You get found in ChatGPT and Perplexity by building the same digital foundations that already win local search: a complete Google Business Profile, recent specific reviews, clear service pages, and consistent business details everywhere you appear. AI search engines don't guess. They read what's already public about your business and synthesise a recommendation from it. The businesses that get named are the ones with the most complete, consistent, and credible information online.
Instead of typing "electrician near me" into Google, a growing number of Australians now ask an AI assistant: "Who's the best electrician in Parramatta?" or "Find me a physio near Chatswood who handles sports injuries." The answer they get back isn't random; it's assembled from listings, reviews, and website content the model has read.
TL;DR: AI search is a new channel, not a replacement for Google. It rewards the businesses with the strongest digital foundations, which means the local SEO work you may already be doing is exactly what positions you for it. There is no "submit to ChatGPT" button; you earn the recommendation by being the clearest, most consistent answer online.
In this guide you'll learn:
- How AI search engines actually decide which local business to recommend
- Why being the answer is different from ranking in a list
- The five foundations that get your business surfaced in AI search
- Quick wins you can action this week
- Why early movers hold an advantage as the channel grows
Let's be clear about the scale first, because it's easy to over- or under-react. Google still dominates Australian search: StatCounter put Google at around 88% of the Australian search market in May 2026. At the same time, AI assistants have reached genuine scale: at OpenAI's DevDay in October 2025, Sam Altman said more than 800 million people use ChatGPT every week (a global figure, not Australia-specific). So AI search isn't replacing Google, but it's a fast-growing channel, and the businesses positioned for it now are the ones that already have their fundamentals in order.
How do AI search engines decide which local business to recommend?
When ChatGPT or Perplexity recommends a local business, it isn't guessing. These systems read what's publicly available about your business (listings, reviews, website content) and synthesise a recommendation from it. The businesses that get named are the ones with the most complete, consistent, and credible information online.
A few sources carry more weight than others:
- Your Google Business Profile. Listing data is one of the most heavily weighted inputs for local recommendations, because it's structured, verified, and tied to a real location.
- Your reviews. Their quantity, recency, and the specific words customers use all feed the recommendation (more on this below).
- Your website content. Service pages and FAQ sections give the model the detail it needs to match you to a specific question.
AI search also rewards topical authority. A business with comprehensive, well-structured content about its specific services (dedicated service pages, FAQs that answer real client questions, useful articles) is far more likely to be recommended than one with a bare-minimum presence. The starting point is getting the basics right with strong Google Business Profile and local search foundations.
How is AI search different from traditional Google search?
Traditional SEO is about ranking in a list. AI search is about being the answer.
Ask Google for electricians and you get a list to choose from. Ask ChatGPT and you often get one or two named businesses, sometimes with a short reason why. That difference changes what matters:
- Comprehensiveness: covering your services thoroughly, not in a single generic paragraph.
- Consistency: the same business details everywhere the model might read them.
- Reviews as evidence: AI pulls review content to justify a recommendation.
- Structured answers: FAQ-formatted content maps neatly onto how AI assistants present information.
Being the recommended answer takes different signals than scraping into the bottom of a results page. It rewards clarity and completeness over keyword density.
What are the five things that get your business found in AI search?
1. A fully optimised Google Business Profile
Your profile is one of the primary inputs for local AI recommendations. A complete profile (every service listed, the right categories, current photos, an accurate description, an active Q&A) signals that your business is real, active, and comprehensive. Incomplete profiles give the model less to work with, and less reason to surface you. This is the highest-leverage place to start, and it sits at the centre of getting found in local and AI search.
2. Recent and specific Google reviews
AI search pulls review content as evidence. Reviews that mention specific services and locations ("fixed my switchboard in Parramatta", "best sports physio in Chatswood") directly help you get recommended for those exact searches.
Recency matters as much as volume. A business adding a steady flow of new reviews looks more active and trustworthy than one sitting on a large pile of old ones with nothing recent. This is the same shift we cover in detail in how to get more 5-star Google reviews without asking awkwardly, and it's why an automated, CRM-triggered review system outperforms relying on memory.
3. A service page for every specific service you offer
AI search needs to understand exactly what you do to recommend you for specific queries. A plumber with dedicated pages for blocked-drain clearing, hot-water installation, and gas fitting can be matched to each of those searches. One with a single generic "plumbing" page can't.
Each page should be specific, detailed, and locally relevant, naming the suburbs you serve and the real aspects of that service you handle. A smart website built around clear service pages gives both Google and AI search the detail they need.
4. FAQ content the model can lift
One of the most consistent patterns in AI search is a preference for FAQ-structured content: a clear question, a specific answer. That format maps almost directly onto how AI assistants pull and present information, so FAQ sections on your service pages do double duty: useful for customers, easy for AI to quote. A few specific questions and genuine answers on each major service page is one of the simplest wins available.
5. Consistent business details across every platform
Name, address, phone number: identical across your Google Business Profile, your website, your directory listings, and anywhere else your business appears. AI search cross-references these to verify a business is real and trustworthy. Inconsistencies (an old address here, a different phone number there) quietly reduce your credibility and how often you're recommended.
Why does being early to AI search matter?
Most Australian service businesses haven't thought about AI search at all yet. That's the opportunity. The businesses that build the strongest possible foundation now tend to be the ones that keep getting recommended in their category and suburb as the channel grows, because AI search tends to reinforce existing authority rather than rebuild rankings from scratch.
In our experience working with Australian service businesses on local search, the operators who committed to a strong digital foundation a couple of years ago are now the ones showing up earliest in AI recommendations. The window to be an early mover is still open, but it narrows every month more businesses catch on. A clear, consistent digital marketing approach is what carries that advantage forward.
What can you do this week to improve your AI search visibility?
You don't need a big project to start. Four actions, all doable in a week:
- Complete every section of your Google Business Profile. Services, categories, photos, business description, Q&A. This is the single highest-impact action, handled as part of getting found.
- Start a steady flow of new reviews. A consistent trickle of recent reviews signals an active business far better than an occasional burst. An automated review system makes it happen without anyone remembering to ask.
- Add FAQ sections to your key service pages. Three to five specific questions and genuine answers per major service page, formatted the way AI search prefers to read it.
- Check your business details everywhere. Search your own business name. Open every listing that appears. Make sure name, address, and phone are identical across all of them.
Key takeaways
- AI search reads your existing public footprint (listings, reviews, website) to decide who to recommend. It doesn't guess, and there's no direct submission.
- Being the answer in AI search takes different signals than ranking in a list: comprehensiveness, consistency, reviews as evidence, and structured FAQ content.
- The five foundations are a complete Google Business Profile, recent specific reviews, a page per service, FAQ content, and consistent business details everywhere.
- It's the same work as good local SEO, so optimising for both channels at once is realistic, not a separate project.
- Google still dominates Australian search, but AI assistants have reached real scale globally; early movers tend to hold their position as the channel grows.
Frequently asked questions
Can I directly submit my business to ChatGPT or Perplexity?
No. There's no submission process the way there is with Google. AI search engines read existing public data (your Google Business Profile, website, directory listings, and reviews) to build their recommendations. You improve your visibility by improving that footprint, not by submitting anything. Businesses that build a comprehensive, consistent, credible online presence tend to see their AI search visibility improve as a natural result.
Is AI search more important than Google search right now?
Not yet, but the gap is narrowing. In Australia, traditional Google search still drives far more local enquiries; StatCounter put Google at roughly 88% of the Australian search market in May 2026. The smart move is to optimise for both at once, which is achievable because the foundations are shared: a strong Google Business Profile, consistent recent reviews, good website content, and clear service pages serve both channels.
How quickly will AI search start recommending my business after I improve things?
It varies by platform and by what you change. In our experience, Google Business Profile improvements tend to show up in AI recommendations within weeks. Review improvements compound over months as new reviews accumulate. New website content (service pages, FAQs) takes longer, because it has to be crawled and indexed first. The point is to start now: every improvement compounds as AI search grows. Mapping out your content marketing is a sensible next step.
Do I need to write content specifically for AI, separate from my normal website?
No. The content that performs well in AI search is the same content that's genuinely useful to your customers: clear service descriptions, honest FAQs, real answers to real questions. The main change is structure: question-and-answer formatting and specific, locally relevant detail make it easier for both AI and search engines to use.
Sources
- StatCounter, Search Engine Market Share, Australia
- TechCrunch, Sam Altman says ChatGPT has hit 800M weekly active users (OpenAI DevDay, Oct 2025)
Written by Katrina Curll, Co-Founder of Linkai Digital. Twenty years in strategy, automation, and performance marketing, helping Australian service businesses build systems that scale without the busywork.