If you’ve been hearing more and more about ChatGPT lately, you’re not alone. It’s one of the most widely used AI tools out there, and it’s helping people write content, brainstorm ideas, answer questions, and even get product recommendations. Naturally, a lot of local business owners are starting to ask: Can ChatGPT recommend my business? And more importantly, how do I make sure it knows I exist?
Let’s unpack how ChatGPT actually works, where it pulls its information from, and how you can position your business to show up more often in these AI-generated conversations.
Where Does ChatGPT Actually Get Its Answers?
ChatGPT is powered by something called a Large Language Model—or LLM for short. Think of it as a super smart text predictor trained on a huge amount of publicly available information. But here’s the important part: ChatGPT doesn’t go out and search the internet in real time (unless it’s using a browsing tool like Bing or specific plug-ins).
So, where does it get its data?
- Public websites
- Wikipedia
- Books and licensed texts
- Forums like Reddit and Stack Exchange
- News articles (if publicly available)
But it does not:
- Access private content
- Crawl paywalled or gated websites
- Pull from your site unless your content was already public and indexed before the model was trained
💡 Pro Tip: If your website is new or hasn’t been optimized for visibility, there’s a good chance ChatGPT doesn’t “know” it yet.
Why This Matters to Your Business
Because people are using AI tools like ChatGPT to get recommendations, compare service providers, and learn about their options—especially when they’re early in the research phase.
But here’s the catch: Just because your business exists doesn’t mean you’ll show up.
Real World Example: A customer asks ChatGPT, “Who are the best pest control companies in Little Rock?” If your business isn’t mentioned on public lists, blog posts, or trusted directories, there’s a high chance ChatGPT won’t include you in its response.
This doesn’t mean you’re doing anything wrong. It just means the model can only talk about what it knows—and that comes from what’s been published and indexed online before its training cutoff.
What ChatGPT Doesn’t Know
Let’s clear up a few myths. ChatGPT:
- Can’t see your Facebook or Instagram posts (unless they’re shared in public web pages)
- Doesn’t have access to live databases
- Doesn’t always reflect the latest updates unless connected to tools with browsing
So if someone says, “ChatGPT saw my new LinkedIn post,” that’s highly unlikely unless the post went viral and got picked up in a public source.
💡 Pro Tip: Assume ChatGPT knows about your business the same way Google does—if you’re not showing up publicly and consistently, you’re invisible.
How to Increase Your Business’s Visibility in AI Tools
Now for the good news: You can absolutely influence what ChatGPT might say about your business—just not directly. The goal is to build your digital presence in a way that search engines and AI models recognize as trustworthy and useful.
Here’s how:
- Create Helpful, Authoritative Content
Answer the questions your customers are actually asking. Not just “about us” pages, but real value-driven content like “How Much Does it Cost to Build a Website?” - Use Structured Data (Schema)
This is behind-the-scenes code that helps search engines and AI understand your website. It’s especially helpful for things like business hours, reviews, FAQs, and services. - Get Mentioned on Reputable Sites
Think: news features, blogs, and online directories. The more trustworthy places that mention or link to your site, the better your chances of being “known.” - Keep Your Listings Updated
Google Business Profile, Yelp, Bing Places—these listings are structured and often referenced in AI training data. Keep them accurate. - Write FAQs
Q&A content is gold for AI tools. It’s direct, digestible, and often gets pulled into AI responses because it mirrors the way people search. - Build Topical Authority
The more consistently you create content around your niche or industry, the more likely AI tools will associate your brand with those topics.
💡 Pro Tip: Publishing content under a real name or business owner adds trust signals for both human users and AI.
Should You Be Worried About AI Replacing Google?
Short answer: No. But you should be aware that people are using both Google and AI tools in tandem.
Think of AI as the second step. A person might search on Google for “marketing agency near me,” but then ask ChatGPT, “What Questions Should I Ask Before Hiring a Marketing Agency?” or “How Do I Know If My Marketing Agency is Doing a Good Job?”
Your job is to show up in both places.
AI search is still very new, and how people use it long-term is still unfolding. It might eventually start to look more like Google, where people ask it to find specific businesses or services directly. But for now, it’s more about research, recommendations, and decision-making support.
💡 Pro Tip: The best strategies that help you show up on Google—like building a strong brand and sharing helpful, real content—still work with AI. Focus on providing value, and you’ll be in a great spot no matter how search evolves.
How to Be AI-Visible
Let’s recap:
- ChatGPT doesn’t search the internet live. It relies on pre-existing public data.
- Your business won’t show up unless you’ve built an online presence that’s helpful, accurate, and consistent.
- You can’t control AI models directly, but you can influence them by showing up in the right places.
Ask yourself:
- Does my website answer real customer questions?
- Am I mentioned in local blogs, directories, or media?
- Are my business listings accurate and up to date?
- Is my content helpful, easy to understand, and trustworthy?
If you’re not sure where to start—or if you want a second opinion—Rock City Digital is here to help.
Let’s Make Sure AI Can Find You
Not sure if your business is visible in the AI world? Let’s talk.
Contact Rock City Digital today for a free content and visibility audit— we’ll help you take the right next step.
