The short answer
To get recommended by ChatGPT, Gemini and Google's AI Overviews, make it easy for them to find, read and trust your business. That means a website that clearly answers the questions your customers ask, a complete Google Business Profile, honest reviews, and other trusted websites mentioning you. There is no secret code or paid shortcut.
This matters now because the way people search is changing. India has 100 million weekly ChatGPT users, its second-largest market after the United States[2]. Google's AI Overviews reached 2 billion monthly users in 2025[3]. When someone asks an AI "best interior designer in Gurugram" or "who can run Instagram ads for my café", it names a few businesses. You want to be one of them.
What AEO and GEO mean, in plain words
You'll hear two new terms. Answer engine optimization (AEO) means shaping your content so tools like Google, Alexa or ChatGPT can lift a direct answer from it. Generative engine optimization (GEO) means making sure AI tools that write their own answers mention and link to you. Both build on normal search engine optimization (SEO). If your SEO basics are weak, AEO and GEO won't save you.
How AI tools decide which businesses to mention
AI answers are built from what the tool can read on the web at that moment, plus what it learned earlier. When ChatGPT searches, it rewrites your question into a few targeted searches, reads the results and adds citations, though OpenAI notes that placement isn't guaranteed[4]. Google's AI Overviews link to pages that already qualify for normal Search[1].
In practice, three things decide whether you're named
- Can it read you? Your pages must be open to search crawlers and load as plain text, not locked inside images or apps.
- Does it understand you? Your site must say clearly what you do, for whom, and where, in the same words customers use.
- Does it trust you? Reviews, a verified Google Business Profile, and mentions on other trusted sites tell the tool you're real and good at what you do.
1. Let the right crawlers in
Check your robots.txt file (yourwebsite.com/robots.txt). Google says pages must be allowed for crawling, including through any CDN or hosting firewall[1]. For ChatGPT, OpenAI uses a separate crawler called OAI-SearchBot for search. If you block it, your site won't appear in ChatGPT's search answers[5].
OpenAI's training crawler, GPTBot, is a different setting. You can allow search and block training if you prefer; each setting is independent[5]. Many website builders and security plugins block these bots by default, so it's worth checking.
- Googlebot and Bingbot allowed
- OAI-SearchBot allowed (ChatGPT search)
- PerplexityBot and Claude-SearchBot allowed if you want to appear in those tools
- Firewall or CDN not blocking these bots
- Website verified in Google Search Console, so you can spot problems
2. Answer real questions on your own pages
AI tools quote pages that answer a question directly. Make a list of the 20 questions customers ask you on calls and WhatsApp, such as "How long does a kitchen renovation take?" or "Do you deliver in Noida?". Give each important question its own page or section, with the answer in the first two sentences, then the detail.
Write so a machine and a busy person can both use it
- Put the direct answer first, then explain.
- Use the customer's words in headings: "How much does a logo cost?" beats "Our pricing philosophy".
- Name your city, area and the services you offer in plain text.
- Add a short FAQ section to service pages.
- Keep important content as text. Google recommends this for AI features[1].
Google's own test for good content is simple: would someone who came straight to your site find it useful, and leave feeling they learned enough to reach their goal[6]? Pages written only to rank, or that just repeat what others say, tend to lose.
3. Show you're real: experience and trust
Google describes good content in terms of E-E-A-T: experience, expertise, authoritativeness and trustworthiness, with trust the most important[6]. For a small business, that comes down to proof.
- Your full business name, address and phone number on every page footer
- An about page with who runs the business and since when
- Photos of real work, projects and team, not only stock images
- Case studies or before-and-after examples with numbers where you can share them
- Clear policies: refunds, delivery areas, timings
4. Get your Google Business Profile right
For local questions like "best physiotherapist near me", Google's answers lean on Business Profiles. Local results are based mainly on relevance, distance and prominence, and prominence includes reviews and links from other websites[7]. Google also tells site owners to keep their Business Profile information current for AI features[1].
Fill every field, pick the most accurate category, add real photos, keep hours updated, and reply to reviews. Our guide to local SEO in India, on this blog, covers each step in detail.
5. Get mentioned on other trusted websites
AI tools cross-check. If the only place that praises your business is your own website, that counts for little. Mentions on sites people already trust carry more weight.
- Listings on Justdial, IndiaMART, Practo, Zomato or whichever directory leads your industry, with the same name, address and phone everywhere
- Local news, trade associations and chambers of commerce
- Guest articles or quotes in industry blogs
- Partner and supplier websites that list you
- Honest customer reviews on Google and industry platforms
6. Add structured data that matches the page
Structured data is a small block of code that labels facts for search engines: this is the business name, these are the hours, these are the FAQs. Google uses LocalBusiness structured data to understand hours and departments[9]. It isn't required for AI features, and Google asks that it always matches what's visible on the page[1].
How to check if it's working
- Ask ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity the questions your customers ask, every month, and note whether you're named.
- In Google Search Console, traffic from AI features is included in the Performance report under the Web search type[1].
- Ask new customers how they found you, and add "ChatGPT or AI" as an option.
- Track calls and direction requests from your Business Profile.
Where to start this week
- Check robots.txt and your firewall for blocked search and AI crawlers
- Write down your customers' top 20 questions
- Turn the top five into clear answers on your website
- Complete and verify your Google Business Profile
- Ask five happy customers for an honest Google review
Retales does this work for businesses across India: research, website pages built to answer customer questions, Google Business Profile, and monthly checks of how you show up in Google and AI tools.
Sources
Every statistic in this article comes from one of these publications. Links open the original source in a new tab.
- 1AI features and your website No extra requirements or special markup to appear in AI Overviews and AI Mode; standard SEO best practices apply.
- 2India has 100M weekly active ChatGPT users, Sam Altman says India is ChatGPT's second-largest user base after the United States.
- 3Google's AI Overviews have 2B monthly users, AI Mode 100M in the US and India Figures shared by Sundar Pichai on Alphabet's Q2 2025 earnings call.
- 4ChatGPT search How ChatGPT searches the web and cites sources. Sites must allow OAI-SearchBot.
- 5Overview of OpenAI crawlers OAI-SearchBot is for search; GPTBot is for training. Each can be allowed or blocked separately.
- 6Creating helpful, reliable, people-first content Google's self-assessment questions and what E-E-A-T means.
- 7Tips to improve your local ranking on Google Local results are based mainly on relevance, distance and prominence. Ranking can't be bought.
- 8The /llms.txt file Proposal by Jeremy Howard for a Markdown guide to a website for AI tools.
- 9Local business (LocalBusiness) structured data Lets a site tell Google its business hours, departments and other details.
This article is for general information and isn't financial or legal advice. Figures are as published by each source on the date shown.