AI search
The AI search optimisation checklist for service businesses
This is the checklist we work through when writing a page we want AI tools to quote. It's in four parts: before the page, on the page, around the page and after it goes live.
None of it needs special software. Most of it is good writing and keeping your details tidy.
Before you write: the question
Every page should answer one question a customer asks. Get this part right and the rest is easier.
- Write the question down exactly as a customer would type or say it.
- Check it's a question people ask. Search data, phone calls and the AI tools themselves all help.
- Make sure only one page on your site answers it. Two pages answering the same thing compete with each other.
- Decide which town or area the answer applies to. "How much is a boiler service?" has a different answer in different places.
On the page: the answer
AI tools look for a clear answer and the facts that back it up. Give them both, near the top.
- Put the answer in the first line or two, before any background.
- Use the question, or something close to it, as the heading.
- Name your business in full near the answer, so the two stay together.
- State the service and the area in plain words.
- Include facts that can be checked, such as areas covered, opening hours and prices if you share them.
- Keep sentences short. One fact per sentence is easier to quote.
- Cut the sales talk. Phrases like "second to none" give an AI tool nothing to use.
- Add a short section of related questions with direct answers.
Around the page: consistency
AI tools are more likely to trust a business when its details agree everywhere. Mixed details make it harder to be sure who you are.
- Your business name is written the same way on your site, Google profile and listings.
- Your address, phone number and opening hours match everywhere.
- The services and areas on your Google Business Profile match your website.
- You get a steady flow of real reviews, and reply to them.
- Pages link to each other where it helps, such as a service page linking to its town pages.
Technical checks
If a tool can't reach or read your page, nothing else on this list matters.
- The page is indexed in Google and can show with a snippet. Google says this is what makes a page eligible for its AI features.
- Your robots.txt file isn't blocking the crawlers AI search tools use, such as OAI-SearchBot for ChatGPT search and PerplexityBot.
- The answer is in the page's text, not only in an image or a video.
- The page loads quickly and works well on a phone.
How to rank in ChatGPT
There's no ranking list inside ChatGPT to climb. When it searches the web, it picks sources that answer the question clearly and seem trustworthy.
So the same checklist applies. Make sure its search crawler can reach you, answer the question plainly and keep your details consistent. Then ask it the questions your customers ask, and see who it names.
After the page goes live: the check
AI answers change over time, so checking is part of the job.
- Ask the main AI tools your key questions and note who gets named.
- Track the same searches every month, so you can see the trend.
- Look at which sources get quoted when you don't, and what their pages say.
- Rewrite pages that drop out, starting with the ones that bring the most work.
- Update facts when they change, such as prices, areas and services.
If you'd like help
Our AI search service works through this list for each important question your customers ask. We track your AI visibility for tracked keywords and show it in your monthly report.