How to get recommended by ChatGPT, Gemini and Google AI
More homeowners now ask an AI assistant "who's a good plumber near me?" instead of scrolling Google. The assistant names one or two businesses — and everyone else is invisible. This guide explains, in plain English, how those recommendations work and what you can do this week to become one of the names that comes up.
Why this matters more than another directory listing
When someone searches Google, they see ten results and might check three. When they ask an AI assistant, they get a short answer — often a single recommendation — and they tend to act on it. There's no page two. The trades that figure this out early get a stream of high-intent enquiries; the ones that don't simply stop appearing in a growing share of customer searches.
Five things that decide whether AI recommends you
None of these need technical skills. They need consistency — which is exactly what most busy trade businesses struggle to find time for.
1. Keep your Google Business Profile fresh
AI assistants lean heavily on Google Business Profile data. A profile with current photos, an up-to-date service list, and accurate opening hours sends a strong 'this business is active and reliable' signal. A stale profile does the opposite.
2. Collect reviews steadily, not in bursts
Recent, regular reviews matter more than a pile of old ones. Ask every customer right after a job, while the good feeling is fresh. Specific reviews ('fixed our boiler same day') give AI assistants the detail they quote when recommending you.
3. Answer the questions customers actually ask
'Do you charge a call-out fee?' 'Do you cover emergency callouts?' When these answers exist in plain text on your profile and website, AI assistants can repeat them. When they don't, the AI moves on to a competitor whose answers it can find.
4. Be consistent everywhere
Your business name, phone number and address should match exactly across Google, Facebook, Checkatrade and your own site. Inconsistency makes AI assistants unsure which business is which — and unsure businesses don't get recommended.
5. Get listed where AI assistants look
AI tools pull from structured directories and data sources, not just websites. Being listed in an AI-readable trade directory — like the free TradeSignal Directory — gives assistants a clean, trusted source of facts about your business.
The shortcut: let TradeSignal do the routine work
Everything above is exactly what TradeSignal automates for UK trade businesses:
- Automatic review requests after every completed job — by text and email
- A freshness checklist that keeps your Google Business Profile current
- A service and FAQ builder that puts your answers where AI can find them
- A listing in the TradeSignal Directory — a free, AI-readable source assistants can query directly through our MCP server
Common questions
Can I pay ChatGPT to recommend my business?
No. There's no advertising inside AI assistants like there is on Google. Recommendations are earned through the quality and freshness of the public information about your business — reviews, profile completeness, and consistent details. That's genuinely good news for small businesses: you compete on reputation, not ad budget.
How is this different from normal SEO?
Traditional SEO is about ranking in a list of links. AI search is about being the one or two businesses an assistant names in its answer. Many of the same signals matter — reviews, fresh content, consistency — but AI assistants weight them differently and rely more on structured, trustworthy sources. You need both, and the good news is the work overlaps heavily.
How long does it take to see results?
Reviews and profile updates can show up in AI answers within weeks, but building a strong recommendation position typically takes two to three months of steady effort — the same as building any reputation. The businesses that start now will be very hard to catch in a year's time.
Do I need to be technical to do this?
Not at all. None of the steps above require technical skills — they're reputation and admin tasks. Tools like TradeSignal exist precisely to automate the routine parts (review requests, profile freshness reminders, directory listings) so you can get on with the actual work.