Have you ever asked ChatGPT or another AI assistants a question about local businesses and wondered why certain companies show up in the answers while others don’t? If you’re a business owner, you’ve probably thought: “How do I get my business to appear in these AI responses?”
I had this exact thought recently when I asked for restaurant recommendations in my neighborhood. The AI mentioned several places I knew, but completely missed my friend’s amazing little café that’s been thriving for years. It got me thinking about the digital visibility puzzle that business owners now face in this AI-driven world.
The New Digital Frontier: When AI Recommends Your Business
Remember when simply having a website was enough? Then came SEO, social media, and Google My Business. Now, AI tools represent the next frontier for business visibility—and if you’re not thinking about it, you’re potentially missing countless customers who are increasingly relying on AI assistants for recommendations.
At Bookmyad.ca, we’ve seen this shift firsthand. More clients are asking: “How do we make sure our business shows up when people ask AI tools about our industry or services?”
The good news? There are concrete steps you can take to increase your chances of being mentioned in AI-generated responses. According to recent studies, over 180 million people use ChatGPT monthly, with many asking for product and service recommendations.
Actionable Strategies to Increase Your AI Visibilty
AI tools like ChatGPT don’t actually browse the internet in real-time. Instead, they’re trained on vast datasets of information from the web. This means your first goal is making sure your business information exists prominently across the digital landscape.
1. Establish a Strong, Consistent Web Presence
The stronger your digital footprint, the more likely AI tools will “know” about your business:
- Create a comprehensive, updated website with clear information about your products, services, location, and business hours
- Claim and complete your Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business)
- Maintain active social media accounts relevant to your industry
- Get listed in industry-specific directories that are likely to be crawled for AI training data
A local bookstore owner, told us: “After optimizing our website and creating accounts on every relevant platform, we started noticing customers mentioning they’d heard about us through AI assistants.“
2. Generate High-Quality Content
AI tools favor businesses that provide valuable, trustworthy information:
- Create informative blog posts addressing common questions in your industry
- Publish case studies showcasing your expertise
- Share customer success stories that demonstrate your value proposition
- Develop comprehensive FAQ sections on your website
The key is becoming a go-to resource that other websites link to—which increases the chances your content will be included in AI training datasets.
3. Implement Schema Markup
Schema markup is code you add to your website to help search engines understand the content and context of your pages. This same structured data helps AI tools comprehend what your business does, where it’s located, what it offers, and more.
Consider adding schema markup for:
- Local business information
- Products and services
- Business hours
- Customer reviews
- Events
- FAQs
Our technical SEO services can help implement these technical elements if you’re unfamiliar with them.
4. Focus on Reviews and Mentions
AI systems often prioritize businesses with substantial online verification through reviews and mentions:
- Encourage satisfied customers to leave reviews on Google, Yelp, and industry-specific platforms
- Respond thoughtfully to all reviews, both positive and negative
- Seek mentions and features in local news outlets and industry publications
- Partner with influencers and bloggers for authentic coverage
Think of each review and mention as a vote of confidence that helps AI tools recognize your business as noteworthy.
5. Optimize for Voice Search
Many AI interactions happen through voice, which changes how people phrase questions:
- Target conversational long-tail keywords in your content
- Create content that answers specific questions beginning with “where,” “how,” “what,” etc.
- Focus on local search terms that people might use when asking about businesses in their area
For example, instead of just optimizing for “Italian restaurant Toronto,” also optimize for “Where can I find the best Italian food near me in downtown Toronto?”
6. Stay Current with AI Partnerships
Major AI companies are increasingly partnering with business directories and platforms:
- Ensure your business is listed on platforms that have direct partnerships with AI providers
- Monitor announcements from companies like OpenAI (ChatGPT’s creator) about new business listing features
- Consider paid inclusion programs as they become available (though approach these with careful consideration)
The Human Touch Still Matters
While optimizing for AI visibility is important, remember that the fundamentals of good business still apply.
A local hardware store, shared: “We’ve done all the technical stuff to get noticed by AI, but what really made the difference was having customers specifically mention our excellent service in their reviews. AI seems to pick up on genuine customer enthusiasm.”
This highlights an important point: AI systems are increasingly designed to identify and recommend businesses that provide exceptional value and service. No amount of technical optimization can replace the power of a genuinely outstanding business that customers love to talk about.
Need Help Getting Your Business AI-Ready?
At Bookmyad.ca, we specialize in helping businesses navigate the evolving digital landscape—including optimizing for visibility in AI tools like ChatGPT, Bard, and others.
Our team stays current with the latest developments in AI and search technology, ensuring your business doesn’t get left behind as consumer behavior continues to evolve.
Contact us today to learn how we can help position your business for success in the age of AI assistants.
