Quick Answer
If your website isn’t appearing in ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews or other AI-driven search results, there usually isn’t one single problem.
Poor AI search visibility can come from unclear service pages, generic content, crawling or indexing problems, weak internal linking, inconsistent business information or simply not giving search engines enough useful information to confidently understand what your business does.
There is also no secret GEO trick that guarantees inclusion. Google says its normal SEO fundamentals still apply to AI search, while OpenAI recommends allowing OAI-SearchBot to access content you want to be eligible for inclusion in ChatGPT search.
The best place to start is making your website clear, technically accessible, genuinely useful and specific about the problems you solve.
Your Website Can Rank in Google and Still Be Weak in AI Search
A lot of business owners are beginning to test this for themselves.
They open ChatGPT or Google, ask for a recommendation related to their industry and see other businesses appearing instead of theirs.
That can be frustrating, particularly if they already rank reasonably well in traditional Google search.
But AI search works differently from simply looking at one keyword and deciding who ranks number one.
Search systems are increasingly trying to understand the wider question someone is asking, identify useful information from multiple sources and determine which businesses, pages or resources are relevant to that particular query.
That means your website needs to do more than simply mention the right keywords.
It needs to make your expertise, services, location and subject matter very clear.
Here are some of the most common problems I would look at first.
1. Your Website Doesn’t Clearly Explain What You Do
This sounds obvious, but it is one of the biggest weaknesses on small business websites.
A homepage might say:
We help businesses grow and achieve better results online.
It sounds reasonable, but it tells a search engine very little.
Compare that with:
Sydney Google Ads consultant specialising in Google Shopping, Performance Max and Shopify ecommerce businesses.
The second version provides far more context.
It identifies:
- the service
- the location
- the platforms
- the type of customer
- the area of specialisation
This isn’t about stuffing keywords into every sentence.
It is about removing ambiguity.
A potential customer should be able to arrive on your website and understand within seconds what you do, who you work with and where you operate.
Search systems benefit from that same clarity.
What to fix
Review your homepage, About page and major service pages.
Ask yourself:
Could someone who has never heard of my business accurately explain what we do after reading this page for 30 seconds?
If the answer is no, fix that before worrying about advanced AI optimisation.
2. Your Main Service Pages Are Too Thin or Too Generic
Your service pages are some of the most important pages on your website.
A page containing 300 words of generic sales copy is unlikely to answer many of the questions a potential customer has.
A stronger service page should explain things such as:
- exactly what the service includes
- who the service is suitable for
- common problems you solve
- how your process works
- what clients should expect
- relevant costs or pricing factors where appropriate
- common mistakes
- questions customers regularly ask
- related services and resources
The objective isn’t to create the longest page possible.
It is to create the most useful page you can.
Google’s current AI search guidance specifically recommends creating unique, useful, non-commodity content rather than simply reproducing information already available across hundreds of other websites.
That distinction matters.
A page saying “Google Ads can help businesses reach potential customers” adds very little.
A page explaining when Performance Max makes sense, when Search should be used instead, what budget is realistically required and what problems you repeatedly see in poorly managed accounts is considerably more useful.
3. Your Content Is Too Generic
This is becoming a bigger problem as businesses publish more AI-generated content.
There are now enormous numbers of articles covering subjects such as:
“10 SEO Tips for Small Business”
“5 Ways to Improve Your Google Ads”
“Why Digital Marketing Is Important”
Most of them say roughly the same thing.
Google now describes this type of material as commodity content and recommends providing information that adds something distinctive, such as first-hand experience, useful analysis or a genuinely different point of view.
AI search creates even less reason for someone to visit another generic article because an AI assistant can already provide a basic summary itself.
Your content therefore needs to contain information worth retrieving.
That might include:
- a specific problem you’ve encountered repeatedly
- an explanation of why a common strategy often fails
- a detailed comparison
- practical troubleshooting steps
- costs or commercial considerations
- mistakes people make
- screenshots or examples
- first-hand observations from working in the industry
- a clear opinion backed by experience
This article itself is an example.
“AI Search Tips” would be a weak topic.
“Why ChatGPT and Google AI Might Be Ignoring Your Website” solves a much more specific problem.
4. Search Engines or AI Crawlers Can’t Properly Access Your Site
Great content won’t do much if search systems can’t access it.
For Google, important pages should generally:
- return a normal 200 status code
- not contain an accidental
noindexdirective - not be blocked from Googlebot
- have the correct canonical URL
- be internally linked
- appear in your XML sitemap where appropriate
Google recommends using Search Console’s URL Inspection tool to check whether important pages are accessible and indexable.
ChatGPT has another check worth doing.
OpenAI says publishers who want their content included in ChatGPT search summaries and snippets should make sure OAI-SearchBot isn’t being blocked by their robots.txt settings.
This is not the same as somehow “submitting your website to ChatGPT”.
It simply means you aren’t shutting the door on the crawler used for ChatGPT search.
A simple technical checklist
Check your important pages in Google Search Console.
Then check:
- Is the page indexed?
- Is the canonical URL correct?
- Is the page included in your sitemap?
- Does robots.txt allow Googlebot?
- Does robots.txt allow OAI-SearchBot?
- Are there internal links pointing to the page?
- Is important content visible in the page itself rather than hidden behind scripts or inaccessible elements?
These basic checks are far more valuable than looking for some secret AI ranking switch.
5. Your Website Doesn’t Build Enough Topical Depth
One good page can rank.
But if you want a business to become strongly associated with a subject, having a useful group of related pages makes sense.
Consider a business specialising in Shopify Google Ads.
Its website might contain a main Shopify Google Ads service page supported by useful articles covering:
- Google Shopping
- Performance Max
- Merchant Center
- product feed optimisation
- conversion tracking
- campaign structure
- poor ROAS
- disapproved products
- splitting Performance Max campaigns
- preparing a Shopify store for Google Ads
Those pages collectively provide considerably more context than one generic “Google Ads Services” page.
The important part is that the articles should support one another.
Don’t publish 50 disconnected posts and hope AI systems figure out the relationship.
Use descriptive internal links between relevant articles and your major service pages.
For example, someone reading about getting found in ChatGPT could naturally be directed to a more detailed guide explaining how to get your business found in ChatGPT and Google AI Search, then to a service page explaining AI search optimisation.
That creates a much more coherent website.
6. Your Business Information Is Inconsistent or Incomplete
For local businesses especially, your website shouldn’t exist in isolation.
Your business name, services, location and contact details should be clear and consistent across the places where customers and search systems might encounter the business.
That includes your:
- website
- Google Business Profile
- relevant directories
- industry profiles
- social profiles
- review platforms
For ecommerce businesses, accurate product information in Google Merchant Center is also important.
Google’s guidance for its AI search features specifically recommends keeping Business Profile and Merchant Center information accurate and up to date where those services are relevant.
You don’t need to be listed on every directory on the internet.
You do want the legitimate information that exists about your business to tell a consistent story.
7. Nobody Else on the Web Talks About Your Business
You can say anything you like about yourself on your own website.
Independent references provide another layer of information.
Depending on your industry, these might come from:
- suppliers
- professional associations
- industry publications
- local media
- legitimate directories
- podcasts
- event websites
- business partners
- review sites
- community organisations
That doesn’t mean buying hundreds of backlinks or manufacturing fake mentions.
In fact, Google specifically warns against chasing inauthentic mentions purely to manipulate generative AI visibility.
Think about reputation rather than link volume.
Ask:
Where would I reasonably expect a genuine, established business in my industry to be mentioned online?
Those are the opportunities worth pursuing.
8. Your Content Doesn’t Give People Much Reason to Trust It
There is a major difference between publishing information and demonstrating knowledge.
Where relevant, make it obvious who is behind your content.
Useful signals for readers can include:
- a real author
- an About page
- professional experience
- clear business details
- original photographs
- screenshots
- specific explanations
- publication dates
- updated dates where content changes
- links to authoritative sources
- transparent explanations of your methodology
You don’t need to turn every article into an academic paper.
But if you make a factual claim, particularly about something that changes regularly, provide evidence where appropriate.
For an article about Google search, linking to Google Search Central makes sense.
For a statement about ChatGPT crawling, OpenAI should be the source.
That is better for your readers and much stronger than repeating something you saw in another marketing blog.
9. You’re Spending Too Much Time Looking for AI Search Hacks
This may be the most important one.
There is an entire new industry developing around GEO, AEO and AI search optimisation.
Some of it is useful.
Some of it is old SEO with a new name.
And some of it is simply noise.
Google has now explicitly addressed several of these ideas.
According to Google’s current guidance, you do not need special AI markup, an llms.txt file, artificial content “chunking” or pages rewritten solely for generative AI in order to appear in its AI search features.
Google says llms.txt specifically does not improve or reduce visibility in Google Search.
Structured data is still useful where it accurately describes page content and supports normal search features, but there is no special AI schema that suddenly makes a website appear in AI results.
That is worth remembering before paying someone for an impressive-sounding GEO package consisting mainly of technical tricks.
Good AI search optimisation starts with good fundamentals.
What Should You Fix First?
If a website has poor AI search visibility, I would generally work through the problem in this order:
1. Technical access
Make sure Google and relevant AI search crawlers can actually reach the important content.
2. Business clarity
Make it obvious what the business does, who it helps and where it operates.
3. Service pages
Improve the pages most closely connected with commercial searches.
4. Useful supporting content
Publish articles that answer specific questions potential customers genuinely ask.
5. Internal linking
Connect related content rather than leaving every article isolated.
6. Business consistency
Review Google Business Profile, Merchant Center where applicable and other legitimate business profiles.
7. External authority
Look for genuine industry and third-party mentions rather than manufactured backlinks.
This isn’t as exciting as installing an “AI SEO plugin”.
It is much more likely to produce a useful website.
How to Check Your AI Search Visibility
You can do a basic check yourself.
Don’t only search for your business name.
That proves very little.
Instead, test the kinds of questions a customer who doesn’t know you might actually ask.
For example:
Who are some Shopify Google Ads consultants in Sydney?
Who can help fix a poorly performing Performance Max campaign?
I run a Shopify store in Australia. Who specialises in Google Shopping?
What are some companies that help businesses improve their visibility in ChatGPT?
Then look at what appears.
Which businesses are mentioned?
Which pages are cited?
What information do those websites provide that yours doesn’t?
You can do something similar in Google using AI Overviews or AI Mode where available.
Google has also introduced a Generative AI performance report in Search Console for eligible accounts. If it is available in your account, it can provide additional information about visibility within Google’s generative AI search features.
For ChatGPT, OpenAI says referral traffic can also be tracked using analytics platforms such as Google Analytics.
Don’t obsess over a single test.
AI answers can vary depending on the exact question, context and available information.
Look for trends over time.
FAQs About AI Search Visibility
Why isn’t my website appearing in ChatGPT?
There can be several reasons. Your website may not provide enough relevant information for the question being asked, the content may be weak or generic, your site may have technical crawling issues, or other sources may simply be considered more useful for that particular query.
Also check that OAI-SearchBot is not blocked if you want your content eligible to appear in ChatGPT search summaries and snippets.
How do I get my business found in ChatGPT?
Start by creating clear, accessible and useful website content that explains exactly what your business does.
Build strong service pages, answer real customer questions, improve internal linking, maintain accurate business information and make sure OAI-SearchBot can access the content you want surfaced.
There is no guaranteed submission process that forces ChatGPT to recommend a business.
Does ChatGPT use SEO?
Traditional SEO fundamentals remain useful because many of the same things that make content discoverable and understandable on the web also make it easier for search-based AI systems to find.
Technical accessibility, clear page structure, useful content, relevant internal links and genuine external references all matter.
However, optimising for ChatGPT is not simply a matter of ranking number one for a keyword.
Does Google AI use normal Google SEO?
Yes.
Google says its established SEO best practices remain relevant to AI Overviews, AI Mode and its other generative AI search experiences.
There is no separate technical requirement you must meet specifically for Google AI results.
Does adding FAQ content help with AI search?
FAQ sections can be useful because they answer specific customer questions clearly and make pages more useful to readers.
However, don’t add dozens of weak questions purely to target AI systems.
It is also worth knowing that Google discontinued its FAQ rich-result feature in 2026, so FAQ content should now be added because it genuinely improves the page rather than because you expect expandable FAQ results in Google.
Do I need FAQ schema for AI search?
No special FAQ or AI schema is required to appear in generative AI search.
Structured data can still be useful as part of normal SEO when it accurately represents visible page content, but Google says there is no special structured data markup required for its generative AI features.
Do I need an llms.txt file?
Not for Google Search.
Google explicitly says llms.txt files neither help nor hurt rankings or visibility in Google Search, including its generative AI features.
Other systems may choose to use emerging formats differently, so this could change over time, but it isn’t something I would prioritise ahead of proper technical SEO and useful content.
What is OAI-SearchBot?
OAI-SearchBot is OpenAI’s crawler used for search-related discovery.
OpenAI recommends allowing OAI-SearchBot to access website content if you want that content to be eligible for inclusion in ChatGPT search summaries and snippets.
How long does it take to appear in AI search results?
There is no fixed timeframe.
Improving a website today doesn’t guarantee that ChatGPT or Google AI will begin citing it next week.
Crawling, indexing, content quality, competition, the question being asked and information available elsewhere on the web can all affect what is surfaced.
Think of AI visibility as something to build and monitor rather than a one-off optimisation task.
Can local businesses appear in ChatGPT and Google AI results?
Yes.
Local businesses can appear when they are relevant to the user’s question.
For local businesses, make your services and location clear on your website and keep your legitimate business profiles, particularly Google Business Profile, accurate and current.
How can I measure AI search traffic?
Start with your normal analytics and Search Console data.
Look for referral traffic from AI platforms and track enquiries originating from those visits.
For Google, check whether the Generative AI performance report is available in your Search Console account.
Also manually test a consistent group of commercially relevant AI prompts every few weeks so you can see whether your business begins appearing more frequently.
What is the difference between SEO, GEO and AEO?
SEO generally refers to improving visibility in traditional search engines.
GEO, or Generative Engine Optimisation, and AEO, or Answer Engine Optimisation, are newer terms commonly used for improving visibility in AI-generated answers and search experiences.
In practice, there is substantial overlap.
Technical SEO, useful content, clear business information, authority and good website structure remain fundamental.
The terminology has changed faster than the underlying principles.
Final Thoughts
If ChatGPT or Google AI isn’t mentioning your business, don’t assume you need some entirely new form of marketing.
Start with the website itself.
Make it technically accessible.
Make your services unmistakably clear.
Publish information based on genuine knowledge rather than recycling generic content.
Connect related pages properly.
Keep your business information accurate around the web.
Then measure what happens.
AI search is changing quickly, but one principle is unlikely to disappear: search systems need useful information before they can confidently surface your business as a useful answer.
If you’d like help identifying what may be limiting your website’s visibility, take a look at my AI Search Optimisation Sydney service or get in touch for an initial review.
Request an AI Search Visibility Review
Phil Adair is a Sydney-based Google Ads consultant with more than 17 years of hands-on experience. He specialises in Shopify and eCommerce advertising, including Performance Max, Google Shopping, Merchant Centre and product feeds, and also manages selected lead-generation campaigns for service and B2B businesses.
Phil works directly on every account, with no junior account managers or offshore handovers. His focus is practical: reduce wasted ad spend, fix tracking and product feed problems, and improve profitable sales.
Learn more about Phil Adair or request a free Google Ads audit.