AI assistants recommend businesses they can find in search results, clearly identify as an entity, and verify through consistent facts and third-party mentions. To be recommended, make your website easy to retrieve and quote, keep your business details identical everywhere, and earn reviews and mentions on trusted sites.
This guide by Nikhil Soman, an SEO and AI search specialist in Kerala, lists the steps that matter most for local and service businesses.
How AI assistants decide which business to recommend
- Retrieve: the assistant searches the web (Google, Bing or its own index) for relevant pages.
- Read: it splits pages into passages and keeps the ones that answer the question directly.
- Verify: it compares facts across sources such as your site, Google Business Profile, directories and reviews.
- Answer: it names the businesses it is most confident about and often links to the sources.
9 steps to get recommended by AI
1. Rank in normal search first
Most AI answers are built from pages that already rank. If your service pages are not indexed or sit on page five, fix that before anything else.
2. Make one page per service and location
A page titled “SEO expert in Kerala” or “web designer in Trivandrum” is easier to match to a question than a generic “Services” page.
3. Start every section with the answer
Write the first sentence of each section so it can be quoted alone: who you are, what you do, where, and for whom.
4. Publish facts AI can repeat
Founding year, location, number of projects, services and prices. Vague claims like “best in class” are ignored; specific facts get quoted.
5. Keep your business details identical everywhere
Use the same name, city, phone and service list on your website, Google Business Profile, LinkedIn, Facebook and directories.
6. Add connected schema markup
Use Organization or Person, LocalBusiness or ProfessionalService, Service and FAQPage schema, linked by consistent IDs, so machines can read your entity directly.
7. Add llms.txt and clean Markdown versions
An llms.txt file gives AI agents a short map of your business and key pages.
8. Earn reviews and mentions
Google reviews, industry directories, local news and partner websites act as independent confirmation.
9. Track AI visibility monthly
Ask the same buyer questions in ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google AI each month and record whether you are mentioned. In GA4, watch referral traffic from chatgpt.com and perplexity.ai.
What does not work
- Hidden text or prompts aimed at AI crawlers.
- Mass-produced pages that repeat the same content for every town.
- Fake reviews or invented testimonials. They damage trust with people and with search systems.
Can I pay to be recommended by ChatGPT?
No. Organic recommendations in ChatGPT and Perplexity are not sold. They come from content, entity clarity and reputation.
How long does it take to appear in AI answers?
Usually 2 to 6 months after your site ranks and your business details are consistent across the web.
Does a Google Business Profile help with AI search?
Yes. It is one of the strongest confirmations of a local business’s name, location, category and reviews.
Want to know what AI says about your business today? Leading freelance web developer in Kerala Nikhil Soman offers AI SEO, GEO and AEO services in Kerala starting with an AI visibility audit.
