A plain-English, step-by-step guide to showing up, accurately, when customers ask ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Gemini, Perplexity or Copilot who to call.
1 OpenAI reported "more than 1.2 billion people who use ChatGPT each week" (OpenAI, "GPT-6 and Intelligent UI for everyone," Oct. 7, 2026). That figure is ChatGPT alone and covers all uses, not only requests for business recommendations.
More and more customers skip the list of blue links and just ask an AI assistant: "Who's a good dentist in Merrick that takes walk-ins?" The assistant names a few businesses. If your listings are incomplete, your hours are wrong, or your website hides key details in images, you may not be one of them, or you may be described incorrectly.
The good news: according to the platforms' own documentation, AI search features are built on the same foundations as regular search and maps. That means there are practical, affordable steps a local business can take. This guide walks you through them.
What OpenAI, Google, Microsoft and Perplexity say about how their tools find and cite websites, in plain English.
Field-by-field setup, what to avoid, and how to keep your profile active.
Claim the listings behind Copilot, Bing, Apple Maps and Siri in about an hour.
Make your name, address and phone consistent across Yelp, BBB, your chamber and niche directories.
A simple review system that follows the FTC's review rule and Google's policies. No fake or incentivized reviews.
Crawlable text, an FAQ page, a fill-in LocalBusiness schema template, robots.txt, sitemaps and IndexNow.
The answer-first formula and 10 content ideas for any local business.
Local press, Reddit and community groups, done genuinely and without spam.
A 14-prompt list to check how AI tools describe you, plus a 30-day plan and 5 worksheets.
On the private page: test prompts for your trade, filled in with your business name, plus prompts that draft pages from your real notes.
Homepage and service-page outlines, FAQ questions, footer text, schema, robots.txt, and a brief for your web person.
The 30 days and the worksheets, saved in your browser on an unlisted page. The PDF has the same sheets for paper.
You get the guide, and a private page where you can use it. That page is the Stripe link after payment. It is not in the menu, not in search, and not linked from this page. Bookmark it. If you lose it, email me and I’ll send it again.
The full guide on your phone, chapter by chapter, and the 27-page PDF to keep. Same material, two ways to use it.
Prompts for ChatGPT, Google, Gemini, Perplexity, and Copilot, including sets for home services, health, food, salons, shops, and offices. Ask twice. Write down the sources.
Outlines and copy blocks for the homepage, services, FAQ, footer, titles, schema, and robots.txt. Draft prompts are written so a chatbot marks missing facts instead of inventing them. You still edit.
After payment you'll be taken to a download page. Applicable sales tax, if any, is calculated at checkout.
Yes. Those are all names for making your business easy for AI assistants to find, understand and describe. The guide uses plain language and focuses on what the platforms themselves recommend.
No. Most chapters are about listings, reviews and writing. The website chapters include copy-paste templates and a checklist you can hand to whoever manages your site.
ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews and AI Mode, Gemini, Perplexity and Microsoft Copilot. Most of the steps also help with regular Google, Bing and Apple Maps results.
It varies. Some fixes (like correcting your hours) can show up quickly; others build over weeks or months. The guide includes a 30-day plan and a way to measure where you started.
It can improve your chances of being found and described accurately, but no one can guarantee any AI recommendation or ranking. See the disclaimer below.
A 27-page PDF, plus a private page on this website where you can read the same guide, use the prompt library, copy the website fixes, and fill in the worksheets. The worksheets stay in your browser. They are not uploaded to me.
Stripe sends you there after payment. It is a long, unlisted address. It is not linked from this site. Bookmark it. Email me if you need the link again.
Yes, within your own business. Please don't resell or post it publicly.
Email me within 14 days of purchase for a full refund. See the refund policy below.
No one can guarantee that ChatGPT, Google, Gemini, Perplexity, Copilot or any other AI assistant or search engine will recommend, mention or rank your business. These systems are controlled by their owners and change often. This guide shares practical steps based on public platform guidance as of October 2026. Results vary by business, location, competition and effort.
This guide is educational and is not legal, tax or financial advice. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by OpenAI, Google, Microsoft, Apple or Perplexity.
If the guide isn't useful to you, email mattmerrick23@gmail.com within 14 days of purchase with your order email, and I'll refund your $25 in full. No hoops. Refunds go back to your original payment method through Stripe.