How to appear in ChatGPT: what to do and how to measure

A mention, a citation and a visit are different events

An answer can mention a business without linking to it. It can cite a page as a source without recommending a purchase. A user can also read the answer without visiting the site. Record these events separately.

A single screenshot is not proof of established authority or customer acquisition. Answers may vary with the query, platform, version and conversation context. Describe exactly what you tested.

SEO, GEO and AEO connect discovery, comprehension and useful information within a broader technical and editorial approach.

Check access to public content

OpenAI identifies OAI-SearchBot as a crawler for ChatGPT search features and recommends allowing it through robots.txt and network rules. Its documentation distinguishes that function from GPTBot, associated with model training. Read the crawler documentation.

Check that pages load, main text is accessible and security rules do not block legitimate requests. A permissive robots.txt does not fix a hosting-level block.

Access is a technical condition, not a guarantee of source selection. It does not require exposing private information or login-protected areas.

Publish information that helps evaluate your business

Explain what you offer, who it suits, where or how you deliver it, the process and its limitations. Identify responsible people, original projects and sources for technical claims. Keep changing information current.

A website service page might describe stages, client responsibilities, maintenance and required content. This illustrative example is more useful for a decision than repeating unsupported claims of being the best.

External references should reflect genuine relationships. A jointly approved case page can identify the work and authorship. Repetitive link networks and purchased promises of citations do not replace verifiable context.

What about AI answers in Google Search?

ChatGPT and Google Search are distinct products. Google says pages need to meet Search requirements and be eligible for a snippet to be considered for its AI features. It does not require a special AI schema. Check the official requirements.

I start with foundational SEO and reader-focused content. A direct answer followed by criteria and examples makes consultation easier. That is an editorial recommendation, not a guarantee of selection.

How to build a useful measurement process

Define questions before changing the site. Include unbranded discovery questions; asking directly about a company measures a different situation. Record:

• Exact query, date, platform and relevant context.
• Whether the business is mentioned.
• The cited URL and the relevant answer excerpt.
• Identifiable referral visits in your analytics tool.
• Enquiries and their quality when the source can be identified.

Repeat observations and note other changes. An unavailable tool is a collection failure, not evidence of zero citations. Google includes its AI-feature traffic within overall Web Search performance in Search Console, so changes cannot automatically be attributed to AI answers.

Frequently asked questions