How do customers find businesses through AI assistants?
A customer types a question such as "who is a good electrician near me?" into an assistant like ChatGPT, Perplexity or Google's AI Mode. The assistant writes an answer, often naming a few businesses, and can draw on the web while it does: ChatGPT chooses to search the web based on what is asked and shows links to its sources. An assistant can only describe a business accurately if it can find clear information about what it does, where and for whom.
What the customer sees
Instead of a page of links, the customer gets a written answer: a short list of businesses, a sentence or two about each, and links to where the information came from. OpenAI added web search with source links to ChatGPT in October 2024 and made it available to everyone in regions where ChatGPT is offered in February 2025. Google's AI Overviews and AI Mode likewise surface links alongside their answers.
The customer may follow up in the same conversation: "which of these does weekends?", "which is closest?". Each follow-up narrows the list.
What it means for a business
- If your own website does not say clearly what you do, where and for whom, an assistant has little to go on.
- Out-of-date details, such as an old service area or a closed location, can be repeated back to customers.
- A business with a name similar to another can be confused with it. Check what assistants say about yours.
- Real reviews and real, specific information about your work help a customer decide.
What you can do this week
- Ask two or three assistants the question your customers would ask, and note whether you are named and described correctly.
- Ask them directly "what is <your business name>?" and correct anything wrong on your own site.
- Make sure your website states your services, your area and how to contact you in plain words.
- Record which inquiries say they came from an AI assistant, so you know what the channel is worth.
What no one can promise
No business, and no agency, controls what an assistant says. Answers can differ between assistants, between conversations and over time. What can be measured is whether you are named, whether you are described correctly, and how many inquiries arrive from AI answers.
Sources
- OpenAI, "Introducing ChatGPT search" (October 31, 2024; updated February 5, 2025)
- Google Search Central, "AI features and your website"
Related answers
- What is GEO (generative engine optimization)?
- What does a GEO agency actually do for a business?
- Are AI answers taking clicks away from Google search results?
GEO: recommended in AI answers
When a customer asks ChatGPT, Perplexity or Google's AI who to call, the answer names a few businesses. GEO is the work of making yours one of them.