Search & discovery November 9, 2026
Does ChatGPT
know your business?
A reported business dashboard could show how often you appear in ChatGPT. Your website is where the preparation starts.
01 / The reported tool
A business dashboard inside ChatGPT.
OpenAI is reportedly developing tools that would let businesses claim their presence in ChatGPT, keep their information up to date, and see how often they appear in conversations.
Search Engine Roundtable reported the development on November 6, following Juozas Kaziukėnas’s observations of a Business Hub in development. The reported features include mention and click reporting, business information and products, and a business agent that can answer customers’ questions. As of November 9, a public launch date has not been confirmed.
For a business owner, the useful question is simple: when people ask ChatGPT for help, does your business appear? A dashboard could make that question easier to measure. The work behind the answer starts on your website.
02 / The audience
Everyday questions lead to real businesses.
OpenAI reported more than one billion weekly active ChatGPT users in August 2026. That is a substantial audience for businesses whose customers arrive with a problem to solve.
A blocked drain. Termites around a window. An unusually high electricity bill. A sofa that needs collecting. A construction project that needs the right contractor.
These questions call for practical information: who handles the problem, where they work, what the service includes, what affects the cost, and how to get help. Your website should make those answers easy to find, on the page about that service.
Someone arriving from an AI answer may already know what they need. They are checking whether your business fits. Give them the answer, the evidence, and a clear way to contact you.
03 / One connected website
SEO, GEO and AEO meet on the same pages.
SEO helps people find your website through search. GEO focuses on visibility in generative answers. AEO focuses on answering questions clearly. For the businesses we work with, these efforts share much of the same foundation: a technically accessible website, accurate business information, useful service pages, and evidence that supports the claims.
Google’s guidance for AI Overviews and AI Mode says established SEO practices still apply. It calls for indexable pages, helpful content, internal links and a good page experience. Google does not require a special AI text file or a new type of structured data.
For ChatGPT search, OpenAI identifies OAI-SearchBot as its search crawler. Robots.txt and firewall rules control whether that crawler can access your content. GPTBot, which relates to model training, has a separate control.
That access matters. So does what the crawler finds. A service page should explain the actual service, the area covered, and the questions customers ask before booking. Use clear headings, direct answers, relevant supporting detail and links to real work.
Our six-month study across 75 websites found stronger conversion rates where visitors could reach the information they needed quickly. That is the principle we apply: put the answer first, then let people explore.
04 / What we do for clients
Build the information. Follow the enquiry.
Give each service a useful page.
In our plumbing company case study, the homepage was carrying too much of the search strategy. We rewrote service content, separated topics across the right pages, improved internal links, and addressed crawl and speed issues. A customer looking for a particular plumbing service needed a page that answered that need.
Connect the business to its local market.
For a Pennsylvania pest-control business, local SEO and Google Business Profile work focused on mosquito services in its service area. The published case records 50 calls from Google in one month. Clear services, accurate local information and an easy contact route work together.
Record AI referrals when they happen.
Our Fresno CPA firm case study records referrals from ChatGPT and Claude alongside the firm’s wider website and marketing campaign. Those referrals belong in the reporting. We want to understand where an enquiry started and what happened after it arrived.
OpenAI’s publisher guidance explains that ChatGPT referral links include utm_source=chatgpt.com. Analytics can help identify those visits. Connecting them to enquiries, appointments and completed work makes the information useful to the business.
Our HVAC case study shows that approach across SEO, Google Ads and Local Services Ads, using CallRail and Housecall Pro to connect sources with business outcomes. The same question belongs in AI reporting: what did that visibility lead to?
05 / What to do now
Give ChatGPT something useful to find.
Start with the questions customers ask your team every week. Put those answers on the relevant service pages. Make your business name, location, service area, opening hours and contact details accurate and consistent.
Check that search crawlers can reach the pages. Support the copy with real projects, useful photographs and clear explanations of your work. Make the next action easy on a phone: call, email, send a short enquiry, or choose another contact channel you actively manage.
When the reported Business Hub becomes available, verify your business through the official process and keep its information current. Use the reporting to learn which services attract attention and which pages turn that interest into enquiries.
The dashboard would give businesses a new view of their visibility. The website needs to earn the next click.
Explore our AI search visibility work, SEO services, or guide to improving website enquiries.