How to Get Your Business Found in ChatGPT and AI Search?
Learn how to improve your business’s visibility in ChatGPT and AI search with clear website content, SEO, reviews and accurate business information.
Ruta Jogminaite
30 September 2026
More people are using ChatGPT, Google's AI search features and other AI assistants to discover businesses and activities.
Instead of simply searching for “pottery classes Bristol”, someone might ask:
“Where can I find a beginner pottery class in Bristol on a weekday evening?”
Or:
“Find a children's art class near me that's suitable for a six-year-old.”
For businesses running classes, workshops, courses, activities and appointments, that creates another potential route for customers to discover you.
So, how do you improve your chances of being found in ChatGPT and other AI search experiences?
There isn't a secret AI SEO trick — and nobody can guarantee that a particular business will appear in an AI-generated answer. What you can do is make your business easy to discover, understand and verify online.
Here's where to start.
How does AI search find businesses?
Different AI search products work in different ways.
Some can search the live web and use current webpages as sources when answering a question. Others may use a combination of web search and other information available to their systems.
The exact methods used to select sources and recommendations aren't fully disclosed, so there is no guaranteed formula for getting your business into an AI-generated answer.
However, there is considerable overlap between good traditional SEO and preparing your website for AI-powered search.
Google's own guidance for its generative AI search features continues to emphasise established SEO practices, while OpenAI confirms that public websites can appear in ChatGPT search and provides specific guidance for website owners who want their content to be discoverable. OpenAI Help Center
The practical goal is therefore simple: make accurate, useful information about your business easy to find and understand online.
Start with clear, specific website content
Your website should make it immediately obvious what your business offers.
For each important class, course, workshop, activity or service, provide useful information such as:
What the activity or service is
Who it's suitable for
Where it takes place
When it runs
How much it costs
What is included
Whether previous experience is required
How someone can book
Specificity matters.
For example, a page that simply says:
Pottery Classes
provides relatively little information.
Something like:
Six-week beginner pottery course in Bristol. Tuesday evenings, no previous experience required, with materials included.
immediately provides much more context.
The same information is also exactly what a potential customer needs when deciding whether your class is right for them.
Think about the questions people ask AI
Conversational search changes the way some people phrase searches.
A traditional Google search might look like:
yoga classes Manchester
An AI search could be much more specific:
“Can you recommend a beginner-friendly yoga class in Manchester that runs after work?”
That means your website shouldn't rely on a few broad keywords to explain what you do.
If your class is suitable for beginners, say so. If it's available on Tuesday evenings, include that information. If equipment is provided, explain that too.
Don't try to predict every possible AI prompt. Instead, give customers enough useful information to determine whether your service matches what they're looking for.
Get your SEO titles and descriptions right
Clear page titles and meta descriptions remain good SEO practice.
Rather than giving every page a generic title such as “Classes” or “Home”, make the subject of important pages clear.
For example:
Beginner Pottery Classes in Bristol | [Studio Name]
is more descriptive than:
Classes | [Studio Name]
Your meta description can then briefly explain what the page offers and give someone a reason to visit it.
Avoid stuffing titles and descriptions with repetitive keywords. They should primarily help people understand what they can expect from the page.
If you use a Baluu-powered website, Baluu includes SEO metadata settings that allow you to add your website title and description without needing to edit code.
If you already have your own website, you can instead embed Baluu's booking tools into it and manage the wider site's SEO through your existing website platform.
Baluu's website tools are also continuing to be developed with greater customisation in mind.
Make sure ChatGPT can access your website
This is one of the more technical steps, but it's worth knowing about.
OpenAI uses a web crawler called OAI-SearchBot for ChatGPT's search features.
OpenAI states that any public website can appear in ChatGPT search. To help make website content discoverable and eligible to appear in summaries and snippets, website owners should make sure they aren't blocking OAI-SearchBot.
If you manage your own website, this may mean checking your robots.txt file and any firewall, CDN or bot-protection settings.
There's also an important distinction between search and AI model training.
OpenAI uses separate controls for OAI-SearchBot and GPTBot. This means a website owner can allow OAI-SearchBot for ChatGPT search while blocking GPTBot if they don't want their crawled website content used for training OpenAI's generative AI foundation models. OpenAI Developers
For most small business owners, this isn't something you'll need to check every week. But if you're actively working on your visibility in ChatGPT search, it's worth asking whoever manages your website to confirm that relevant search crawlers aren't accidentally being blocked.
Keep your business information consistent
Imagine your website says you're based at one address, a business directory shows your previous address, and your opening hours somewhere else haven't been updated for two years.
That makes it harder for customers to know which information to trust.
Regularly check important business details across your online presence, including:
Business name
Address
Phone number
Email address
Opening hours
Class or service locations
Website and booking links
This is particularly important for businesses that rely on local discovery.
If someone is searching for “children's dance classes near me”, location information is fundamental to whether a particular business is relevant.
Create useful FAQs
Think about the questions customers repeatedly ask before making a booking.
For example:
Do I need to book in advance?
Is this class suitable for complete beginners?
What should I bring?
Can I join after the course has started?
What happens if I miss a session?
Is equipment included?
If you answer the same question constantly through email, social media or phone calls, there's a good chance the answer belongs somewhere on your website.
Clear FAQs put useful information into straightforward website content that customers and search systems can understand.
They can also reduce unnecessary admin by answering common questions before someone contacts you.
Build genuine customer reviews
Reviews can play an important role in the decision-making process, particularly when someone discovers your business for the first time.
Consider two businesses offering similar classes.
One has detailed information online alongside recent feedback from customers. The other has very little information and no visible customer feedback.
The first gives a prospective customer much more information on which to base their decision.
Make requesting reviews part of your normal customer journey rather than something you remember to do occasionally.
A good time to ask is shortly after someone has attended a class, workshop or activity, while the experience is still fresh.
With Baluu, post-event emails can be sent after an event and businesses can choose how they handle review requests. Reviews can be collected through Baluu, or customers can be directed to an external review platform such as Google Reviews.
Whichever approach you choose, focus on collecting genuine feedback consistently rather than trying to generate a large number of reviews at once.
Build your presence beyond your own website
Your own website isn't the only place where information about your business can exist.
Depending on what you offer, your business may also be relevant to:
Local business directories
Tourism websites
Local authority or community listings
Industry directories
Local press
Partner organisations
Schools, venues or clubs you work with
For example, a pottery studio might be listed by a local tourism organisation, while a children's activity provider might be mentioned by a school or community organisation.
These references can help people discover your business through channels other than your own website.
More importantly, they build a broader online presence rather than leaving your own website as the only source of information about your business.
Don't chase hundreds of low-quality directory listings simply for SEO. Focus on websites and organisations that are genuinely relevant to your location, industry or customers.
Keep your content current
An accurate website today can become an inaccurate one surprisingly quickly.
Perhaps you've changed your prices, moved venue, stopped offering a particular course or changed the days on which a class runs.
Old information creates a poor experience regardless of whether someone discovers it through Google, ChatGPT or another website.
Periodically review your most important pages and remove or update information that is no longer correct.
Pay particular attention to:
Prices
Locations
Class schedules
Age requirements
Availability
Contact information
Booking links
If you publish blog content, update important evergreen articles when the information changes rather than simply leaving old advice online indefinitely.
Make booking easy once customers find you
Being discovered is only half of the job.
Imagine someone asks an AI assistant for a beginner pottery course, discovers your business, visits your website — and then can't work out how much the course costs or how to book.
You've gained visibility but lost the booking.
Once someone reaches your website, they should be able to quickly understand:
What is it?
Is it suitable for me?
When is it available?
How much does it cost?
How do I book?
Ideally, customers should be able to see current availability and complete their booking online without having to send a message just to find out whether a space is available.
This is where your website and booking system need to work together.
You can use a Baluu-powered website or keep your existing website and embed Baluu's booking tools into it. Either way, the objective is the same: make the journey from “I've found something I'm interested in” to “I've booked it” as straightforward as possible.
Don't create content just for AI
The growth of AI search has also created plenty of new terminology, including AEO (Answer Engine Optimisation) and GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation).
That doesn't mean you need to completely rewrite your marketing strategy.
Google's current guidance for generative AI search continues to emphasise many of the same principles that apply to conventional search, rather than requiring businesses to create a separate version of their website specifically for AI. Google for Developers
Be wary of tactics that promise guaranteed ChatGPT rankings or encourage you to fill pages with awkward phrases designed purely for AI systems.
Instead, ask a much simpler question:
Would this page genuinely help someone understand my business and decide whether it's right for them?
If the answer is yes, you're heading in the right direction.
A simple AI search visibility checklist
If you want to improve your business's online visibility, start with these steps:
Review your main service pages. Make sure they clearly explain what you offer, who it's for, where it takes place, when it's available and how much it costs.
Improve page titles and descriptions. Give important pages descriptive titles rather than generic ones.
Check crawler access. If you manage your own website, make sure OAI-SearchBot isn't unintentionally blocked if you want to be eligible for ChatGPT search.
Check your business details. Make sure your address, contact information, opening hours and booking links are accurate wherever they appear.
Answer common customer questions. Turn the questions you repeatedly receive into useful website content.
Collect genuine reviews consistently. Make requesting feedback part of your post-event customer journey.
Build relevant external mentions. Look for legitimate local, industry and community websites where your business belongs.
Make booking straightforward. Don't make someone contact you simply to discover your prices or availability.
Frequently asked questions
Can my business appear in ChatGPT search?
Yes. OpenAI states that any public website can appear in ChatGPT search. Website owners who want their content to be discoverable should ensure they aren't blocking OAI-SearchBot. This doesn't guarantee that your business will appear for a particular search. OpenAI Help Center
Can I guarantee that ChatGPT will recommend my business?
No. There isn't a legitimate SEO technique that can guarantee your business will be selected for a particular ChatGPT query.
Focus instead on making accurate, useful and accessible information about your business available online.
Is AI SEO different from normal SEO?
There are differences in how people interact with AI search, particularly because searches can be longer and more conversational.
However, many fundamentals remain familiar: useful content, clear website structure, crawlability, accurate business information and a good experience for visitors. Google's current guidance similarly says that established SEO best practices remain relevant to its generative AI search features. Google for Developers
Do I need a blog to appear in AI search?
Not necessarily.
For a class, workshop or activity business, accurate service pages are particularly important because they explain what you actually offer.
A blog can support your wider online presence by answering useful questions and demonstrating expertise, but don't neglect your core class, course or service pages.
Should I write content specifically for ChatGPT?
Write primarily for your customers.
Think about the detailed questions they might ask and make sure your website provides useful answers. That naturally makes your content more informative for both conventional and conversational search.
Can Baluu help with website SEO and reviews?
Baluu provides website SEO metadata settings that allow businesses using a Baluu-powered website to add a title and description, alongside social sharing settings.
Baluu also supports post-event review requests, including collecting reviews through Baluu or directing customers to an external review platform such as Google Reviews.
If you already have your own website, you can embed Baluu booking into it instead.
Get the fundamentals right
AI search is changing the way some customers discover businesses, but that doesn't mean everything businesses know about online visibility has suddenly become obsolete.
Make it clear what you offer, who it's for, where it takes place, when it's available, what it costs and how someone can book.
Keep that information accurate across the web. Build genuine customer reviews. Make sure relevant search tools can access your public content. And once someone discovers you, make the next step simple.
Whether your next customer finds you through Google, ChatGPT, a local directory or a recommendation from a friend, the objective is ultimately the same:
Help them understand what you offer — and make it easy to book.
With Baluu, you can create a bookable website or add online booking to your existing site, manage SEO metadata, collect customer reviews and give customers a straightforward route from discovery to booking.
Written by
Ruta Jogminaite
Expert in booking systems and appointment-based business optimization.
