How to show up when customers ask ChatGPT for a local trade
By Dallas Mayne, Founder · Published · Last reviewed · 6 min read
Short answer
Let OpenAI's search crawler read your website, keep your business listings complete and consistent, and keep collecting genuine reviews. No one can guarantee a spot, and there's nothing to buy.
Step 1: let ChatGPT's search crawler in
OpenAI says OAI-SearchBot is the crawler used to show websites in ChatGPT's search features, and that sites that block it won't be shown in ChatGPT search answers (though they can still appear as navigational links). OpenAI recommends allowing it.
GPTBot is a separate crawler used for training OpenAI's models. The two settings are independent, so you can allow OAI-SearchBot and block GPTBot if you prefer. OpenAI says robots.txt changes take about 24 hours to take effect for search.
- Check yoursite.com/robots.txt for lines that block OAI-SearchBot, or block everything with "User-agent: *" and "Disallow: /".
- Ask your web person to allow OAI-SearchBot if it's blocked. Recomendr's free check looks at this for you.
Step 2: be easy to find in regular search
OpenAI's help page says ChatGPT search sometimes rewrites a question into search queries and sends them to third-party search providers, and it links Microsoft's privacy statement as one of them. For "near me" questions it can use your general location, based on IP address, to rewrite the query (for example into "top restaurants San Francisco").
In plain terms: if your business is hard to find in ordinary web search for "[trade] [city]", it's likely hard for ChatGPT to find too. Claiming your free Bing Places listing and keeping your Google Business Profile complete are sensible, low-cost steps.
Step 3: say clearly what you do and where
- Put your trade and the cities you serve on your home page in plain words, like "Licensed plumber serving Edmonton and St. Albert".
- Use the same business name, phone number and address everywhere: your website, Google, Bing, Facebook and trade directories.
- Give each main service its own short page, with prices or price ranges if you can.
Step 4: keep collecting genuine reviews
For Google's local results, Google says prominence is partly based on how many reviews you have, and more reviews and positive ratings can help. AI answers about local businesses often lean on the same public information. Ask every customer, and never offer anything in return: Google bans incentives for reviews.
What we can't promise
OpenAI doesn't publish how ChatGPT chooses which businesses to name, and answers vary from one question to the next. The steps above are what the platforms document plus common-sense good practice. Track your results over time instead of relying on a single answer.
Common questions
- Can I pay to be recommended by ChatGPT?
- We're not aware of any way to pay for a place in ChatGPT's answers, and anyone selling a guaranteed spot should be treated with suspicion. Focus on crawler access, complete listings and reviews.
- Should I block GPTBot?
- That's your choice. OpenAI says GPTBot is for training and OAI-SearchBot is for search, and the settings are independent. Blocking GPTBot does not block OAI-SearchBot.
- How long do changes take?
- OpenAI says robots.txt changes take about 24 hours to be picked up for search. Changes to listings and reviews can take longer to show up in answers.
- Does this work for Perplexity too?
- Perplexity documents a similar crawler, PerplexityBot, used to show websites in its search results and not to train AI models. Perplexity recommends allowing it.
Sources
Official pages we checked on September 28, 2026. Rules change, so check the source before you rely on it.