Short answer
To rank in ChatGPT, your site must be readable by its crawler (OAI-SearchBot), answer the questions your buyer asks clearly, and be backed by third-party sources the model already cites. Then you measure it: ask the way your customer would, in several sessions, and note whether it mentions or links you.
How does ChatGPT decide which businesses to name?
ChatGPT answers in two ways: with what the model learnt in training, and with what it searches on the web at that moment, when search is on. In the second case it reads pages through its crawler OAI-SearchBot and third-party search engines, and cites the sources it uses.
- Route 1
The model’s memory
What it learnt in training. The sources that already talk about you count: media, comparison sites, forums and directories.
- Route 2
Live search
What it reads when it searches the web. Your page must be readable, answer the question and earn the citation.
Why doesn’t my brand show up in ChatGPT?
It is almost always one of these three causes, listed from easiest to hardest to fix:
| Criterion | How you notice it | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| AI cannot read your site | Your robots.txt or CDN blocks OAI-SearchBot, or the text only exists after JavaScript runs | Open access to search crawlers and serve the text in the HTML. See robots.txt for AI |
| Your site does not answer the question | You talk about yourself, not about what the buyer asks | Pages that answer in the first lines, with data, comparisons and cases |
| Nobody else talks about you | AI cites competitors, comparison sites and forums | Earn mentions where your sector is already cited |
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ChatGPT SEO: what changes compared with Google?
ChatGPT SEO does not replace Google SEO: it extends it. The technical base is the same (being crawled and indexed), but what is rewarded changes.
| Criterion | Google (list of links) | ChatGPT (written answer) |
|---|---|---|
| What wins | The page that best matches the search | The sources that back each claim in the answer |
| Unit | The whole page | The paragraph or fact that can be quoted |
| Off your site | Links pointing to you | Mentions of your brand, with or without a link |
| How it is measured | Ranking and clicks | Whether you are named or linked, across several runs |
The full difference between the two strategies is in GEO vs SEO.
How to rank in ChatGPT, step by step
Open access
Allow OAI-SearchBot and ChatGPT-User in your robots.txt and check that your CDN does not block them. GPTBot is the training crawler: blocking it does not remove you from search.
Write down your buyer’s questions
List 15 to 20 real questions: “what X software for SMEs?”, “which company do you recommend for Y?”. Do not search your brand: search what someone who does not know you yet would type.
Answer them on your site
One page per important question, with the answer in the first two sentences, facts with a source and a date, and a named author.
Earn mentions
See which sources ChatGPT cites in your sector and work to be in them: comparison sites, directories, media and forums.
Measure the same way every time
Run the same questions on fixed dates, logged out, and note whether you appear. A single screenshot says nothing: answers change between runs.
How can a B2B company show up in ChatGPT?
In B2B the buyer asks about categories and comparisons, not brands. These are the typical questions and the page AI usually cites for each one:
- Category
“Best X tools”
A category page that says who your product is for and how it differs.
- Alternatives
“Alternatives to Y”
An honest comparison, with criteria and a table.
- Use case
“X or Z for 50 people”
Use cases and integrations with specific, verifiable facts.
If you sell software, the detail is in SaaS SEO consultant. If you would rather someone did it for you, see how I work as a GEO consultant.
How do you know whether ChatGPT recommends your business?
Ask it as a customer would, logged out and with search on, and open the sources it cites. Each answer falls into one of these three levels of ChatGPT brand mentions:
- Level 1
Absent
It does not name you. The answer recommends others.
- Level 2
Mentioned
It names you, but does not link your site.
- Level 3
Cited
It links your site as a source. This is the level that brings customers.
Repeat on another day and in another engine: if the result changes, you do not have stable visibility yet.
Frequently asked questions
Can I pay to appear in ChatGPT?
ChatGPT’s organic answers cannot be bought. OpenAI has started testing ads, but they are shown apart from the answer and labelled as advertising. To appear inside the answer you have to work on access, content and mentions.
How long does it take to show up in ChatGPT?
Changes to your site count when the crawler reads the page again, usually within days or weeks. Mentions in media and comparison sites take months. That is why it is best to measure trends over several weeks, not one-day screenshots.
Does blocking GPTBot remove me from ChatGPT?
Not from search. GPTBot is the crawler OpenAI uses to train models; OAI-SearchBot is the one that feeds ChatGPT search. You can block the first and allow the second.
Does an llms.txt file help me rank in ChatGPT?
Today it is not a condition for ChatGPT to cite you. It is a proposal some services read and it does no harm, but crawler access and content matter far more. I explain it in the llms.txt guide.
What about Gemini, Perplexity or Google AI Mode?
The logic is the same: a crawler that can get in, content that answers and third-party sources. The index changes: AI Mode and AI Overviews rely on Google’s index, Perplexity on its own.
This article was created with the help of AI and reviewed by José Galán. I take great care over every post and every translation, but the odd mistake can still slip through. If you find one, write to me: you will be helping me improve.
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