Your customers aren’t only searching Google anymore. More and more people are asking ChatGPT, Google’s AI Overviews, Perplexity and other AI tools questions like “Who’s the best brochure designer near Wake Forest?” or “Which Raleigh web design company works with manufacturers?” Instead of a list of ten links, they get a short answer that recommends a handful of businesses.

If your business isn’t one of those recommendations, you may never know you were left out. The good news: the things that help AI tools find and trust your business are mostly the same fundamentals that help you rank on Google, done well and done consistently. Here’s how to make your business easier for AI search to find, understand and recommend.

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How AI Search Tools Decide Which Businesses to Recommend

AI assistants don’t have a secret list of approved businesses. They build answers from information they can find and trust across the web, including:

Your website and the content on it
Search engine results and indexes
Your Google Business Profile and other online listings
Reviews on Google and other platforms
Mentions of your business on other websites, such as directories, news articles, associations and client sites

The clearer and more consistent that information is, the easier it is for an AI tool to understand what you do, where you do it and why you’re a good choice.

7 Ways to Help Your Business Show Up in ChatGPT and AI Search

1. Say exactly what you do and where, in plain language

AI tools match questions to clear answers. If your homepage says “We bring visions to life” but never says “web design and brochure printing in Raleigh, NC,” you’re making the AI guess. Put your core services and service area in your headlines, page titles and opening paragraphs. Create a dedicated page for each main service and each key town you serve.

2. Answer the questions your customers actually ask

People type full questions into AI tools: “How much does a website cost?”, “Is print marketing still effective?”, “Do I need a new website?” Pages and blog posts that answer these questions directly, with short, clear answers near the top, are exactly the kind of content AI tools like to cite. A simple FAQ section on your service pages is one of the easiest wins.

3. Claim and complete your Google Business Profile

Your Google Business Profile is one of the most trusted sources of local business information. Choose accurate categories, list every town you serve, write a description that names your main services, add real photos and keep your hours current. Make sure the same profile details appear on Bing Places, Apple Business Connect and major directories too.

4. Keep your business information consistent everywhere

Your business name, address, phone number and website should match exactly across your website, social profiles and every directory listing. Conflicting information makes it harder for search engines and AI tools to be confident they’ve got the right business, and confidence is what earns a recommendation.

5. Earn reviews, and ask clients to be specific

Reviews are one of the strongest trust signals for both Google and AI tools. A review that says “Graphic Lab redesigned our website and brochures, and our leads doubled” tells an AI far more than “Great job!” When you ask happy clients for a review, encourage them to mention the service you provided and their town.

6. Get mentioned on other trusted websites

AI tools give weight to what others say about you, not just what you say about yourself. Chamber of commerce listings, industry associations, local news coverage, guest articles, award lists and links from clients’ websites all help build that outside credibility.

7. Make sure your website is technically easy to read

Behind the scenes, a few technical details matter:

Don’t block AI crawlers by accident. Check your website’s robots.txt file and security settings so search and AI crawlers can read your public pages.
Use structured data (schema). This code tells search engines your business name, location, services and reviews in a format machines understand.
Write descriptive page titles, headings and image descriptions. Clear labels help every kind of search engine understand your content.
Keep it fast and mobile-friendly. A slow, broken or outdated site is a poor source for any search tool.

What Doesn’t Work

Be wary of anyone promising guaranteed placement in ChatGPT answers. AI tools change quickly, and there’s no switch to flip. Stuffing keywords into pages, creating dozens of thin copy-and-paste pages, or posting fake reviews can hurt your credibility with both Google and AI tools. Paid ads inside AI tools are starting to appear, but they’re separate from the answers AI tools generate on their own. Steady, genuine improvements win over time.

A Quick AI Search Checklist for Your Business

My homepage clearly states my services and the towns I serve
I have a separate page for each main service
My pages answer common customer questions in plain language
My Google Business Profile is complete and up to date
My name, address and phone number match everywhere online
I’m regularly asking clients for specific, detailed reviews
Other trusted websites mention or link to my business
My website is fast, mobile-friendly and not blocking search crawlers

Try it yourself: ask ChatGPT or Google’s AI Mode to recommend a business like yours in your town. See who shows up, and what their websites and reviews have in common.

Get Your Business Found on Google and AI Search

Graphic Lab helps businesses in Raleigh, Wake Forest and across the Triangle build websites that are clear, fast and easy for both people and search engines to understand, along with the brochures and print marketing that build credibility offline. If you’re not sure how your business shows up in Google or AI search, we’ll take a look.

Learn more about our website design services, read what drives the cost of a website, or call 919-961-6561 to schedule a free consultation.

How to Get Your Business Found in ChatGPT and AI Search