How to get your business recommended by ChatGPT

By Nasir Jamal · Founder, Marketify Partners · Updated 31 October 2026 · 6 min read

Why do AI tools recommend some brands and not others?

AI assistants build their answers from what they can find and trust online. They look at websites, reviews, directories, news, forums and social profiles.

If the facts about your business are clear and the same everywhere, AI tools can understand you. If they are messy or missing, you are easy to skip.

Think of it like a careful researcher. Before naming a clinic or an agency, it wants to see the same story told in several places. One page on your own website is not enough. It wants proof from others too.

This is good news for smaller firms. You do not need the biggest budget. You need clear facts, useful answers and a steady trail of mentions.

Which AI tools matter for a Dubai business?

The main ones are ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Google AI Overviews, Microsoft Copilot and Perplexity. Each one pulls from slightly different sources, so you should not rely on one alone.

Google’s AI answers lean on Google’s own data, including your Google Business Profile and Google Maps reviews. ChatGPT and Copilot can search the web through Bing, so your Bing Places listing matters more than many people think.

In the UAE, buyers ask in both English and Arabic. A buyer might type “best dermatology clinic in Jumeirah” or ask the same thing in Arabic. If your site only exists in English, you may miss the Arabic answers. A proper Arabic version of your key pages helps here.

Step 1: Make your business facts the same everywhere

Use the same name, address, phone, services and opening hours on your website, Google Business Profile, LinkedIn, Bing Places, Apple Maps and key directories.

Small differences, like an old phone number, make AI tools less sure about you.

Dubai addresses cause special trouble. One listing says “Business Bay”, another says “Bay Square”, a third gives a building name only. Pick one clear format with the building, area and city, and use it everywhere. Do the same with your WhatsApp number. If it differs from your landline, list both in the same way on every profile.

Then check local directories your buyers use. For property firms this might be property portals. For restaurants it is delivery and booking apps. For clinics it is health directories and insurance network lists. Each one is a source AI tools may read.

Step 2: Answer the questions buyers really ask

Write clear pages that answer real questions: how much it costs, how long it takes, who it’s for and how you compare. Use the question as the heading and answer it in the first two sentences.

AI tools like short, direct answers they can quote.

Start by listing the questions your sales team hears every week. A real estate agency gets asked about service charges, Golden Visa rules and off-plan payment plans. A clinic gets asked if it accepts a certain insurance, and whether a woman doctor is available. A restaurant gets asked about parking, private rooms and kids’ menus.

Turn each common question into a section or a page. Give the plain answer first, then the detail. Avoid vague marketing lines. “We offer world-class service” tells an AI tool nothing. “We handle property management for villas in Arabian Ranches and Dubai Hills” tells it a lot.

If you cannot share exact prices, explain what drives the price. That is still a useful answer, and AI tools can quote it.

Step 3: Add structured data

Schema markup tells search engines and AI tools what each page is about. Add Organization, Service, FAQ and Review schema to your key pages.

It is invisible to visitors, but it makes your site much easier for machines to read.

For a local business, LocalBusiness schema is the base. Add your address, geo location, opening hours, phone and links to your social profiles. Clinics can use MedicalClinic. Restaurants can use Restaurant with menu and cuisine details. Your web developer can add this in a day, and you can test it with Google’s free Rich Results Test.

Also make sure your site is fast, works well on mobile and does not hide key text inside images. If a machine cannot read it, it cannot quote it. A clean, modern website build makes all of this simpler.

Step 4: Earn mentions on trusted sites

AI tools trust brands that other sites talk about. Reviews, local news, industry lists and partner pages all help.

Ask happy clients for reviews, share useful data with the press and get listed where your buyers look.

Google reviews matter a lot in Dubai, because buyers check Google Maps before almost every visit. Make asking for reviews part of your process. Send a short WhatsApp message with a direct review link after each job or visit. Reply to every review, good or bad, in a calm and helpful way.

Beyond reviews, look for real coverage. Local business news sites, trade bodies, chambers of commerce, event listings and supplier partner pages are all good. A short expert comment in a news story can do more than a dozen paid directory listings. Our PR team can help with this side.

Step 5: Be active where people talk

AI tools also learn from public conversations. Reddit threads, Google Maps Q&A, YouTube videos and LinkedIn posts can all shape how they describe you.

You do not need to post everywhere. Pick the places your buyers already use. For B2B services, LinkedIn articles and YouTube explainers work well. For consumer brands, Instagram and TikTok build the name recognition that later shows up in search.

Keep your story the same across all of them. Same services, same areas, same promise.

Step 6: Track how often AI names you

Each month, ask ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google the questions your buyers ask. Note who gets named. This is your AI share of voice.

Fix the gaps, then check again next month.

Keep a simple sheet. List ten to twenty buyer questions, in English and Arabic. For each tool, note whether you were named, which competitors appeared and which sources the tool cited. The sources are the useful part. They show you which sites to get listed on next.

Results move slowly. AI tools refresh their sources at different speeds, so expect steady gains over months, not overnight jumps.

What mistakes stop AI tools from naming you?

The most common one is a thin website. A home page, an about page and a contact form give AI tools very little to work with. They need detail: which services you offer, where, for whom and how the process works.

The second is mixed messages. Your website says you serve all of the UAE, your Google profile says Dubai only, and your LinkedIn still lists a service you stopped offering. AI tools see the conflict and become less sure about you.

The third is ignoring reviews. A business with few reviews, or with old complaints left unanswered, looks less safe to recommend. Steady, recent reviews with real replies send a better signal.

The fourth is chasing tricks. Stuffing pages with keywords, buying fake reviews or posting the same text on dozens of low-quality sites can backfire. AI tools and search engines are built to spot this, and fake reviews can break platform rules.

The last is giving up too soon. This work compounds. Each clear page, each honest review and each real mention adds to the picture. Brands that keep going month after month tend to show up more over time.

How long does it take, and can you do it yourself?

Most of these steps are simple and you can start them this week. Fixing your listings and writing clear answer pages needs time more than skill.

The harder parts are schema, a bilingual content plan and earning real press mentions. That is where an agency that does AI SEO and GEO work can save you months. Good traditional SEO still matters too, because AI tools often draw on the same pages that rank well in Google.

Related service: AI SEO and GEO services · SEO services in Dubai

Common questions