AI search is here: how to get your business cited by ChatGPT and Google's AI answers

A growing share of buying journeys now start with a question typed into ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity or Google's AI Overviews: "best skincare brand for oily skin in India", "who builds websites for dental clinics in Pune". The assistant reads the web, writes one answer and cites a handful of sources. If your site is not one of them, you are invisible at the exact moment someone is ready to choose.

This is often called generative engine optimisation (GEO). It is not a replacement for SEO — AI tools still lean heavily on pages that search engines already trust — but it rewards a few things more strongly.

Say the thing plainly, near the top

AI systems extract sentences. A page that opens with "We are a passionate team delivering excellence" gives them nothing to quote. A page that opens with "SHARMAG builds websites, AI product imagery and UGC-style video for D2C brands in India and abroad" does.

• Put a one-sentence answer to the page's main question in the first paragraph.
• Use the words customers actually type: service names, city names, product types.
• Keep prices, timelines and who-it's-for on the page rather than "contact us to know more".

Structure pages like answers

Use clear headings phrased as questions ("How long does a website take?"), short paragraphs and lists. FAQ sections work well because each question-and-answer pair is self-contained and easy to cite.

Add proof an AI can verify

Assistants prefer sources that look reliable. Named case studies with real outcomes, client logos, author names, dates and consistent business details (name, address, phone) across your site, Google Business Profile and directories all help.

Make your site easy to read for machines

• Fast pages that render real text without needing heavy JavaScript.
• Structured data (Organization, Service, FAQ, Article) so facts are labelled.
• A clean sitemap and no accidental "noindex" on important pages.
• Do not block the major AI crawlers in robots.txt unless you have a reason to.

Get mentioned elsewhere

AI answers draw on reviews, listicles, forums and news, not just your own site. A few genuine mentions on respected industry sites, a steady flow of Google reviews and an up-to-date LinkedIn page often move the needle more than another blog post.

How to check where you stand

Once a month, ask three or four assistants the questions your customers ask. Note whether you are mentioned, which competitors are, and which pages get cited. Then improve the page that should have been quoted. It is simple, free and surprisingly revealing.

The short version: write pages that answer real questions clearly, back them with proof, and keep them technically clean. That is good for people, good for Google, and it is exactly what AI assistants look for.