More Chicago consumers are using AI tools like ChatGPT to research businesses, compare services, and find answers to local questions. Instead of only searching Google for “web designer Chicago” or “HVAC company near me,” people can now ask conversational questions such as, “Who provides this service in Chicago?” or “What companies near me offer this?”
That creates another opportunity for Chicago businesses to be discovered online.
There is no guaranteed way to make ChatGPT recommend a particular business. OpenAI says ChatGPT Search considers multiple factors when finding relevant and reliable information, and placement is not guaranteed. However, businesses can take steps to make their websites easier to discover and understand.
Make It Clear What Your Business Does
Your website should immediately explain who you are, what you do, and where you provide your services.
For a Chicago business, important information may include your company name, primary services, Chicago location or service area, surrounding areas served, contact information, and detailed descriptions of your services.
Don’t make search engines or potential customers guess what your company does.
Create a Page for Each Important Service
If you offer several major services, consider giving each one its own page.
A Chicago contractor, for example, might have separate pages for roofing, siding, gutters, storm damage, and roof replacement.
Dedicated pages provide more detailed information about each service and create useful pages that can match more specific customer questions.
Create Useful Chicago Content
Your website shouldn’t simply mention “Chicago” repeatedly. Create content that is actually relevant to Chicago customers.
Good topics might include:
- How much does your service cost in Chicago?
- What should Chicago customers know before hiring your type of company?
- What areas of Chicago do you serve?
- What problems are common for customers in the Chicago area?
- How does your service differ between Chicago and the surrounding suburbs?
Original local content can help establish a clearer connection between your business, expertise, and geographic market.
Keep Your Business Information Consistent
Make sure your business name, address when applicable, phone number, website, services, and other important information are accurate across your online presence.
Google also recommends providing relevant business and organization information through structured data, which can help search engines better understand details about a company and its real-world presence.
Make Sure ChatGPT Can Access Your Website
This is an important technical step that many businesses overlook.
OpenAI states that public websites can appear in ChatGPT Search. To help your website’s content be discovered and included in summaries and snippets, your website should not block OAI-SearchBot. Website owners may need to review their robots.txt file, firewall, CDN, or other bot-protection settings.
Being crawlable does not guarantee that your company will appear, but accidentally blocking search crawlers can limit your site’s ability to be discovered.
Answer Real Customer Questions
AI search is conversational, so your website content should answer the questions customers actually ask.
Instead of only creating a page targeting “Chicago Web Design,” a web design company could also answer:
“How much does a website cost in Chicago?”
“How long does it take to build a business website?”
“Does my Chicago business need local SEO?”
“How can I get my business to show up in ChatGPT?”
These questions can be answered through service pages, blogs, FAQs, and other helpful website content.
Build Trust Around Your Business
Your website should provide clear information that helps customers understand and evaluate your company.
Consider including your experience, services, locations served, portfolio or completed projects, testimonials, certifications, awards, team information, FAQs, and contact information when applicable.
The goal is to build a complete digital presence instead of a website containing only a few paragraphs about your services.
Don’t Forget Traditional SEO
Optimizing for AI search does not mean abandoning Google SEO.
ChatGPT Search can use web search and provide citations and links to sources. OpenAI describes the experience as connecting users with original web content while providing links back to sources.
A strong strategy should therefore consider technical SEO, quality content, local relevance, website structure, business information, and crawlability together.
Help ChatGPT Understand Your Chicago Business
Getting found in ChatGPT isn’t about adding an “AI keyword” to your website. It’s about creating a website that clearly explains your company, services, expertise, and geographic relevance while making that information accessible to search technology.
Windy City Web Designs builds custom WordPress websites for Chicago businesses with SEO, local visibility, website performance, lead generation, and AI search in mind.
As the way people search continues to change, your website needs to do more than look good. It needs to clearly communicate what your business does and provide useful information that both customers and search platforms can understand.
Contact Windy City Web Designs to learn how we can make your Chicago business website more SEO- and AI-friendly.