: the problem, what you did, the result.

TipIf you only mention your warranty on sales calls, AI can’t see it. One HVAC company was recommended by ChatGPT because of the 15-year labour warranty on its website. Its competitors never published theirs.

A contractor showing a tablet to a facility manager, both smiling
Step 5

Keep your listings and reviews current

AI tools don’t only read your website. A 2026 study of about 2 million AI citations found that Google’s AI drew on Google Business Profiles for almost every business, while ChatGPT leaned on sites like Yelp, the BBB and Apple’s business listings.

  • Your Google Business Profile, complete: services, areas, hours, photos.
  • Apple Business Connect and Bing Places: free, and often overlooked.
  • Your Yelp and BBB pages, if you have them, with the same details.
  • Your trade association and local business chamber.

TipAsk every client for an honest review, not only the happy ones. Never tell them what to write, and never write one yourself.

Step 6

Measure every month, expect months

Go back to your questions from step 1. Ask each one several times, in all three tools, and write down how often you are named.

Changes take time. Businesses doing this work commonly report three to six months before AI names them regularly. Nobody can promise you a spot, so measure before and after.

TipSame questions, same tools, every month. Count the tries, not one answer.

Named in 5 tries of the same questionExample
Day 1Day 90
ChatGPT0 of 53 of 5
Claude1 of 54 of 5
Gemini0 of 51 of 5
Illustrative example. Results differ for every business.

A real example

One clear page.
One real contract.

In the commercial cleaning company I co-own, we built one page about one service: cleanroom cleaning. A buyer setting up a new cleanroom found it, called, and signed after one meeting.

Read the case and its limits →

$21,600 / year

Value of the contract

One result from our founder’s own business. Not a promise of typical results.

Don’t pay for these

Three things owners get sold that do not get you named.

Fake or bought reviews

They break Google’s rules. Google can remove them, block new reviews and put a public warning on your profile.

100 copy-paste city pages

Google’s spam rules name city pages made only to catch searches as “doorway” pages. They can hurt you.

“Guaranteed #1 on ChatGPT”

AI answers change almost every time you ask. No one can guarantee a spot. Ask for before-and-after counts instead.

Questions owners ask

Can I pay ChatGPT to recommend my business?+

Not in the answer itself. ChatGPT now shows labelled ads in some plans, including in Canada, but OpenAI says ads do not change what ChatGPT answers. Being named in the answer comes from the steps above.

How long until ChatGPT names my business?+

There is no fixed timeline. Practitioners commonly see three to six months, and a brand-new website can take longer. Check the same questions every month and count how often you are named.

Do Claude and Gemini work the same way?+

Mostly, but each one draws on different sources. Gemini is built on Google Search and Maps, so your Google Business Profile matters most there. You can be named in one and missing from another, which is why we check all three.

Do I need a new website for this?+

Not always. If your current site is easy to update, you can add service pages, cities and proof to it. If it is old or hard to change, a new site is often faster.

Does it work for a French website?+

Yes. Ask in French and you get a French answer, often built from French sources. If your buyers ask in French, have real French pages, not a quick translation.

Does ChatGPT name your business today?

Enter your website. We ask ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini five buyer questions about your service and your city, and show you who they name. Free, in a few minutes.

Check my website for freeSee a sample report →
A plumber repairing pipes in a mechanical room