Visibility in AI answers
Why doesn't ChatGPT recommend my business?
ChatGPT leaves a company out when it cannot read its pages, finds no page that answers the buyer's question with numbers, or sees no one else writing about it. You can check each reason yourself in minutes. On 12 October 2026, ChatGPT named even us, learnxMI, in only 2 of 24 answers to 12 questions on our own topics.
What are the seven reasons ChatGPT won't name your company?
ChatGPT leaves a company out for seven reasons: the crawler cannot reach the page, the text sits in scripts or an image, the pages are not indexed, there is no page that answers the buyer's question, the text has no numbers, nobody else writes about the company, or it simply needs time. Each reason comes with a check you can do yourself. Start with the ones that are quickest to fix.
| Reason | How to check | When you will see a result | Our example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. The crawler cannot reach the page | Search robots.txt for OAI-SearchBot and Disallow: /; check CDN rules; we go through this in the free consultation | OpenAI picks up robots.txt changes within about 24 hours; being named can take longer | We have no measurement |
| 2. The text is in scripts or an image | Press Ctrl+U and search for a sentence from the first paragraph | When the crawler reads the page again | We have no measurement |
| 3. The page is not indexed | site: in Google and Bing in a browser; Search Console, Bing Webmaster Tools | When the search engine indexes the page again | PharmaEurope: IndexNow connected on 22–24 Sep 2026 |
| 4. No page answers the buyer's question | 5 buyer questions: for each, a page that answers it in the first paragraph | PharmaEurope: first mention 8 days after the new website | hybridenergy.lt: 25% of impressions in AI features; 7 of the top 10 pages are guides |
| 5. The text has no numbers | Are the figures buyers compare written as numbers on the page? | Together with reason 4 | ChatGPT repeats "white label from 100 units" |
| 6. Others don't write about you, or your details don't match | Domains under "Sources"; the question "What is [company]?" | Weeks, no guarantee | learnxMI: ChatGPT cited other Latvian agencies' pages instead of ours |
| 7. It needs time and several measurements | The same questions after 1–2 weeks | Weeks | PharmaEurope: 0 of 15 (27 Sep, OtterlyAI tracking, different questions) and 13 of 16 (12 Oct) |
How do I check whether ChatGPT mentions my company?
One question is not enough, because ChatGPT's answers change from one run to the next. For a quick check, ask 5–10 questions your buyer would ask, each twice, in a new chat, without logging in and with web search switched on. Don't count your position in a list; count in how many of all the answers you are named and how often your page appears among the sources.
- Ask in the buyer's words. A buyer asks about their need or a product, not about your name.
- Ask each question twice, each time in a new chat. OpenAI's help page says that memory, when switched on, can affect how ChatGPT rewrites the search query. That is why a chat without an account and history works better for a check.
- Web search must be switched on. Without it the model answers from what it saw in training, and new pages may not be there.
- Record three columns in a table: the question, whether you were named, and which domains appear under "Sources".
This is a quick check, not a statistically reliable measurement: the more repeats, the more reliable the result. How unstable the answers are is shown by a study by SparkToro and Gumshoe.ai, which Search Engine Journal also covered on 30 January 2026. It looked at 2,961 queries in ChatGPT, Claude and Google's AI search in November and December 2025.
The chance of getting the same list of brands twice was less than 1 in 100. Getting the same list in the same order was even less likely: less than 1 in 1,000. What was more stable was how often a brand appeared across many repeats. The study is not peer-reviewed, and the authors disclosed their connection to Gumshoe.ai.
We measure with repeats: 8 buyer questions, each asked twice, through the OpenAI API (gpt-5.5 with web search, no account and no history). For each answer we record whether the company is named, whether its page is among the sources and whether it is the first source. The study's authors left open whether API queries vary as much as manual ones.
Ask "What is [your company]?" separately: it tests reason 6, not visibility.
| Industry | Buyer's question | Not this |
|---|---|---|
| Furniture workshop | where in Riga to order made-to-measure kitchen furniture and how long the wait is | What is [name]? |
| Accounting firm | how much bookkeeping costs per month for a small company in Latvia | [name] reviews |
| Manufacturer | who in the Baltics makes food supplements under the client's brand in small batches | [name] products |
Can ChatGPT's search crawler access my website?
If robots.txt blocks OAI-SearchBot, ChatGPT search will not show your pages in its answers. OpenAI's documentation says that if a site has disallowed OAI-SearchBot, ChatGPT search will not show it in answers, although the site may still appear as a navigational link. This is the first thing to check, because it can be found and fixed in a day.
- OAI-SearchBot reads pages for ChatGPT search. This is the crawler that matters for visibility in answers.
- GPTBot collects text for model training. OpenAI says the two are set independently: blocking GPTBot does not block OAI-SearchBot.
- ChatGPT-User opens a page when a user asks for it, and robots.txt rules may not apply to it.
The check: open your-domain.com/robots.txt and look for OAI-SearchBot, and for the line User-agent: * together with Disallow: /, which closes the whole site to all crawlers. Keep answer crawlers (OAI-SearchBot, ChatGPT-User, PerplexityBot, Claude-SearchBot) apart from training crawlers (GPTBot, ClaudeBot, Google-Extended): a blocked training crawler is not an error. If you are not sure how to read the file, we go through it with you in the free consultation.
robots.txt does not show blocking at network level. If your site runs behind a CDN or a firewall, check its rules for crawlers too. OpenAI recommends allowing OAI-SearchBot both in robots.txt and from its published IP ranges.
Cloudflare classifies OAI-SearchBot as a search crawler. Its documentation says that from 15 September 2026, new domains block training and agent crawlers by default on pages with ads, while search crawlers stay allowed; the old "Block AI bots" setting is being retired.
OpenAI picks up robots.txt changes within about 24 hours, but that does not mean ChatGPT will name you straight away.
Can ChatGPT read the text on my website?
If a page's text appears only after JavaScript runs, the crawler may receive an almost empty page, and then there is nothing to quote. Google's guidance on AI features says that important content should be available in text form. To a person the page looks complete; to a machine it is empty.
A 30-second check: open the page source (Ctrl+U) and search (Ctrl+F) for a sentence from the first paragraph. If you cannot find it, the text is loaded by a script. In the free consultation we run the same check on your key pages.
The same goes for images. A price table, a certificate or lead times that exist only in an image are not text the assistant can quote. Repeat the key numbers in the text next to the image.
How this check relates to AEO and GEO is explained in What AEO and GEO are.
Is my website indexed where ChatGPT looks for sources?
An assistant usually cites a page it finds in search. Google's AI answers take pages from Google's index, while ChatGPT sometimes also uses results from other search providers. If a page is not indexed, it will not appear in an answer, however good it is. So check Bing as well as Google.
site:your-domain.comin Google and Bing. Look in a browser, not with a script, and check several important pages, not just the home page.- Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools: are the pages that answer buyers' questions indexed?
- A sitemap and IndexNow, so that search engines learn about new and changed pages sooner.
Google says that to appear in its AI answers a page must be indexed and eligible to be shown in Google Search with a snippet. There are no extra requirements: no special structured data and no AI text files. OpenAI links to its own llms.txt in its developer documentation, but does not say that the file affects citation in ChatGPT answers.
OpenAI's help page "Searching the web with ChatGPT" says that ChatGPT search sometimes works with other search providers and rewrites the question into one or more search queries. Microsoft is among the providers whose privacy policies the page lists.
Our example: for our client PharmaEurope we connected IndexNow on 22–24 September 2026, and ChatGPT first named the company on 29 September, 8 days after the new website went live. The text changed during the same days, so the effect of each step cannot be separated.
Does my website have a page that answers the buyer's question?
If no page answers the buyer's question, the assistant has nothing on your site to quote, and it names whoever has such a page. Companies often have "About us" and "Services" pages but no page that answers the question a buyer asks before buying.
The check: take 5 questions from your test and, for each, find a page that answers it in the first paragraph, without scrolling. Where there is no page, there is no citation. Addresses and headings should match the buyer's words: on PharmaEurope's website such pages are /capsule-manufacturing/ and /minimum-order-quantity/.
Our example: for our client hybridenergy.lt, a Lithuanian online store, the Google Search Console "Generative AI features" report for 28 July to 10 October 2026 shows 4.82 thousand impressions in AI features out of 19.3 thousand in total, that is 25%. On 14 September the share was 24% (2.8 of 11.6 thousand).
Of the 10 pages with the most AI impressions, 7 are buyer guides: a generator for the home 670, choosing a solar system 391, a generator together with a solar system 386, and others. The remaining 3 are two product categories and the home page. These are Google impressions, not ChatGPT mentions, but the principle is the same.
Does my website give numbers ChatGPT can quote?
An assistant quotes facts, not descriptions: minimum order, lead time, languages, price. When an assistant compares suppliers in a table, it needs numbers, and an empty cell may be filled with another company's figure. A fact that is not written on your page cannot reach an answer as your fact.
The check: open your main page and see whether the figures your buyers compare, such as minimum order, lead time or languages, are written in the text as numbers.
Our example: ChatGPT repeats PharmaEurope's facts almost word for word: "white label from 100 units, private label from 500 bottles, from 2 weeks". These numbers are written in the page text.
On 12 October 2026 pharmaeurope.eu was the most cited domain in ChatGPT's answers to eight buyer questions: 13 times, with the next ones at 10 and 9.
The academic paper Generative Engine Optimization (Aggarwal et al., KDD 2024) also shows that the text matters: text optimisation methods increased a source's visibility in the answers of generative systems by up to 40%, and the effect depended on the domain.
Do other websites mention my company, and do they all say the same?
An assistant names the companies it finds in its sources, and it often cites directories, comparisons and lists. If you are not in them, or your details differ from place to place, the assistant lacks sources that confirm you. This is the slowest reason: it takes weeks, and the result cannot be guaranteed.
First check: in your test, look at which domains appear under "Sources". These are the places where you should be too. We are in the same position ourselves. On 12 October 2026, across 12 questions on our topics, each asked twice through the OpenAI API, ChatGPT named learnxMI in 2 answers out of 24. Instead of us, it cited the websites of other Latvian agencies and consultants.
Second check: in a new chat, ask "What is [your company]?" and compare the answer with reality. Your name, address, phone number, registration number and description should match on your website, in your Google Business Profile, in company registers and in directories. In Latvia you can check your details in, for example, Lursoft, Firmas.lv, Bing Places and your industry's directories.
Different assistants rely on different sources, so each one has to be measured separately. On 12 October 2026 ChatGPT named our directory NordSourced in 12 answers out of 16, and nordsourced.com was the most cited domain (18 times, the next one 10). On the same questions Gemini named it in none of its answers, although it used the site as a source 6 times.
| Assistant | Names NordSourced | nordsourced.com among sources |
|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT with web search | 12 of 16 | 12 of 16 |
| Gemini with Google Search | 0 of 16 | 6 of 16 |
What if everything is in order and ChatGPT still doesn't name me?
If the other six reasons have been checked, you need time and a repeat measurement. ChatGPT first named our client PharmaEurope 8 days after the new website went live, and named it in 13 answers out of 16 three weeks after launch. A single measurement on a single day would not have shown this.
The 27 September measurement consisted of 15 answers from OtterlyAI tracking, not the same 8 questions, so it shows the starting point rather than an exact comparison. Results also vary within one day: in a repeat measurement on 12 October the same 8 questions gave 12 answers out of 16, and 4 new questions about the new pages gave 8 out of 8.
Gemini with Google Search did not name the company once on the same 8 questions on 27 September, and named it in 8 answers out of 16 on 12 October.
What to do: after 1–2 weeks, repeat the same measurement with the same questions and look at how many of all the answers name you, not at your place in a single answer. How we do this for clients is described on Visibility in AI answers.
| Date | Names PharmaEurope | pharmaeurope.eu among sources | First source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 27 Sep 2026 (before the work, different questions) | 0 of 15 | not measured | not measured |
| 29 Sep 2026 | first time | not measured | not measured |
| 5 Oct 2026 | 10 of 16 | 10 | 5 |
| 12 Oct 2026 | 13 of 16 | 13 | 8 |
| 12 Oct 2026, repeat measurement | 12 of 16 | not measured | 5 |
| 12 Oct 2026, 4 new questions | 8 of 8 | not measured | 6 |
Can I pay ChatGPT to recommend my company?
No, a place in the answer itself cannot be bought. Since 31 August 2026 you can advertise in ChatGPT in Latvia in self-serve mode: the minimum daily budget for a euro account is 15 EUR, and only Free and Go users see the ads. An ad is a separate block below the answer, not a recommendation within it.
Ads can help if your buyers use the free plan, but they do not replace a page the assistant quotes. More: ChatGPT ads in Latvia.
What we do in this situation
We start with a measurement: your buyers' questions (usually 8–12) put to ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity, each twice, and a table showing whom the assistants name and which pages they cite. Then we fix the reasons on this list: crawler access, text without scripts, indexing, numbers on the page.
We write pages that answer your buyers' questions and, if needed, also set up ChatGPT ads. After 1–2 weeks we measure again with the same questions. We do not guarantee a place in the answer; we guarantee a before-and-after measurement.
The method and dated results: Visibility in AI answers. If you would rather start with a conversation, in a free 90-minute consultation we look together at what ChatGPT answers to your buyers' questions today.
Sources
- OpenAI. Overview of OpenAI Crawlers (OAI-SearchBot, GPTBot, ChatGPT-User; robots.txt changes in about 24 hours; IP ranges) (12 Oct 2026)
- Google Search Central. AI features and your website (updated 10 Dec 2025) (12 Oct 2026)
- OpenAI Help Center. Searching the web with ChatGPT (12 Oct 2026)
- SparkToro. New Research: AIs are highly inconsistent when recommending brands or products (original study) (12 Oct 2026)
- Search Engine Journal. Article on the SparkToro and Gumshoe.ai study of how inconsistent AI recommendations are (30 Jan 2026) (12 Oct 2026)
- Cloudflare. Verified bots: categories (updated 8 Oct 2026) (12 Oct 2026)
- Cloudflare. Block AI Bots: new defaults from 15 Sep 2026 (updated 1 Jul 2026) (12 Oct 2026)
- Aggarwal et al. GEO: Generative Engine Optimization (KDD 2024), arXiv 2311.09735 (12 Oct 2026)
- OpenAI. ChatGPT Ads expands across Europe (18 Aug 2026, updated 31 Aug 2026) (28 Sep 2026)
- OpenAI Help Center. Ads Manager Availability: Latvia: Available (9 Sep 2026)
- OpenAI Help Center. Create Campaigns for ChatGPT Ads: CPM/CPC/oCPC and Minimum Campaign Spend (9 Sep 2026)
- PharmaEurope (our client): our measurements of 5 Oct and 12 Oct 2026 via the OpenAI API (gpt-5.5 with web search), Gemini with Google Search; 27 Sep: OtterlyAI tracking (12 Oct 2026)
- NordSourced (our project): our measurement of 12 Oct 2026 via the OpenAI API (gpt-5.5 with web search), Gemini with Google Search (12 Oct 2026)
- hybridenergy.lt (our client): Google Search Console, "Generative AI features" report, 28 Jul – 10 Oct 2026 (12 Oct 2026)
- learnxMI: our own measurement of 12 Oct 2026 via the OpenAI API (12 questions, each asked twice) (12 Oct 2026)
Frequently asked questions
Why doesn't ChatGPT recommend my company when Google finds me?
Because ChatGPT searches differently from Google: it rewrites the question, sometimes also uses results from other search providers, and quotes passages that answer the question directly. A good position in Google's list does not mean your page has an answer with numbers that the assistant can take.
How can I check without any tools whether ChatGPT mentions my company?
Ask 5–10 questions your buyer would ask, each twice, in a new chat, without logging in and with web search switched on. Note whether you were named and which domains appear among the sources. This is a quick check, not a statistically reliable measurement.
How many times should I repeat a question to get a reliable result?
For a quick check, ask each question twice, and ask several questions; the more repeats, the more reliable the result. In the SparkToro and Gumshoe.ai study, the chance of getting the same list of brands twice was less than 1 in 100.
Do I need to allow GPTBot for ChatGPT to name me?
For visibility in ChatGPT search, OAI-SearchBot matters, not GPTBot. OpenAI says the two are set independently: GPTBot collects text for model training, and you can block it without blocking OAI-SearchBot.
Do I need llms.txt?
Not for Google's AI answers: Google says AI text files and special structured data are not needed. OpenAI links to its own llms.txt in its developer documentation, but does not say that the file affects citation in ChatGPT answers.
How soon after a fix will ChatGPT name me?
Nobody can guarantee that. OpenAI says robots.txt changes are picked up within about 24 hours. ChatGPT first named PharmaEurope 8 days after the new website went live, and named it in 13 answers out of 16 after three weeks.
Could structured data (schema) be the reason?
Usually not. Google's AI answers need no special structured data. Structured data should match the visible text, but it does not replace an answer on the page.
Is visibility in AI answers worth it for a small business?
Yes, if your buyers ask ChatGPT, Gemini or Google before buying. If buyers choose only on personal recommendation, or decisions in your industry are made through tenders, AI answers have little influence.
Why does ChatGPT name a competitor instead of me?
Open the answer's "Sources" and look at which pages it cites and what facts they give. Usually there is a number or a direct answer that your page lacks, or a directory you are not listed in.
Do Gemini and Google's AI answers work the same way as ChatGPT?
No, each relies on its own sources. On 12 October 2026 ChatGPT named NordSourced in 12 answers out of 16, while Gemini named it in none on the same questions, so each assistant has to be measured separately.
How do I find out which pages ChatGPT already cites in my industry?
In your check, open the "Sources" for each answer and record the domains in a table: the question, whether you were named, which domains were cited. Domains that recur across several questions are the places where you should be too.
How do I find out what ChatGPT says about my company?
In a new chat with search switched on, ask "What is [your company]?" and compare the answer with the facts. If the name, address or line of business is wrong, correct them on your website, in your Google Business Profile and in company registers.
See what ChatGPT says about your industry today
In a free 90-minute consultation we look together at what ChatGPT answers to your buyers' questions and name the first fixes.