We’re entering a new era of discovery. This guide breaks down exactly how to influence AI assistants so your business becomes the answer, not an option.
AI assistants are becoming the new search engines. More people are skipping Google and asking ChatGPT, Gemini, or Perplexity direct questions like “Who installs commercial Wi-Fi in Manchester?” or “what is the best accounting software for freelancers?”
The AI gives them one answer. Maybe three. Not ten, unless you specifically tell it to.
If you’re not in that answer, you don’t exist to that customer.
The good news? These AI tools follow specific patterns when making recommendations. They look for certain signals. They check particular sources. And businesses can influence what they find.
This guide explains how AI assistants decide who to recommend and what you can do to make your business show up more often.
How AI Assistants Decide Who To Recommend
AI assistants don’t just randomly guess. They verify.
When someone asks “Who offers microwave internet near Essex?”, the AI looks for evidence.
It wants to confirm that a company actually provides that service, operates in that location, and has enough credibility to be worth mentioning.
Here’s what happens:
The AI checks its training data. But for current recommendations, it often relies on search indexes. ChatGPT uses Bing. Google’s AI Overviews use Google’s index. Perplexity pulls from all over the web, including: Reddit, YouTube, and news sites.
And:
- It looks for structured information it can parse. If your website clearly states what you do, the AI can verify this quickly. If your services are buried in vague marketing copy, it struggles.
- It checks external sources. The AI looks for mentions on industry directories, reviews on third party sites, features in trade publications, and presence in listicles. These tell the AI that other people have verified you exist.
- It prefers businesses with clear identity signals. Consistent name, address and description across multiple platforms. Mentions on authoritative sites. Enough of a digital footprint to confirm you’re real.
Think of it this way: the AI wants to give accurate recommendations. It can’t recommend businesses it can’t verify. So it looks for evidence. More evidence means more recommendations!
Why Influencing AI Search Matters For Businesses
Traditional Google search puts you in a list with competitors. Even if you rank first, the person sees nine other options.
AI recommendations work differently.
When someone asks ChatGPT for a recommendation and it mentions your company, there’s often no long competitor list. The person gets a direct answer. They might just call you.
This changes everything!
AI users tend to be high intent buyers. They’re not researching what commercial Wi-Fi is. They’re asking who can install it. They want a solution now.
No competitor screen means higher conversion rates. On Google, they see your ad plus three competitor ads, a local pack with more competitors, and organic results with even more options. On ChatGPT, they might only hear about you.
There’s also a first mover advantage. Most businesses haven’t adapted to AI search yet. They’re still focused entirely on Google rankings. The businesses that optimise for AI visibility now will establish themselves as the default recommendations before competitors catch on.
Recent research analysing millions of AI citations found some interesting patterns. Reddit appears in nearly half of ChatGPT citations. YouTube dominates Google’s AI Overviews. Wikipedia is huge across all platforms.
The businesses mentioned on these platforms have a significant advantage.
The Steps Any Business Can Take To Influence AI
Influencing AI recommendations isn’t about gaming the system. It’s about making your business more verifiable and more visible across the right platforms.
1. Technical Signals AI Tools Rely On
AI crawlers need permission to access your website. Check that you’re allowing OAI-SearchBot, bingbot, and Google-Extended in your robots.txt file. If you’ve blocked them, they can’t index your content. Nothing else matters if the AI can’t read your site!
Submit your sitemap to Bing Webmaster Tools. ChatGPT relies heavily on Bing’s index. Most businesses only focus on Google Search Console and forget about Bing entirely.
Add structured data markup. This is machine readable code that tells AI exactly what your business does.
At minimum, add:
- Organisation schema with your business name, logo, and contact details
- LocalBusiness schema if you serve specific geographic areas
- Service schema describing each service you provide
- FAQPage schema for your frequently asked questions
- Review schema for testimonials
Structured data removes ambiguity. When an AI asks “Does this company provide commercial Wi-Fi installation in Essex?”, the schema gives a clear answer rather than forcing the AI to interpret your marketing copy.
And also, create logical internal linking. Services pages could link to relevant case studies. Location pages should link to services in those areas. This helps AI understand what you offer where.
2. Content That Matches How People Actually Speak To AI
People don’t type keywords into ChatGPT. They ask questions.
Your content should mirror this.
Create pages that directly answer the questions people ask. “How does commercial Wi-Fi installation work?” “Who offers microwave internet for rural businesses?” “What’s the difference between leased line and fibre broadband?”
These question based pages give AI tools exactly what they need.
Structure your content to be easily extractable. Short paragraphs. Definitions near the start. Clear statements that could stand alone as answers. Bullet points for lists.
AI tools love content that looks like their own output. If your answer reads like something ChatGPT would write, it recognises it as quality material.
Include FAQs on your key service pages. Real questions your customers ask, with concise answers. These become prime material for AI tools.
Write content that demonstrates expertise. Don’t just list services. Explain the thinking behind them. Share the considerations involved in choosing between options. This positions you as the knowledgeable source the AI can trust.
3. External Signals That Tell AI It’s Safe To Recommend You
AI tools are cautious. They look for third party validation before recommending you.
Here’s what you can do:
- Get listed on industry directories. Trade association member directories. Industry specific listings. Local chamber of commerce sites. These confirm your legitimacy.
- Create case studies that get published on client websites or industry publications. When your company name appears on authoritative third party sites, it signals credibility.
- Seek features in trade publications. Industry magazines. Sector specific news sites. Professional association newsletters. These carry more weight than social media posts.
- Aim for listicle inclusion. “Top 10 commercial Wi-Fi providers in the UK” style articles are exactly what AI tools reference. If you appear in these rankings on authoritative sites, you’ve given the AI an easy source to cite.
- Press releases create additional external mentions. New service launches. Company milestones. Industry awards. Each creates another reference point.
- Build presence on platforms AI tools heavily cite. Reddit discussions in relevant subreddits. YouTube content demonstrating your expertise. Quora answers to industry questions.
- Research shows these community driven platforms account for a massive percentage of AI citations. Reddit is in the top three for every major AI platform!
TIP: Every external mention on a credible platform is another piece of evidence the AI can use to verify your business.
How On Top Marketing Helps With This
Most marketing agencies still focus only on traditional SEO. Rankings. Click through rates. Keyword positions.
These still matter, but they’re not the complete picture anymore.
On Top Marketing specialises in AI search visibility. We help businesses appear more often in ChatGPT and Perplexity answers.
Dan Jones, known as the AI optimisation king, has developed a framework specifically for influencing AI recommendations. This involves auditing your current AI visibility, identifying gaps in your technical setup, content structure and external presence, then systematically addressing each element.
The goal isn’t to trick AI tools. It’s to make your business so clearly verifiable that when someone asks an AI about your type of service, it has no reason not to mention you.
