When a customer asks ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude or Perplexity to suggest a business, the assistant isn’t guessing. It relies on public information it learned or can find on the web. What it says about you depends on what it reads about you. The good news: a good share of that information is in your hands. Here are the sources that matter, and how to get them in order.
1. Your own website
This is the source you control best. It’s also often the one that describes what you do most precisely. It still has to be easy to read, for a human as much as for a machine.
- One page per important service, with a title that says clearly what it’s about.
- The cities and areas you serve, named in full.
- Your name, address, phone number and hours, visible on every page, in the footer for example.
- A short FAQ that answers the questions your customers really ask.
Avoid vague phrases like “tailored solutions for all your needs.” They tell no one anything. Prefer a simple sentence: what you do, for whom, and where.
2. Your structured data
Structured data is code added to your pages. Your visitors don’t see it, but machines read it. The most widespread vocabulary is schema.org, used by the major search engines.
- LocalBusiness (or a more specific subtype) describes your business: name, address, phone, hours, service area.
- FAQPage marks up the questions and answers on your pages.
A simple rule: this data must match exactly what’s shown on the page. Structured data that contradicts the visible text sows doubt instead of reassuring.
3. Your listings elsewhere on the web
Your business probably appears in several places you’ve forgotten: general directories, industry directories, social networks, a partner’s old site. Assistants can cross-check these sources to confirm what they know about you.
The consistency test
Your name, address and phone number must be identical everywhere. The same goes for your hours and the description of your services. An old number in a directory, “bureau 200” in one place and “suite 200” elsewhere: every discrepancy makes your information less reliable.
Key tip: take inventory of your listings and fix them one by one. It’s tedious work, but you do it once, then maintain it. Keep it in mind whenever your hours, number or address change.
4. What others say about you
Your site says what you think of yourself. Independent sources show what others think. For an AI as much as for a customer, a business confirmed by several credible sources is easier to recommend.
- Customer reviews on platforms in your industry. Detailed reviews that mention the service provided and the city give valuable context.
- Associations and the chamber of commerce in your region.
- Local media: an article, an interview, an event sponsorship.
- Partners and suppliers who can feature you on their site.
For reviews, one rule applies on every platform: simply ask for them, from all your customers, without offering anything in return. Purchased or rewarded reviews undermine your credibility.
The common mistake to avoid: leaving old information lying around
A move, a phone number change, a discontinued service. You update the site, then forget the rest. Years later, the old information is still out there. An AI can pick it up and repeat it to a customer.
The remedy is simple, but it takes discipline: whenever a piece of information changes, update it everywhere at the same time. Keep a list of all your listings so nothing gets missed.
Your 6-step action plan
- Reread your site like a stranger: can someone tell in 10 seconds what you do and where?
- Create or clarify one page per main service, with a short FAQ.
- Add LocalBusiness and FAQPage structured data that matches the displayed text.
- List your online listings and standardize your name, address, phone number and hours.
- Ask your satisfied customers for reviews on the relevant platforms in your industry.
- Look for two or three credible mentions in your region or industry.
An AI only recommends what it understands and can verify. Putting in order what it reads about you gives it good reasons to name you. To see how it chooses, read our article on being the answer when people ask AI. Prefer to delegate? Discover our service or request your free audit.
