How to Get Your Business Recommended by ChatGPT and AI Assistants

More and more, your next customer isn't typing a question into Google and scrolling a list of links. They're asking ChatGPT, Perplexity, or Google's AI Overview: *"What's the best [thing] for [need] near me?"* — and acting on the handful of names that come back.

If your business isn't one of those names, you're invisible. Not on page two — invisible. This is Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO), and here's the uncomfortable truth: a beautiful website won't get you recommended. Here's what actually will.

1. Be where the AI reads

AI assistants don't invent recommendations — they synthesise them from sources they trust. For most businesses, that means:

Review platforms — Google Business Profile, Trustpilot, Yelp and TripAdvisor for local and hospitality; G2 and Capterra for software; Clutch for agencies.

Industry directories — the trade-specific lists and association pages for your sector.

"Best of" roundups — those *"Top 10 [category] in [town]"* articles. AI loves a curated list.

If you're not listed in these places, the AI has nothing to pull from. Getting listed is the single highest-leverage thing you can do — and it's usually free.

2. Earn real reviews

When an AI weighs two options, review volume and rating tip the scales — exactly as they do for a human. A profile with 40 genuine reviews beats a slicker brand with three. Ask happy customers, make it easy, and keep it steady.

3. Say clearly what you do

AI quotes plain, factual sentences. If your homepage is all mood and metaphor, an AI struggles to summarise you. One clear line — *"We're a [what] for [who] in [where]"* — gives it something to lift verbatim.

4. Answer the questions people actually ask

Pages that directly answer real questions ("how much does X cost", "is X worth it", "X vs Y") are gold for AEO, because they match how people prompt an AI. A genuine FAQ and a few honest comparison pages beat a hundred keyword-stuffed paragraphs.

Where Aida comes in

Aida's Spotlight tracks exactly this — whether AI assistants are recommending you, who they recommend instead, and the specific, practical actions to fix it (which directories to join, which reviews to chase). It turns "we're invisible to AI" into a short, prioritised to-do list.

The businesses that win the next decade won't be the ones with the most keywords. They'll be the ones the AI knows to recommend. Start by getting listed.