Simple Steps to Get your Business Indexed on ChatGPT Search

Introduction: Why AI-Search Indexing Matters

Do you ever wonder how your website’s content reaches your target audience today? Let’s look at a few numbers that can answer this:

• In 2024, approximately 60% of Google searches in the U.S. and the EU ended without clicks, as users found answers in AI Overviews. (Source)
• A Barron survey showed that 8% of U.S. respondents now use ChatGPT as their primary search engine, up from 1% in mid-2024, while Google’s share is declining.
• Voice search is growing, with 50% of U.S. mobile users using it daily, highlighting the rise of AI-powered search methods.

Getting your content in front of your audience is no longer just about securing the top spot on a search results page—because chances are, they might not even click through to your website. As traditional visibility takes a backseat, it becomes imperative to rethink your content strategy in order to be discoverable and reach your audience. How? Becoming AI-discoverable.

When AI tools can locate and present your content directly, you stand a far greater chance of reaching your audience, even if they never leave the search interface. This blog unpacks the growing importance of AI search engine visibility and provides actionable insights to ensure your website is discovered and indexed by AI tools.

Understanding AI-Search Indexing Through ChatGPT Indexing

AI-search indexing is analogous to getting added to directories that generative AI tools, such as ChatGPT, can access.

How is AI Search Engine Visibility Different from Traditional Visibility?

Unlike traditional search engines, which focus heavily on metadata, keywords, and links, AI search engine visibility extends to well-structured, relevant, and meaningful information. In simpler terms, being indexed by AI means your website is discoverable and can appear in AI searches. Consequently, people can discover it through AI overviews, summaries, etc. 

ChatGPT Search Indexing

When we talk about ChatGPT specifically, things work a bit differently. ChatGPT doesn’t crawl websites directly like Google. Instead, it relies on Bing’s search index to fetch information. This makes your visibility on Bing critical. If your content isn’t indexed on Bing, ChatGPT won’t find it either.

The result? A presence on Bing directly influences your visibility on ChatGPT.

Some other nuances of ChatGPT search indexing:

1. ChatGPT values content that answers user queries clearly and concisely and uses first-hand experiences, real-world examples, or credible data points to back the claims.
2. It loves structure. Use schema markup, proper headings, and organized formatting to make your content easier for it to interpret and include in its responses.
3. Once your content is indexed, ChatGPT can do more than just answer questions. If your content is highly readable and relevant, it can automatically boost website ranking in AI searches, positioning your content (and you) for better engagement and lead generation.

The Business Benefits of Being Indexed on ChatGPT

AI-discoverable and indexed content provides unique benefits beyond those of traditional SEO. Some of them are listed below:

1. Competitive Edge in Emerging Search Channels

According to a Wall Street Journal report, people are shifting from Google to search for specific information or products in niche channels or platforms. For example, Amazon has become a preferred product search channel due to its strategic integration of AI-powered search filtering and product recommendation systems that rely on historical user interactions and preferences to create new selling opportunities. 

2. Improved Localization

AI tools often personalize user responses and experiences based on location, making localized AI search engine visibility critical. Being indexed for AI search ensures that when ChatGPT and other AI tools receive location-specific user queries, they can reference your business directly. This means nearby customers searching for products or services through ChatGPT are more likely to discover your offerings.

3. Enhanced Discovery in Niche Markets

For businesses operating in niche markets, being indexed by ChatGPT ensures your content is part of its reference pool when users make highly specific queries. For example, if you own an IT servicing or consulting firm, ChatGPT can surface your website, blog, or service information directly when a user asks, “OpenCart extension development India.” Here is an example:

You can also validate it on Bing (as shown in the image below), using the same search term “OpenCart extension development India:

4. Longevity in AI Ecosystems

When ChatGPT indexes your content, it becomes accessible across a larger network of AI systems that rely on shared search indexes. ChatGPT, for instance, uses Bing’s search index, which is also tapped into by other tools and platforms like Microsoft’s AI, including Cortana and Alexa. Therefore, by ensuring your website is indexed, you can benefit from long-term AI search engine visibility.

5. Synergy Between AI Search and Voice Search

Indexing your content makes it more accessible to voice search users as well. For example, a query like “mobile app development company near me” can lead to your business being recommended in both ChatGPT and voice search results. 

How to Get your Website Indexed on ChatGPT?

Since ChatGPT uses Bing’s search index, the process starts by ensuring it is indexed by Bing. Here are the steps to get your site indexed by AI platforms:

• Step 1: Check Bing Indexing Status

Log in to Bing Webmaster Tools to confirm whether your pages are indexed. If not, register your site, verify ownership, and ensure your content is ready for Bing’s crawlers.

• Step 2: Submit your Sitemap

Create a sitemap (if you don’t have one), use tools like Yoast SEO or Screaming Frog, and submit it via Bing Webmaster Tools.

• Step 3: Optimize your Website for Bing

Bing emphasizes mobile-friendliness, page speed, and keyword relevance. Ensure your website is responsive on all devices, has fast loading times, and uses keywords strategically in titles, headers, and content.

• Step 4: Monitor your Bing Indexing

Keep track of your indexing status using Bing Webmaster Tools. Regularly monitor for crawl errors or broken links and fix them promptly.

Mastering AI Indexing: Content Optimization Tips for Better Indexing and Engagement

While content optimization doesn’t directly impact indexing, it can make it easier for AI tools to crawl and reference it after you ensure it’s indexed. Here are a few tried and tested tips to optimize content for both traditional discoverability and AI search engine visibility: 

1. Use Conversational Content Formats

Your content should be as natural as it can be. Use FAQs, How-To guides, case studies, step-by-step tutorials, etc. Make it easier for AI to extract the context. To make your content more engaging, you can also consider improving website visibility with ChatGPT integration. 

By doing so, you can offer dynamic, AI-powered answers in real-time while simultaneously exposing your content to AI’s indexing mechanisms.

2. Optimize for Long-Form Queries

In addition to keywords, also build your content around relevant key terms and phrases to optimize for long-form queries. For instance, instead of simply targeting “best real estate photo editing services,” create content that answers broader and related questions like “How to improve real estate marketing with aerial photos” or “Photo retouching techniques for real estate professionals.”

3. Focus on Contextual Interlinking

Link related pages or articles within your website using contextually relevant anchor texts. This will make it easier for AI tools to navigate your website. 

4. Create Multi-Modal Content

AI tools can parse more than plain text. Include high-quality images, infographics, or even embedded videos with proper descriptions and alt texts. 

5. Enable HTTPS and Crawlability

Ensure your website uses HTTPS and that all pages are crawlable by search engine bots. Avoid technical barriers like poorly implemented robots.txt files or broken links.

6. Configure for Semantic Relevance

AI doesn’t rely solely on exact keywords. It is becoming better at understanding context and intent with each day. Use semantic variations of your keywords and create content that addresses the underlying intent. 

To take this further, consider implementing an AI-powered search or navigation system directly on your website. From the moment the user starts typing their query, this system can recommend relevant and likely actions that can follow. It can also provide autocomplete suggestions, making it much more convenient for the users. 

Don’t believe us? Read more here to see how an AI search/navigation system improved search-to-conversion rates by up to 72%!

Securing your Spot in the AI Search Landscape

In such an evolving search landscape, the way how your content reaches the ultimate audience also keeps changing with each new development. For years, Google’s search engine guidelines have dictated the standards for visibility and discoverability. But with the advent of AI, even Google’s long-standing authority is being challenged, as topping traditional search results no longer equals website visits (thanks to zero-click searches).

To secure a leading spot in such a changing environment, you must rethink your content strategy and go beyond traditional SEO practices. Besides optimizing for search engines, you must also optimize for AI search engine visibility by focusing on structured data, conversational content, and semantic relevance. And lastly, make sure you get it indexed by ChatGPT and other AI tools! The future of search isn’t just about being on the first page; it’s now about being discoverable, actionable, and contextually relevant across the AI ecosystem. 

Author Bio: Nathan Smith is a Technical Writer at TechnoScore with extensive knowledge in software documentation, API guides, and user experience. Mastering HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and tools like JIRA and Confluence, Nathan’s expertise covers Application Development, Software Engineering, AI/ML, QA Testing, Cloud Management, DevOps, and Staff Augmentation (Hire mobile app developers, hire WordPress developers, and hire full stack developers etc.).