How does ChatGPT choose which local businesses to recommend?
ChatGPT runs a web search for reviews, reads directories and rating sites, and shows a handful of businesses as cards with a star rating and review count. The ratings on those cards come from your Google Business Profile or, in the US, often from Yelp. That is what we saw when we asked ChatGPT local questions on 3 October 2026, 29 industry-and-city questions in 10 countries, five runs each (our check; small samples, one day):
- It shows cards, not links. ChatGPT showed local business cards with a rating and review count in 38 of 40 answers in our first round, naming 4.7 businesses per answer on average. BrightLocal’s larger study puts it at 4.1 businesses per answer (Sep 2026).
- It searches for reviews, not for you. Its web search was usually a single query such as “dentist Austin reviews 2026”. It then cited about 1.8 websites per answer, mostly directories and rating sites, rarely the business’s own site.
- It adds trust words for each industry. For movers it searched “licensed FMCSA”, for lawyers “bar association”, for roofers manufacturer certifications and BBB, for UK trades Checkatrade and Which?. Those are the signals it looks for, so they need to be findable.
- In the UK and EU, the card is your Google profile. 0 of 307 cards we collected in seven European countries carried another provider’s logo, and every card we checked against the business’s Google profile matched exactly.
- In the US, about half the cards are Yelp. 159 of 341 US cards carried Yelp’s logo and Yelp’s numbers. In Denver, all ten dental cards we checked showed the Yelp rating, 3.9 stars on average against 4.75 on Google for the same practices. Yelp announced a licence for its reviews, ratings, photos and business data in ChatGPT on 23 July 2026 (Yahoo Finance). One agency study found Yelp behind ChatGPT’s local results in 95.83% of runs (Steady Demand, Aug 2026; US only, one 72-hour window).
So for a local business, ChatGPT optimization is mostly about the sources: a complete Google profile, a correct Yelp page in the US, the directories ChatGPT searches in your industry and country, and a website that states the facts plainly.
Why one screenshot of ChatGPT proves nothing
ChatGPT’s list changes every time you ask. In our first round, ChatGPT named 90 different businesses across 8 questions asked five times each. 44 of the 90 appeared in only one of the five answers; only 25 were named in three or more. Across all three rounds, 119 of 297 businesses appeared just once in five. BrightLocal found the same at scale: asked again, ChatGPT repeated only 23% of the businesses it had named (Sep 2026).
Question:“Can you recommend a good dentist in Austin, TX?”
| Practice | ChatGPT5 runs | Gemini3 runs | Google AI Mode1 run | Google Maps (top results)1 run |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Practice A | ||||
| Practice B | ||||
| Practice D | ||||
| Practice C | ||||
| Practice H | ||||
| Practice I | ||||
| Practice E | ||||
| Practice F | ||||
| Practice G | ||||
| Practice J | ||||
| Practice K | ||||
| Practice L | ||||
| Practice M | ||||
| Practice N | ||||
| Practice O | ||||
| Practice P | ||||
| Practice Q | ||||
| Practice R |
The Austin example above: five runs of the same question produced 14 different dentists. One practice was named every time; most appeared once or twice. A screenshot that shows you, or doesn’t, is one draw from that pile.
ChatGPT the app is not ChatGPT the API
Many “AI rank trackers” query OpenAI’s developer API instead of the ChatGPT app. We compared both: of 24 businesses the API named, only 6 appeared anywhere in five runs of the app, and the API showed no business cards. A tracker built on the API can report on a ChatGPT your customers never see. We collect the answers as they appear in the app.
We’ll ask ChatGPT your customers’ question three times and show who it names instead of you.
What ChatGPT SEO means for a local business (and what it doesn’t)
ChatGPT SEO is the work of making ChatGPT name your business, and describe it correctly, when someone asks it for a recommendation in your city.
It is not a hidden algorithm hack. Google says it plainly about its own AI features: optimizing for generative AI search “is optimizing for the search experience, and thus still SEO” (Google Search Central, 2026). The same logic holds for ChatGPT: it reads what the web already says about you.
What it isn’t:
- An llms.txt file. About 10% of sites have one, and SE Ranking found no link between having it and being cited (~300,000 domains, Nov 2025).
- Special “AI schema”. Structured data helps machines read your facts; there is no ChatGPT-only markup that earns recommendations.
- Keyword-stuffed pages or mass AI content. ChatGPT is looking for reviews and verifiable facts about you, not more words.
- A paid placement. Being named in an answer can’t be bought, and we don’t sell ads.
If you want to do it yourself, our guides how to get recommended by ChatGPT and how to “rank” in ChatGPT walk through the steps. This page is the done-for-you version.
What our ChatGPT optimization service includes
We fix the data ChatGPT pulls and prove each fix with a checkable result. Every deliverable has a written acceptance criterion, and every account stays in your name.
| Workstream | What we do | Done when |
|---|---|---|
| AI crawler access | Check robots.txt and real server responses for OAI-SearchBot and GPTBot, including firewall and CDN rules that block them silently | ChatGPT’s search crawler gets your pages with status 200 |
| Google Business Profile | Primary category, services, hours, website link, photos; merge duplicates that split your reviews | One verified profile per location, category correct, no duplicates |
| Yelp (US only) | Claim the page, correct name, address, phone, hours and categories; reply to reviews | Page claimed, facts match your profile |
| Directories ChatGPT searches | The rating sites ChatGPT looked up for your industry and country, e.g. Angi and BBB for trades, Zocdoc and ADA for dentists, Avvo for lawyers, Checkatrade in the UK | Listed and consistent on the agreed set |
| Name, address, phone | Remove old addresses and tracking numbers that still circulate | Same details everywhere we list |
| Service and price pages | One page per service with what it is, who it’s for, “from” price and area, in plain HTML | Facts readable without JavaScript |
| Fixing wrong facts | Ask ChatGPT about your business by name; trace each wrong answer to its source and correct it there | Each wrong fact traced and corrected at the source |
| Review process | Ask every customer; no filtering out unhappy ones, no incentives | Process running, staff know the rules |
| Measurement | Fixed question set, repeated runs before and after | Baseline plus re-measure at 60 and 90 days |
The “fixing wrong facts” row matters more than it looks. When we asked engines about 21 businesses by name, 16 had at least one fact that differed between engines or from the business’s own sources, and in 12 of 21, the business’s own website, Google profile or booking system contradicted each other. ChatGPT was the most careful of the engines we tested, but it can only repeat what the sources say.
How we measure results without fake precision
We agree a fixed set of questions with you before work starts, the ones your customers ask. Each question goes to ChatGPT five times, Gemini three times and Google AI Mode once or twice, with Google’s map results as a benchmark. Results are reported as fractions with a date: “named in 3 of 5 answers on 3 October”. We repeat the identical measurement at 60 and 90 days.
What we will never report: a “position in ChatGPT”, a visibility percentage from one run, or “you are invisible”. Answers vary too much for any of those to mean something. The full protocol is on our methodology page.
Pricing
Prices are ranges, excluding VAT, and depend on locations, languages and number of services.
| Step | US | EU |
|---|---|---|
| Free audit | $0 | €0 |
| Deep audit | $1,200–1,900 | €890–1,490 |
| Implementation, Foundation | $3,000–4,500 | €2,400–3,200 |
| Implementation, Full | $6,500–9,000 | €4,400–6,500 |
| Monitor (we measure, you fix) | $149–249/mo | €149–249/mo |
| Maintain | $790–1,290/mo | €590–990/mo |
The deep audit fee is credited in full if you start implementation within 30 days. Monthly plans have no minimum term, 30 days’ notice. For context, WebFX, an agency, reports small-business GEO retainers at $1,500–5,000 a month (May 2026). Full pricing · not sure yet? Start with a deep audit.
If your team calls this GEO or AEO, it is the same work seen from a different angle: GEO covers the full multi-engine programme, AEO the question-level view. This page is the ChatGPT-specific part.
Which businesses this works best for
Businesses people call, visit or book, with real reviews and one or a few locations:
- Dentists, in the US, ChatGPT cited the ADA directory, Zocdoc and Healthgrades. Dentists
- Home services, roofers, HVAC and plumbers, where ChatGPT looks for licences, Angi and BBB. Home services
- Law firms, ChatGPT searched Avvo, Justia and Super Lawyers. Law firms
- Med spas, realtors and movers each have their own sources, see all industries.
It works less well for online-only shops, and not at all for anyone who wants a guaranteed position or bought reviews.
FAQ
Does ChatGPT use Google reviews?
In the UK and EU, yes in practice: in our checks on 3 Oct 2026, the rating and review count on every ChatGPT business card we compared matched the Google Business Profile exactly (12 of 12 businesses, 0 of 307 cards with another provider’s logo). We can see the data match; we cannot see OpenAI’s contracts.
Does ChatGPT use Yelp reviews?
In the US, often. Yelp announced a licence for its reviews, ratings, photos and business data in ChatGPT on 23 July 2026. In our US checks, 159 of 341 ChatGPT cards carried Yelp’s logo and showed Yelp’s numbers; the rest matched Google. The card type can change between runs for the same business.
Can you check if ChatGPT recommends my business?
Yes. The free audit asks ChatGPT your customers’ question three times and reports “named in k of 3”, plus who was named instead. One run is not enough: in our first round, 44 of 90 businesses ChatGPT named appeared in only one of five answers.
What are ChatGPT ranking factors for local businesses?
There is no published ranking and no fixed position. What we observe: complete Google profile data, a correct Yelp page in the US, presence on the review sites ChatGPT searches, the same name, address and phone everywhere, and a site it can read. Be wary of anyone selling a “ChatGPT position”.
How much do ChatGPT optimization services cost?
Our implementation starts at $3,000 (Foundation) and monthly maintenance at $790, after a free audit. For context, WebFX, an agency, puts small-business GEO retainers at $1,500–5,000 a month (May 2026). Full ranges are on our pricing page.