Technical SEO
How to Get Your Business Recommended by ChatGPT, Claude and Perplexity (AEO Checklist)
More buyers now ask an AI assistant for a recommendation before they search Google: “Who is a good CRM developer for a small business?”, “Best clinic near me for…”. Answer engine optimization (AEO) is the work of making your business the one those assistants name. Nobody can guarantee a recommendation, but the businesses that get recommended tend to share the same signals. This checklist covers them.
By WebsNexus · October 20, 2026 · 4 min read · Updated October 20, 2026
AEO checklist: what AI assistants look for
| Signal | What to do | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Crawl access | Allow GPTBot, OAI-SearchBot, ClaudeBot, PerplexityBot in robots.txt | Blocked sites cannot be read or cited |
| Search indexing | Verify in Bing Webmaster Tools and Google Search Console; submit your sitemap | AI search tools use web search indexes |
| Clear facts | State services, locations, prices and proof in plain sentences | Specific facts are easy to quote |
| Structured data | Organization, Service, FAQPage and Article schema that match the page | Makes your entity and offers unambiguous |
| Answer-first pages | One page per important question, answered in the first paragraph | Matches how people ask AI |
| Third-party mentions | Directories, reviews, industry lists, press, forums | Assistants trust what others say about you |
| Consistency | Same name, description and services everywhere | Conflicting facts reduce confidence |
How AI assistants decide who to recommend
When an assistant searches the web to answer a question, it reads a handful of pages it considers relevant and reliable, then summarises them. Businesses that appear in several of those sources, described consistently and specifically, are the ones that get named.
Without web search, an assistant relies on what it learned in training, which is built from the public web. Either way, the fix is the same: be clearly described, in many trusted places.
Step 1: Make your site readable by AI
Check that robots.txt does not block AI crawlers such as OpenAI's GPTBot and OAI-SearchBot, Anthropic's ClaudeBot and PerplexityBot, and that important content is in the HTML rather than loaded only by scripts. An llms.txt file that lists your key pages is a low-effort extra.
Verify your site in Bing Webmaster Tools as well as Google Search Console and submit your sitemap. Bing is often overlooked, and several AI search experiences draw on its index.
Step 2: State the facts an assistant needs
An assistant can only recommend you for something your site says clearly. Each service page should say, near the top, what the service is, who it is for, where you work, typical prices or price ranges, timelines and proof such as a case study or a number.
Vague copy like “innovative solutions for your business” gives an AI nothing to quote. “Custom CRMs from $2,000, delivered in 4 to 10 weeks” does.
Step 3: Answer the questions customers ask
List the questions customers ask before buying: costs, comparisons, how long it takes, which option suits whom. Answer each in a dedicated page or FAQ, with the direct answer first and detail after. Mark FAQs up with FAQPage structured data that matches the visible text.
Step 4: Earn mentions beyond your website
This step matters most. Get listed and reviewed on the directories and review sites that matter in your industry, appear in “best of” lists and industry roundups, contribute expert answers in forums and communities, and publish case studies with clients who will link to them.
Keep your business name, description and service list the same everywhere. Assistants are more confident recommending a business whose facts agree across sources.
Step 5: Track and improve
Ask the major assistants the questions your customers ask, every month, and note whether you are named and which sources are cited. Check referral traffic from AI tools in your analytics. Then improve the pages and third-party profiles those answers rely on.
Frequently asked questions
How do I get my business recommended by ChatGPT?
Allow AI crawlers, get indexed in Bing and Google, state your services, locations, prices and proof clearly, add structured data, publish answer-first pages, and earn consistent mentions and reviews on trusted third-party sites.
What is AEO?
Answer engine optimization (AEO) is the practice of making your business and content easy for AI assistants and answer engines to find, understand, cite and recommend.
Is AEO different from SEO?
AEO builds on SEO. Crawlability, indexing and quality content still matter, but AEO puts more weight on clear, quotable facts, structured data and consistent third-party mentions.
Does llms.txt help with ChatGPT?
It can help AI tools find your most important pages, but it is a minor signal. Clear content, indexing and third-party mentions matter much more.
Can you do AEO for my business?
Yes. WebsNexus does technical SEO and generative engine optimization: crawl access, structured data, llms.txt, answer-first service pages and FAQs. SEO work starts from $100.