Getting cited by ChatGPT as a local business recommendation requires the same data that makes you visible in Google's Local Pack — with one important addition: structured data on your website that AI can read directly. This guide covers every step in order, from claiming your Google Business Profile to adding schema markup, with clear explanations of why each step affects your AI visibility and how long it takes to see results.
How ChatGPT actually decides which businesses to cite
Before following any steps, it helps to understand the mechanism. ChatGPT doesn't use Google's search algorithm. It forms recommendations from a combination of:
- Training data — content crawled from the web before a cutoff date, including business directories, review sites, and business websites
- Real-time web search — for many queries, ChatGPT performs a Bing-powered web search and synthesises results. This is near-real-time.
- Structured data extraction — schema markup on your website lets ChatGPT extract precise facts about your business without interpreting unstructured text
- Review content — the text of reviews (not just the star rating) helps AI understand what your business is known for, what types of jobs you do, and how you treat customers
The implication is important: it's not enough to be good at your trade. You need to be clearly described, consistently documented, and well-reviewed across the sources AI tools pull from. The steps below address each source.
Step 1: Complete your Google Business Profile fully
Google Business Profile — the most cited single source
GBP is the primary data source ChatGPT uses for local business recommendations. A fully completed profile tells AI tools exactly what your business is, where it operates, and what it does.
- Verify your listing at business.google.com if you haven't already
- Choose the most specific primary category available for your trade
- Write a 750-character business description that names your main service and location in the first sentence
- Add every service you offer with individual descriptions — these are indexed by AI as content about your business
- Upload at least 10 photos — team, premises, and completed work
- Set exact opening hours and keep them current
- Post at least once a week — inactive profiles lose AI visibility signals
Step 2: Build 15+ consistent citations across directories
Directory citations — AI uses them to verify your business exists
When ChatGPT finds the same business name, address, and phone number across 15+ directories, it treats the business as verified and trustworthy. Inconsistent data — even small variations like "Street" vs "St" — creates doubt and reduces citation likelihood.
- Decide on your exact NAP (Name, Address, Phone) — copy-paste it, never type from memory
- Claim Bing Places (feeds Copilot directly) and Apple Maps (feeds Siri, Apple Intelligence)
- Add Yelp UK, Yell.com, Thomson Local, Facebook Business, Foursquare
- Add industry-specific directories: Checkatrade, TrustATrader, Treatwell, TripAdvisor (whichever applies)
- Check all existing listings for inconsistencies using a free BrightLocal or Moz Local scan
Step 3: Accumulate recent, descriptive Google reviews
Reviews — the content AI reads to understand your business
ChatGPT reads the actual text of reviews when describing businesses. A review that says "fixed our boiler in two hours on a Sunday, fair price, very professional" tells AI your business handles emergency call-outs, works weekends, and is competitive on price. This content influences which recommendation you get for specific queries.
- Ask every satisfied customer for a review — verbally at the moment of completion works best
- Send a WhatsApp/text with a direct Google review link within 2 hours of job completion
- Reply to every review within 48 hours — responses are indexed content too
- In responses, naturally mention the job type and location: "Thanks for trusting us with your Leeds kitchen installation"
- Aim for at least one new review per week for the first six months
Step 4: Add LocalBusiness schema markup to your website
Schema markup — machine-readable data AI can extract directly
Schema markup is structured code (JSON-LD) added to your website that labels your business data in a format designed for AI and search engines. Without it, AI has to guess your details from unstructured text. With it, every fact about your business is explicitly stated and machine-readable.
The minimum schema to add:
- LocalBusiness — name, address, phone, URL, opening hours, price range, service area
- FAQPage — 4–5 real questions your customers ask, with direct answers (see Step 5)
- Article — on any blog or guide pages you publish
Sites with LocalBusiness schema are cited in 47% more AI responses than those without. FAQPage schema has the highest individual citation rate of any schema type in AI-generated answers.
Step 5: Add an FAQ section to your website with direct answers
FAQPage content — the highest-ROI content you can add for AI visibility
AI tools like ChatGPT are optimised to find and cite direct answers to specific questions. A page or section of your website that answers 4–5 real customer questions — with the answer in the first sentence, not buried in a paragraph — is exactly what gets cited.
- Write 4–5 FAQs based on questions your customers actually ask (pricing, timing, qualifications, process)
- Start each answer with the direct answer, not a preamble: "Yes, all our engineers are Gas Safe registered" — not "Great question, let me explain..."
- Keep answers to 2–4 sentences — enough detail to be useful, short enough to be citeable
- Add FAQPage JSON-LD schema that mirrors the Q&As exactly
- Place the FAQ section on your homepage or a dedicated FAQ page
Step 6: Publish at least two useful content pieces about your trade
Content authority — AI cites sources it considers expert
AI tools apply an "expertise and authority" filter when choosing which businesses to cite. A business website with a useful guide or two — "How to tell if your boiler needs replacing" or "What to check before calling a plumber" — signals expertise that a blank brochure site doesn't. You don't need a blog with 50 posts. Two genuinely useful, specific articles create enough topical signal to make a difference.
- Write about real questions in your trade, not about your company
- Answer the question directly in the first paragraph — this is what AI will cite
- Include specific numbers, timelines, or costs where you can ("most boiler repairs take 1–3 hours")
- Add Article JSON-LD schema with datePublished and your name as author
Steps 1–3 (GBP, citations, reviews) take 4–12 weeks to show measurable effect on AI citations. Steps 4–6 (schema, FAQs, content) can improve AI visibility within weeks for web-search-enabled queries. Do all six. The combined effect is significantly larger than any individual step.
How to test whether ChatGPT is citing you
Open ChatGPT and ask: "Which [your trade] in [your town] would you recommend and why?" Look for your business name. If it doesn't appear, ask: "What can you tell me about [your exact business name]?" — this tests whether ChatGPT has data about you at all, versus whether it's choosing to surface you in recommendations.
Also test: "I need a [your trade] in [your town] — who's reliable?" The phrasing matters. ChatGPT's local recommendations can vary by query phrasing, location precision, and whether web search is active. Test multiple phrasings and check monthly as your profile and reviews strengthen.
The complete AI Local Search guide series
Our step-by-step module guides cover GBP setup, NAP consistency, review strategy, and schema markup in full — written for people who've never heard of any of these things before.
Once you've made these changes, checking whether they worked is the next step — see StackProven's guide to tracking brand mentions in ChatGPT.