How to get your business mentioned by ChatGPT and other AI assistants

Try this before reading further. Open ChatGPT, Gemini or Perplexity and ask the question your ideal customer would ask, such as "best corporate video production company in Dubai" or "which accounting firm in Sharjah handles VAT for small businesses". Note who gets named, and which websites are cited.

That list is your real competition in AI search, and it is often different from the businesses ranking first in Google. This article is a practical playbook for getting onto it. For the underlying theory, see our explainer on generative engine optimization.

Why does ChatGPT mention some businesses and not others?

Assistants mention businesses they can find, understand and corroborate. When a tool searches the web, it picks a small number of pages, usually from its search provider's results, and summarises what they say. A business named on several of those pages, described consistently, has a strong chance of appearing. A business that only describes itself on its own site, in vague language, has a weak one.

Without live search, the model relies on what it learned during training, which favours brands that were widely and consistently discussed across the public web before the model's cut-off date.

Step 1: How do you audit what AI assistants say about you now?

Run a structured prompt audit before changing anything. It shows where you stand and which sources matter in your niche.

1. List 20 to 30 realistic prompts: category searches ("best X in Dubai"), comparisons ("X vs Y"), problem-led questions ("how do I fix…") and direct brand questions ("what does [your business] do?").
2. Run each in ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Copilot, with web search enabled where the tool offers it.
3. Record, for each answer: are you mentioned, is the description accurate, which competitors appear and which URLs are cited.
4. Repeat monthly with the same prompts. Answers vary, so look for patterns rather than single results.

The cited URLs are the most valuable part. They tell you which directories, publications and review sites the assistants trust for your category.

Keep the audit in a simple spreadsheet with one row per prompt and columns for each tool. After two or three months you will see which prompts you win consistently, which you never appear in, and whether the same handful of sources keeps being cited for competitors. That pattern, not any single answer, should decide where you spend effort.

Step 2: Can AI crawlers actually read your website?

Check this early, because it is a common and invisible blocker. AI companies use named crawlers, and some security plugins, CDNs and hosting firewalls block them by default.

Review your robots.txt and firewall rules with your developer. If you want to be cited, allow the search-related crawlers. Blocking training crawlers is a separate decision you can make on its own merits. Also register your site in Bing Webmaster Tools and submit your sitemap, since Bing's index feeds several assistants.

Step 3: What should you publish on your own site?

Publish pages that answer shortlisting questions directly, using facts an assistant can repeat. The pages that most often get retrieved are:

• Clear service pages stating what you do, for whom, where (Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Northern Emirates), in which languages and with what process.
• "How to choose" guides for your category, written honestly, including when you are not the right fit.
• Comparison pages explaining options, such as approaches, packages or technologies, with a table.
• Pricing explainers that describe what drives cost and typical tiers, even if you do not publish exact prices.
• An about page with founding year, team expertise, location and the sectors you serve.

Write the key fact in the first sentence of each section. "We build bilingual English and Arabic websites for clinics in Dubai and Abu Dhabi" is quotable. "We deliver innovative digital solutions" is not.

Step 4: How do you earn third-party mentions?

Target the sources your prompt audit revealed, then widen out. Assistants treat independent confirmation as stronger evidence than your own claims.

• Complete and verify your Google Business Profile, Apple Business Connect and Bing Places listings.
• Get listed accurately on reputable UAE and industry directories that appear in AI citations for your category.
• Collect genuine reviews on platforms your customers use, and respond to them.
• Contribute expert commentary to trade publications and local business media.
• Take part in industry associations, events and awards that publish member or participant pages, without buying placements that only exist to be sold.
• Ask partners, suppliers and clients who already work with you to describe the relationship accurately on their sites.

Avoid paid "top 10" lists on low-quality sites and fake reviews. They can damage trust in Google, and AI tools increasingly discount obvious promotion.

Step 5: How do you keep your facts consistent?

Choose one official version of every core fact and use it everywhere. That means the business name (including one Arabic spelling), short description, address, phone, WhatsApp number, founding year and list of services. Mark it up with Organization or LocalBusiness schema and link your official profiles.

When assistants get details wrong, the cause is usually conflicting information somewhere online: an old address on a directory, a former company name on LinkedIn, or a price from three years ago. Fixing those sources is slow but effective.

What results can you realistically expect?

Expect gradual change measured over months. Improvements in live-search answers can appear once new pages and mentions are indexed. Changes in what a model knows without searching only arrive with new model versions. No one can guarantee that a specific assistant will recommend your business, and results differ by prompt, language, location and even the day you ask.

The encouraging part is that this work compounds. Clear pages, consistent facts and credible mentions help your Google rankings and your reputation with human buyers too.

How Upscaleads can help

We run AI prompt audits for UAE businesses and turn the findings into a practical plan through our GEO services, including crawler access, citable content and third-party visibility. Where pages also need restructuring for direct answers, our AEO team handles that alongside. Get in touch for an audit of what the assistants currently say about you.