How to Rank in ChatGPT and AI Search Engines: The New Visibility Frontier

Introduction: AI Is the New Front Page

If you are not showing up in AI-generated answers, you are already invisible to part of your audience. ChatGPT, Perplexity, and tools built on large language models are fast becoming an alternative to traditional search engines, especially for research, comparisons, and high-intent queries.

Unlike Google, there is no clear ranking algorithm, no SEO tool, no dashboard to check. And yet, there are clear patterns beginning to emerge. In this article, I will walk through what I have learned, from experiments, research, and examples, about how to get your brand or product mentioned in AI-first engines.

Why This Matters: From Keywords to Conversations

Users are already asking ChatGPT things like:

  • "What are the best Shopify apps for upselling in 2025?"
  • "Alternatives to Dynatrace for monitoring APIs"
  • "Most reliable ecommerce platforms for DACH markets"

These are no longer search queries, they are natural language questions. And the answer is not a list of blue links, but a summarised synthesis. If your product, service or brand is not being mentioned in these answers, it is not in the conversation.

I have seen this firsthand. When I searched ChatGPT for alternatives to Dynatrace, it suggested Sentry.io, a tool I had not asked for, but which had been mentioned across structured product listings, software communities, and developer forums.

This is the new SEO, and it is happening now.

How ChatGPT Gathers Information

ChatGPT, when connected to the internet, does not scrape Google. It pulls results through Bing, uses structured data like schema, and relies heavily on knowledge embedded in model training, including open forums like Reddit, Quora, Stack Overflow, Medium and others.

This means visibility is shaped by multiple factors:

  • Presence in structured data and schema
  • Citations in trusted forums or tech media
  • Contextual relevance within content clusters
  • Live indexability via Bing (not just Google)
  • User interaction and link patterns

Ranking in ChatGPT is less about ranking, and more about being referenced in the right places with the right context.

So How Do You Actually Get Mentioned?

The following tactics have shown early effectiveness, either in my work or through validated experiments by others in the field.

Optimise for Bing, Not Just Google

ChatGPT uses Bing for live lookups. That means if your content is not indexed and performing on Bing, it may not exist as far as ChatGPT is concerned.

To improve Bing visibility:

  • Submit sitemaps to Bing Webmaster Tools
  • Use descriptive meta titles and OpenGraph tags
  • Prioritise clarity, not just keyword density, Bing rewards semantic structure
  • Ensure fast loading and mobile responsiveness

I have restructured pages for clients specifically to perform better in Bing, resulting in increased visibility in GPT suggestions within weeks.

Target Long-Tail, High-Intent Queries

General terms like “CRM” are too broad. Instead, use specific, user-led phrasing like:

  • “best CRM for remote sales teams in 2024”
  • “email automation tools for Shopify stores with subscription billing”

These are the types of queries users feed into ChatGPT, and the types the model excels at answering. I create content around those questions, often starting with FAQs, feature comparisons, and decision-making guides.

Use Structured Data (Especially FAQ Schema)

Search engines and AI models love structure. Adding FAQ schema makes it more likely that your content is surfaced as a summarised answer.

I mark up key sections with FAQPage schema, using clear question and answer pairs. This not only helps Bing understand your site, but also trains language models to associate your domain with expert explanations.

Build Thematic Content Clusters

Instead of single blog posts, I create hubs. A central page acts as the main topic anchor (e.g. "Conversion Tracking for Shopify"), supported by sub-pages like:

  • “Server-Side Tagging for GA4”
  • “Why UTM Tracking Breaks in Email Campaigns”
  • “Cookieless Tracking Strategies for DACH Markets”

These internal links, along with shared structure, build topical authority. Language models use these signals to determine whether a site is worth referencing when explaining complex topics.

Get Mentioned in Authority Spaces

ChatGPT relies heavily on the content it has been trained on, and continues to validate relevance from public forums and high-engagement spaces like:

  • Reddit
  • Hacker News
  • Quora
  • Medium
  • Stack Overflow

These sites are not just discussion boards. They are training data. I publish original responses, answer questions, and link back to product or resource pages, not for traffic, but for semantic reinforcement.

How I Build GPT-Visible Content for Clients

When working with clients, I do not just write blog posts. I:

  • Research the most asked GPT-style questions using Perplexity and actual ChatGPT sessions
  • Build structured content hubs with clear Q&A logic
  • Use clean schema, updated sitemaps, and Bing optimisation
  • Create short, natural-language summaries designed for AI readers, not just human users
  • Seed mentions and answers in open forums using real insights and non-promotional tone

This builds a foundation that makes GPT models more likely to pull you into their answers, whether now, or when models retrain again.

Final Thought: There Will Never Be a Dashboard

Unlike Google Search Console, there is no dashboard for ChatGPT rankings. But that is not a disadvantage, it is an opportunity. The space is still early. The mechanics are still visible.

If you are willing to create structured, thoughtful, useful content, and seed it in the places where the models live and learn, you can become part of the answer before the rest of the market catches on.

I am helping clients prepare for that future now, and if you want to show up not just in search, but in conversations with the most powerful interfaces online, I can help you get there.