Lesson 1 of 6
How AI assistants choose whom to name
Why ChatGPT names some businesses and not others
The idea
Ask a friend for a good dentist, and they'll name the one they've heard good things about from several people. AI assistants work the same way. They name the businesses that many trusted pages mention.
Where an answer comes from
Step 1
The question
“best proposal tool for freelancers”
Step 2
The search
The assistant looks pages up on the web, right then
Step 3
The sources
Lists, reviews, directories, forums, your site
Step 4
The answer
The names many sources agree on, with links
What gets you named
Mentions on other sites
Comparison posts, directories, reviews and threads that name you
One clear description
The same name and one-sentence description everywhere
Answers up front
Pages that answer in their first two sentences
Pages they can read
Not hidden behind a bot check or a login
Answers change each time you ask, even with the same question. One check is a sample. Watch the trend over a few months before you change course.
Sort it
1 of 6
Will it help you get named?
“A listing on a directory where people compare tools”
Today, with AI
People now ask an assistant for a recommendation instead of scrolling a page of links. It names a handful, and the rest are invisible.
This is new and it changes fast. Treat what works today as something to test, not a recipe.
What AI does well
Asking assistants your customers' questions many times, recording who they name and quote, and drafting pages that answer plainly.
Where it goes wrong
Nobody can make an assistant name you. Anyone who promises a guaranteed place in AI answers is guessing.
What stays yours
Reviews from real customers, listings you earn, and one clear sentence about yourself.
Check yourself
Do it in the studio
- 01
Run the AI Visibility Check on your site: whether assistants name you or a rival, and how ready your site is.
free - 02
In the studio, open Get found → AI assistants. Check the questions under Buyer prompts, and add your customers' own.
free - 03
Press Ask the AI assistants: six customer questions, two assistants, every answer recorded.
60 credits - 04
Fix the AI readiness cards. Each one is free and comes with its fix.
free - 05
On the monthly card of quoted sites, press Find the way into them: how to get listed, featured or reviewed on each.
40 credits
Done when You know which sites the assistants quote for your customers' questions, and you've started on one of them.
Go deeper
University courses on the same topic, if you want to go further.
Harvard Business School Online
Digital Marketing Strategy and AI, Module 1: Marketing Strategy in the AI EraHow marketing changes with AI search, chat and assistants
Columbia Business School
Digital Marketing in the AI Era (MRKTB8679)Search, display and social as AI changes each, including AI answers