ChatGPT, Gemini and your business: what AI assistants say about you
More and more people skip the search results and simply ask an AI assistant: "Who's a good electrician near me?", "Best accountant for freelancers in Leeds?" And even when they do search, the leading search engines now use AI too: on Google, the first thing you often see is an AI-written answer, before a single website. Either way, the AI answers with names. If it doesn't know your business, it happily recommends one it does. If it knows you badly, it might describe you wrongly. Here's what these assistants are, where they get their information, how that can affect your reputation, and the practical things you can do about it.
In this guide (7 sections)
What are ChatGPT and Gemini?
They're AI assistants: you type or say a question in plain English and get a written answer back, rather than a list of links. ChatGPT is made by OpenAI. Gemini is made by Google. Others work the same way, including Microsoft Copilot and Perplexity. Millions of people now use them every day, and that includes asking who to hire.
It's not just chatbots: Google uses AI too
You don't have to use ChatGPT to meet AI. The leading search engines now build it in. Search on Google and the first thing you often see is an AI-written summary (powered by Gemini) sitting above the usual list of websites. Bing does the same with Microsoft Copilot. For many searches, that AI answer is the first impression of your business, and plenty of people read it and never scroll any further.
Where do they get their information about you?
- What they learned in training: a huge snapshot of public writing on the web, taken up to a cut-off date. It can be months or years out of date.
- Live searches: many assistants now look things up as they answer, leaning on search engines like Google and Bing and the pages they find.
- Other people's websites: directories, review sites, local news, trade bodies, forums and social profiles.
- Your own website: if they can reach it and understand what it says.
How it can harm your reputation
- You're invisible: asked for a recommendation in your area, it names three competitors and never mentions you.
- You're out of date: it quotes an old address, old opening hours, old prices or a service you stopped offering years ago.
- You're mixed up: it confuses you with a business that has a similar name, or invents a detail that sounds plausible but isn't true.
- You're summed up unfairly: it leans on a couple of old complaints or your weakest reviews, as if that's the whole story.
- You're described vaguely: your website never says plainly what you do and where, so the assistant can't either.
None of this is personal. It's simply what happens when the information about a business is sparse, scattered or inconsistent. The good news is that the fixes are mostly the same things that help customers and Google understand you too.
What you can do about it
- Say it plainly on your own website: what you do, who for, where you work and how to get in touch, written as real text on the page rather than tucked inside images.
- Add structured data: a small piece of behind-the-scenes code (LocalBusiness schema) that states your name, address, hours and services in a format machines read reliably.
- Keep your details identical everywhere: website, Google Business Profile, Bing Places and any directories. Mismatched addresses and phone numbers breed confusion.
- Answer the questions customers really ask: clear service pages and an honest FAQ give assistants something accurate to quote.
- Look after your reviews: ask happy customers to leave one, and reply calmly and helpfully to the unhappy ones. Your replies are part of the record too.
- Earn mentions on reputable sites: local press, trade associations, suppliers and partners all add to the picture of who you are.
- Make sure you can be read: a fast, working website that isn't accidentally blocking search engines is the foundation for everything above.
Check what they say about you
Every few months, ask ChatGPT and Gemini about your business by name, and ask them to recommend someone like you in your area. Note anything wrong or missing. Then fix the source: update your website, correct an old directory listing, reply to a stale review. Arguing with the assistant itself rarely helps, because it will keep repeating whatever the web tells it.
Should I block AI from my website?
Some websites block AI companies' crawlers, usually to stop their writing being used to train AI models. That can be a sensible choice for publishers. For most small businesses, though, being understood matters more than being hidden, and blocking everything can mean assistants know less about you, not more. If you're unsure, look at what your site currently allows before changing anything.
Questions people ask
- What is ChatGPT?
- ChatGPT is an AI assistant made by OpenAI. You ask it questions in plain English and it writes an answer, drawing on what it learned from public writing on the web and, increasingly, on live web searches. Many people now use it to ask for recommendations, including which local businesses to use.
- What is Gemini?
- Gemini is Google's AI assistant. It works much like ChatGPT, and it also powers the AI-written answers at the top of many Google searches. That means it can shape the first thing people read about your business, before they ever click through to your website.
- Does Google use AI in its search results?
- Yes. For many searches, Google now shows an AI-written answer (powered by Gemini) above the usual list of websites, and Bing does the same with Microsoft Copilot. For a lot of people, that summary is the first thing they see, and sometimes the only thing they read.
- Can ChatGPT say wrong things about my business?
- Yes. AI assistants can repeat out-of-date details, mix you up with a similarly named business, or state something plausible that simply isn't true. They work from whatever is publicly written about you, so thin, old or inconsistent information is the usual cause.
- How do I get ChatGPT to recommend my business?
- There's no switch to flip and no guaranteed method. What helps is a website that clearly explains what you do and where, structured data, consistent details across Google, Bing and directories, genuine reviews, and mentions on reputable sites. Those make you easier for assistants to understand and to trust.
- How do I correct wrong information an AI gives about me?
- Fix it at the source. Update your website, correct old directory listings and your Google Business Profile, and reply to outdated reviews. Most assistants also have a feedback button for poor answers. Over time, as the information about you becomes clear and consistent, the answers follow.