Getting your site recommended in ChatGPT answers is a unique opportunity for website owners and content creators. In this new AI era, tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Microsoft Copilot are reshaping how people discover information. Instead of just listing links, these tools provide direct answers, often pulling from trusted websites like yours.
To help you show up in these results, here’s a practical guide for boosting your visibility and making friends with the bots.
Understand the Shift: Traditional Search Engines vs. AI Search
Search engines like Google and Bing are still essential for discovery, but AI tools like ChatGPT are changing the way people find information. Instead of just listing links, AI tools pull together insights from trusted sources, brand mentions, and popular content to give direct answers. To show up in these results, you’ll need to go beyond traditional SEO and start thinking about how your content can be recognised and trusted by AI.
1. Start With High-Quality Content and Keyword Research
Great content is still the foundation of being found online – that’s always been the case. Focus on creating valuable, easy-to-read content that answers real questions and matches what your audience is searching for. Use keyword research to identify those search terms and weave them naturally into headings, body text, product descriptions, and meta tags.
- Write in clear, conversational language (the kind that’s easy for both humans and AI to understand). Avoid fluff or keyword stuffing. Instead, organise your content with logical headings and include direct answers and FAQ sections.
- For bonus points, add schema markup (especially FAQ or How-To schemas) to help search engines understand your content structure.
- And lastly, keep your site updated! Refresh your content regularly with accurate and up to date information, it signals that your site is active and trustworthy.
2. Build Authority and Brand Awareness
When your brand is mentioned across the web on social media, case studies or through guest blog posts, it increases both your visibility and credibility. AI tools like ChatGPT take these signals into account, along with positive reviews and authoritative content, when deciding which websites to recommend.
- Boost engagement by responding to comments, sharing helpful content, and encouraging positive reviews from happy customers.
- Being featured in industry publications or contributing guest articles also helps drive referral traffic and builds trust with both traditional search engines and AI platforms.
- Be active on social media platforms e.g. Instagram, Facebook, YouTube etc.
All of these touchpoints help reinforce your brand and tell AI (and humans) that you’re worth paying attention to.
3. Get Cosy With Bing: Why It’s a Must for ChatGPT Visibility
Bing is BACK! I don’t know if it was ever not there it was just always the forgotten younger sibling of Google. But times have changed and if you want your website to show up in ChatGPT then being indexed by Bing is essential. ChatGPT’s browsing tool and Microsoft Copilot rely on Bing’s index to fetch real-time content. That means if your site isn’t in Bing’s index, it’s much less likely to appear in these AI-driven recommendations.
The good news? Most best practices for Google also work for Bing. But you’ll want to be proactive:
- Set up and monitor Bing Webmaster Tools
- Follow Bing’s SEO guidelines (mobile-friendly, secure, fast-loading – which you should be doing anyway 😉 )
- Submit your sitemap and make sure everything is being indexed properly
Ignoring Bing is no longer an option if you want to compete in the AI era. While Google still dominates search traffic, Bing is playing a growing role in how AI tools find content.
If you’re not sure how to set up Bing Webmaster Tools you can follow my guide here.
4. Optimise for AI and Traditional SEO
Traditional SEO is still essential, but now you need to layer on AI SEO and answer engine optimisation.
- Use Google Search Console to monitor your website rank and ensure your site is indexed by Google, same for Bing as mentioned above use Webmaster tools to make sure your website is being indexed.
- Optimise individual pages with strong on-page SEO: compelling meta descriptions, clear headers, and relevant keywords.
- Reduce bounce rates by improving user experience and making sure your site search feature works smoothly.
- Track user behaviour to see what content keeps potential customers engaged.
5. Track, Adapt, and Stay Ahead
SEO isn’t set and forget! Monitor your search engine rankings and website’s visibility regularly. Use free tools like Google Analytics, Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster tools to assess your SEO efforts and adapt your strategy based on future developments in AI.
- Analyse referral traffic from AI platforms and traditional search engines.
- Stay updated on best marketing podcasts and insights from SEO experts to keep your strategy sharp. I’ve listed a few below:
Final Thoughts: Your Best Chance in the AI Era
Getting your website recommended by ChatGPT isn’t just about ticking SEO boxes. It’s about creating valuable, trustworthy content and building a strong online presence across multiple platforms.
Focus on high-quality content that answers real questions. Make sure your site is fast, mobile-friendly, and properly indexed (especially by Bing). Build authority through brand mentions, positive reviews, and consistent engagement.
By combining traditional SEO with strategies tailored for AI and conversational search, you’ll be in a strong position to grow your visibility, reach new audiences, and stay relevant as search continues to evolve.
