More people use ChatGPT not only to write or develop ideas, but also to find information. A business owner might ask: “Which companies can help with AI automation?” “Which agency specialises in technical B2B businesses?” “Which software suits an installation company?” Or “Which Dutch provider combines custom software and automation?”
That creates a new question: is your organisation included when ChatGPT searches the web? This differs from ranking highly in Google. ChatGPT can use web search, sources and website links to answer relevant questions, adding another dimension to online visibility.
How does it work, and what can a business actually influence?
ChatGPT can search the web
OpenAI introduced ChatGPT Search to combine current web information with conversational interaction. When search is used, ChatGPT can retrieve online information and include links to relevant websites.
Users can ask full questions rather than short keywords: “Which CRM systems suit a Dutch manufacturer with around fifty employees?” They can then follow up: “Which integrate well with existing ERP software?” Conversation context remains relevant. Search becomes a discussion around a specific problem.
What does visibility in ChatGPT mean?
A website may be used as a source during web search. A business may also be mentioned through information available on other relevant sites. There is no single fixed “ChatGPT listing” or permanent list of ten companies in the same order.
Answers can vary with the question, conversation context, current information, sources and wording. AI visibility is therefore more about making information accessible and understandable to a search-and-answer system than securing one fixed position.
OpenAI has a dedicated search crawler
OpenAI uses different crawlers for different purposes. OAI-SearchBot is relevant to ChatGPT Search: it visits websites to make pages available for search features. This differs from GPTBot, which is associated with content that may contribute to improving and training models.
These purposes are separate. A site can allow OAI-SearchBot while independently blocking GPTBot. Businesses can therefore manage search accessibility and model-training preferences separately.
Check your robots.txt
The first technical question is whether OAI-SearchBot can visit your website. The robots.txt file can allow or block crawlers. Blocking OAI-SearchBot limits the opportunity for site content to appear in ChatGPT Search.
Allowing it does not guarantee a mention. It makes the content accessible to the search crawler. Technical accessibility is an enabling condition, not a promise of inclusion.
Does ChatGPT have its own SEO algorithm?
OpenAI does not publish a complete ranking formula. Claims such as “these seven factors make you number one in ChatGPT” therefore need caution.
ChatGPT Search can find web sources, combine information, link to relevant websites, handle follow-up questions and use conversational context. A reasonable inference is that technically accessible, relevant and clear pages are better suited to serving as useful sources. That resembles fundamental SEO principles, not a guaranteed ranking recipe.
Traditional SEO remains important
AI visibility does not replace SEO. Crawlable pages, clear URLs, internal links, descriptive titles, answers to real questions, reliable information, logical structure and subject expertise remain useful foundations.
A site that is difficult to access and contains little useful information does not become visible simply because people search through ChatGPT. Treat AI visibility as an additional layer on a sound digital foundation.
Write for the question, not for ChatGPT
It can be tempting to fill content with unnatural definitions, endless questions or supposed “AI keywords”. A stronger approach is to answer potential customers’ questions well.
“We offer innovative custom software” says little. A more useful page explains when custom software is worthwhile, which problems it solves, what systems can connect, when standard tools suffice, how implementation works, possible risks and suitable organisations.
This is more useful to a reader and clearer to a system extracting information.
Answer specific customer questions
Conversational search suits detailed questions: “When does custom software pay off?” “Which processes can be automated?” “What does B2B SEO cost?” “How does an AI agent differ from ordinary automation?” “Can our CRM connect to ChatGPT?”
Explaining a subject thoroughly can make a page more relevant to similar questions. Content strategy broadens from which keyword to rank for to which customer questions you should answer better.
Make your actual expertise clear
Twenty superficial posts on unrelated topics do little to establish a coherent focus. Consistent coverage of a field shows expertise more clearly. For VDW, connected topics include SEO, AI automation, custom software, AI adoption, websites and digital growth.
AI automation can then connect to deeper coverage of examples, costs, workflows, agents, CRM automation, document processing and industry applications. These connections support navigation and clarify the website’s focus.
Use original information where you have it
Much online information is similar, especially around AI. Original experiences, working methods, customer cases, screenshots, practical examples, research, comparisons and project observations help content stand apart.
If a hundred websites define AI automation, another broad definition adds little. A concrete before-and-after explanation of an administrative process gives potential customers much more useful information.
Keep business information consistent
Information about your business can appear on LinkedIn, directories, industry sites, news publications, partner websites, reviews and interviews. Use a consistent company name, service description, positioning, website and contact details.
This reduces ambiguity about which organisation information describes. External mentions do not automatically cause ChatGPT to mention you, but a coherent presence makes the business easier to recognise.
Do you need special “AI SEO”?
Terms such as GEO, Generative Engine Optimization, AEO, LLMO and AI SEO describe an emerging area. They should not imply a secret set of guaranteed optimisation tricks. OpenAI provides no guaranteed method for forcing a mention.
A defensible approach is to allow relevant search crawlers, build technically sound pages, answer relevant questions thoroughly, keep information trustworthy and current, show expertise, maintain a consistent presence and add first-hand knowledge and examples.
Structured data: useful, but no guarantee
Structured data can help search engines interpret organisations, articles, breadcrumbs, products and services. It can be part of good technical SEO.
There is no official OpenAI promise that a particular schema type automatically earns a higher position or citation. Use structured data for clarity, not as a guaranteed route into AI answers.
Do you need an llms.txt file?
The idea behind llms.txt is to offer AI systems a dedicated file identifying important information or pages. It may be useful as an experimental convention in some technical settings.
It should not be presented as an official requirement for ChatGPT Search visibility. OpenAI’s search guidance focuses on access through OAI-SearchBot. There is no official guarantee that llms.txt improves visibility, and it does not replace crawlability, site architecture or useful content.
Can you measure visits from ChatGPT?
Partially. Clicks from ChatGPT may appear as referral traffic in analytics or server data. OpenAI adds utm_source=chatgpt.com to referral links, helping identify visits.
You can examine traffic volumes, visited pages, conversions and content receiving AI referrals. But this is incomplete: someone may see your business mentioned and visit directly later. As with branding, some influence falls outside immediate click attribution.
How do you check whether your business is mentioned?
Try questions potential customers would realistically ask: “Which Dutch companies help SMEs with AI automation?” “Which agencies combine SEO, software and AI?” “Who can build a custom AI workflow?” Review the sources, companies and page types that appear.
Do not draw firm conclusions from one test. Answers vary with wording, timing, context and available sources. Use this as a qualitative indication, not an exact rank tracker.
A practical checklist for businesses
Technology
- Keep important pages publicly accessible.
- Check OAI-SearchBot is not unintentionally blocked.
- Make sure important pages load correctly.
- Fix broken internal links.
- Avoid hiding essential content behind complex JavaScript interactions.
Content
- Explain services clearly.
- Answer specific customer questions.
- Keep information current.
- Support claims with evidence.
- Show your own expertise.
Structure
- Use clear topics and logical headings.
- Connect related pages with internal links.
- Keep pages understandable.
- Give important services and themes dedicated pages.
Authority
- Develop relevant external mentions.
- Use genuine case studies.
- Share first-hand expertise.
- Maintain consistent company information.
- Publish quality content on core topics.
AI visibility is not a trick
There is no proven switch that automatically places a company in ChatGPT answers. Search uses web sources, so visibility begins with being a useful available source: accessible technology, clear information, relevant expertise, reliable content and a consistent presence.
These are largely the same foundations that have supported SEO for years. The search environment changes as people ask complete questions and expect useful answers. Alongside “Do we rank highly in Google?” comes “Is our organisation clearly represented online when people use AI to look for solutions?”
How visible is your business to AI?
VDW helps organisations with SEO, site structure, content and the technical foundations of modern visibility. We focus on demonstrable improvements rather than AI hype, from crawlability and architecture to content that answers relevant customer questions.
Ask VDW to assess your online visibility and explore opportunities across Google and AI search environments.
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