1Page One Trades

Guide: AI searchHow to get your trade business recommended by ChatGPT

What ChatGPT and Google's AI answers actually look at when someone asks for a local tradesperson, and the steps you can take this month to be in the running.

By Oscar JonesUpdated 27 October 20265 min read

You can't pay or ask ChatGPT to recommend your business. ChatGPT search looks things up through third-party search providers and its own crawler, and Google's AI answers draw on Google's normal search index and Business Profiles. So the trades that get mentioned are the ones that are easy to find, clearly described and well reviewed across the web, and the work to get there is mostly good local SEO plus letting AI crawlers onto your website.

How does ChatGPT decide which local businesses to mention?

OpenAI doesn't publish a ranking formula, but its own pages explain the plumbing.

  • It searches the web for current answers. OpenAI says ChatGPT search leverages third-party search providers, plus content from partners. Its help page on ChatGPT search says it usually rewrites your question into one or more targeted searches and sends them to those providers. OpenAI doesn't name the providers on these pages.
  • It has its own search crawler. OpenAI runs a bot called OAI-SearchBot, which is used to surface websites in ChatGPT's search features. If your site blocks it, your pages will not be shown in ChatGPT search answers.
  • Location matters. The help page says ChatGPT may use a rough location from your internet connection for things like nearby businesses, and may share location with trusted third-party providers to get local business listings.
  • Nobody can buy the top spot. OpenAI's help page says: "There is no way to guarantee top placement."

A separate OpenAI bot, GPTBot, collects content that may be used to train its AI models. Blocking GPTBot is a different choice from blocking OAI-SearchBot. You can opt out of training and still appear in ChatGPT search.

How do Google's AI Overviews choose businesses?

Google is clear that there is no secret trick. Its guide to AI features and your website says there are "no additional requirements to appear in AI Overviews or AI Mode, nor other special optimizations necessary." To be shown as a supporting link, a page needs to be indexed and eligible to show in Search with a snippet. Google also tells businesses to keep their Business Profile information up to date.

For local searches, Google says its results are mainly based on relevance, distance and prominence. Prominence means how well known a business is, and Google says it is partly based on how many websites link to your business and how many reviews you have.

What can a tradesperson do to get recommended by AI?

Here is the checklist I work through. Every step also helps your normal Google and Maps listings.

  1. Use the same name, address and phone number everywhere. Your website, Google, Bing, Facebook, trade directories and your van should all match. Mixed details make you harder to match up.
  2. Complete and verify your Google Business Profile. Google says verified businesses with complete and accurate information are more likely to show in local results. My Google Business Profile checklist walks through every field.
  3. Claim Bing Places. Bing Places for Business is free, and your listing appears in Bing search and Bing Maps. Microsoft says it has improved how you import a listing from Google, so get your Google profile right first.
  4. Get reviews that describe the job and the town. "Replaced a flat roof in Retford, tidy and on time" tells a search engine and an AI tool far more than "Great service". Reply to every review. Google says more reviews and positive ratings can help local ranking. My guide to getting more Google reviews has wording you can copy.
  5. Answer real questions on your website, in plain text. Have a page for each service and town, with short answers to what customers ask: what you do, where you cover, rough prices if you're happy to share them, and how quickly you can come out. Google advises keeping important information in text form.
  6. Add structured data. This is a small block of code that labels your business name, address, phone number, website and hours for search engines. Google's LocalBusiness structured data guide explains it. Google says you don't need special markup for AI features, and that the data must match what's visible on the page, so treat it as a tidy-up. It won't win you a mention on its own.
  7. Check your robots.txt isn't blocking AI search. Type your web address followed by /robots.txt into a browser. If you see "OAI-SearchBot" followed by "Disallow: /", or "User-agent: *" followed by "Disallow: /", ChatGPT search is being shut out. OpenAI also asks that your hosting or firewall allows its published IP addresses, and says changes can take about 24 hours to take effect.
  8. Get mentioned on other local websites. Suppliers, trade associations, local news, community groups and sponsorships. Each genuine mention makes you better known, which is what Google means by prominence.

Quick win: if a web designer set up your site, ask them whether anything blocks crawlers, either in robots.txt or in a security setting with your host. It's a five-minute question and it rules out the most avoidable problem.

How can I check what ChatGPT says about my business today?

Ask it the way a customer would. Try "Who's a good roofer in Newark?" or "I need an emergency plumber near Worksop", using your own trade and towns. Then try these:

  • Look at the sources. OpenAI's help page explains that answers can include citations, and that you can open a Sources panel under the response. Note which websites ChatGPT relied on. If directories or competitors' pages keep coming up, those are places to be listed or to learn from.
  • Ask about yourself by name. "What do you know about [your business] in [your town]?" Check the phone number, services and areas are right.
  • Repeat it on Google. Search the same questions and see whether an AI Overview appears and who it mentions.
  • Write it down. Answers change from one ask to the next, so keep notes and check again each month.

What are the honest limits of AI search optimisation?

This is new and it moves quickly. OpenAI says there's no way to guarantee top placement. Google says indexing and serving isn't guaranteed. Two people asking the same question in different towns can get different answers, and the same person can get a different answer tomorrow.

So be wary of anyone promising you'll "be ChatGPT's top recommended roofer". What you can do is remove the reasons to be left out: blocked crawlers, missing listings, thin pages, few reviews and inconsistent details. That work pays off in ordinary Google search and Maps as well, so it isn't wasted if AI tools change direction.

Can Page One Trades help with this?

Yes. Making trades businesses easy for ChatGPT and Google's AI answers to recommend is part of what I do, alongside local SEO and Google Maps. It costs £200 to set up, then £149 a month, with no contract and 30 days' notice. I won't promise a number one spot in Google or in ChatGPT. If you're weighing up the cost, my guide to how much SEO costs for tradesmen sets out typical UK prices.

Want to see where you stand?

I'll check how your business shows up on Google, Bing and in AI answers, look at your robots.txt and listings, and send you a short list of what to fix first. It's free and there's no pressure to sign up. Request your free audit, or ring me on 07494 833710.

Sources

Questions

Quick answers.

Can't see yours? Ask the assistant in the corner, or call or text 07494 833710.

GEO stands for generative engine optimisation, which means making your business easy for AI tools to find and describe. In practice it builds on the same foundations as local SEO, so most of the work overlaps.

That's your choice, and OpenAI treats it separately from search. Blocking GPTBot opts you out of training, while allowing OAI-SearchBot keeps you eligible to appear in ChatGPT search.

Nobody can give you a reliable timeframe, because it depends on your area, your competitors and how AI tools change. Fixing a blocked crawler can take effect within about a day, but building reviews and mentions takes months.

Get in touch

Let's get you onto page one.

Hi, I'm Oscar Jones.

I run Page One Trades from Nottinghamshire and work with trades across the UK. You deal with me from the first call to every monthly report, and I keep my client list small so every business gets proper attention.

Fill in the form and I'll show you exactly what's holding your business back. Or call or text me if you'd rather talk.

07494 833710
pageonetrades@gmail.com

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