As AI transforms how people search online, tools like ChatGPT have become key players in shaping user decisions. With over 400 million weekly active users as of 2025, ChatGPT represents a massive opportunity for visibility, without relying solely on traditional search engines.

So, how do you ensure your brand, website, or content is picked up and mentioned by ChatGPT?

This guide outlines practical strategies for SEO professionals, digital marketers, and business owners looking to optimise their web presence for AI-driven platforms like ChatGPT.

What is ChatGPT and Why Does It Matter?

ChatGPT is a conversational AI developed by OpenAI. It generates human-like answers using a vast dataset of publicly available web content, including blogs, articles, forums, and websites.

Since its launch in November 2022, ChatGPT has grown into one of the most widely used AI platforms in the world:

• Gained 1 million users within its first 5 days
• Now exceeds 400 million weekly active users (as of 2025)
• Holds 62.5% of the AI tool market share (Source: Backlinko)

While Google remains the top source of web traffic (9Rooftops), ChatGPT has introduced a new way for users to discover and consume information. Unlike traditional search engines, ChatGPT doesn’t show a list of links, it delivers direct, conversational answers. This change in behaviour creates new opportunities for websites that can be recognised as trusted sources.

How to Optimise Your Website to Be Featured in ChatGPT

1. Write in a Conversational, Clear Tone

ChatGPT is trained to mimic how people speak and ask questions. That means your content should be written in a natural, conversational tone, not stiff corporate jargon. Use simple language and explain concepts clearly, as if you’re talking to someone with no prior knowledge.

Example:

Instead of: “Our enterprise-grade platform leverages scalable architectures.”

Try: “We build tools that help businesses grow using flexible technology.”

This kind of tone resonates with how ChatGPT processes and returns information, increasing the likelihood that your phrasing matches what it will use in an answer.

2. Focus on Answering Questions

ChatGPT exists to answer queries, so content that’s structured around common questions is naturally more relevant. Use headers like:

• What is X?
• How does X work?
• Why is X important?

Include FAQ sections on your pages, blog posts, or service descriptions. Each question should be followed by a concise, direct answer in plain language. This not only helps with SEO but also improves the chances your content will be quoted by AI tools designed to summarise and simplify information.

3. Support Content with Facts and Sources

ChatGPT values fact-based, verifiable information. When you include accurate statistics, cite sources, and reference industry research, your content becomes more credible to both AI and human readers.

Example:

Rather than saying “ChatGPT is widely used,” say “As of 2025, ChatGPT has over 400 million weekly active users” and link to the source.

AI models often pull snippets that include cited information because it helps reinforce the trustworthiness of the answer it’s generating.

4. Keep Content Up to Date

Although ChatGPT can draw on older training data, it is increasingly being integrated with browsing and real-time knowledge plugins. Updated content is more likely to be recognised and indexed by future models or cited through live integrations.

Make it a habit to review and refresh your blog posts, service pages, and landing pages. Updated content demonstrates that your site is actively maintained—something AI models and users both value

5. Demonstrate Your Expertise Through Content

One of the strongest signals of authority is high-quality, original content that dives deep into your area of expertise. Create:

• Blog posts that address industry trends
• Case studies showing real results
• White Papers that explore complex topics in depth

When your content reflects a clear understanding of your field, it builds topical authority. This is the kind of material AI is trained to identify and summarise as expert-level input.

6. Earn Backlinks from Reputable Sites

AI models take cues from the broader web to determine credibility. Backlinks from established, high-authority websites signal that your content is trusted by others—and therefore safe for AI to reference.

You can earn backlinks by:

• Guest posting on industry blogs
• Creating tools or resources others want to link to
• Collaborating on content or studies with known publishers

The more high-quality domains that link to your site, the stronger your online authority becomes—both in SEO and in AI relevance.

7. Encourage and Showcase Customer Reviews

Online reviews build social proof, which influences both people and AI. ChatGPT often reflects public consensus when discussing brands, and customer reviews help shape that consensus.

Encourage satisfied customers to leave reviews on platforms like:

• Google Reviews
  
• Trustpilot
  
• Yelp

You can also feature these reviews directly on your site using structured markup. Not only does this improve trust with users—it sends a clear signal to search engines and AI that people engage positively with your brand.

8. Be Transparent and Credible

Trustworthiness matters to AI. Websites that clearly display who they are, how to get in touch, and who’s writing the content tend to be ranked as more reliable.

Make sure your site includes:

• A detailed “About Us” page with team info
• Author bios with credentials or experience
• Contact details (email, phone, address)
• Terms of service and privacy policy pages

These aren’t just for user trust—they’re signs to AI that your site is legitimate, not spam or content-farmed.

9. Use Structured Data to Help AI Understand Your Content

Structured data (or schema markup) helps machines interpret your content. By tagging sections of your website using schema.org vocabulary in JSON-LD format, you give AI clear signals about what each section is about.

For example:

• Use FAQPage schema to identify Q&A sections
• Use Product schema to tag e-commerce items
• Use Article or BlogPosting for blog entries
• Use LocalBusiness for your company info

Structured data makes your content easier to categorise, display, and reference—not just by search engines but also by tools like ChatGPT that ingest structured knowledge.

Tools like Google’s Structured Data Markup Helper or Schema Markup Generator can help you generate and validate this code.

10. Make Your Website Crawl-Friendly

ChatGPT’s knowledge relies on large web crawls, such as those from Common Crawl. If your site isn’t accessible to these crawlers, it may never be seen by AI models at all.

Here’s what to check:

• robots.txt – Make sure it doesn’t block key pages or crawlers like Common Crawl
• sitemap.xml – Keep it updated to help crawlers discover your content
• Page speed and mobile optimisation – These affect crawl efficiency

A technically sound site increases the likelihood that your content will be indexed by AI training datasets or real-time integrations.

Final Thoughts

As the digital landscape continues to evolve, adapting your SEO strategy for AI-driven platforms like ChatGPT is no longer optional, it’s essential! With millions turning to conversational AI for answers, the brands that succeed will be those who understand how to speak its language: clear, concise and credible.

From structured data and conversational content to backlinks and trust signals, these strategies aren’t just technical checkboxes, they’re blueprint for future-proof visibility. As AI reshapes search behaviour, your website needs to be more searchable, it needs to be speakable. 

At Rijks Digital, we help businesses not only keep pace with these changes but get ahead of them. Whether you’re looking to automate workflows, integrate AI into your marketing or optimise your site to be recognised by tools like ChatGPT, our team brings the strategy, technical know-how and creativity to make it happen.

The future of search is already here. Let’s make sure your brand is part of the conversation!

Contact us today and see how we can support your next step.