AI search
ChatGPT SEO: how SHORE became ChatGPT's first pick in two months
The quick answer
ChatGPT SEO helps ChatGPT find, understand and recommend your business when customers ask for a provider. It depends on search access for OAI-SearchBot, clear service and suburb pages, real project evidence and consistent business details. In two months SHORE went from missing in ChatGPT's answer to first for Eastern Suburbs custom home builders.
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Key takeaways
- SHORE moved from missing in ChatGPT's four-builder shortlist to first place for the same custom home builder question in about two months.
- Both screenshots come from logged-out Incognito sessions, so the answers were not shaped by a saved account or chat history.
- ChatGPT search uses OAI-SearchBot to find pages; blocking it can keep your website out of ChatGPT's answers.
- Specific service and suburb pages with real projects give ChatGPT something concrete to recommend.
- Test with the exact questions customers ask and save every complete answer with its date.
ChatGPT SEO is the work of getting your business named when a customer asks ChatGPT who to hire. For a local business that question is often the whole buying decision: "who is the best builder near me?" If ChatGPT writes a shortlist without you on it, the customer may never see your website.
We built SHORE's website and run its SEO. SHORE is a Sydney design and build firm. About two months apart, we asked ChatGPT the same question in a logged-out Incognito window. The two answers are below.
What changed for SHORE in ChatGPT?
SHORE went from missing in ChatGPT's answer to first on its shortlist. The question was the same both times: "who is the best custom home builder in the eastern suburbs".
Before: other builders lead the shortlist
ChatGPT recommended four other builders. SHORE was not on the list.
After: SHORE is first
Two months later ChatGPT named SHORE first. It described SHORE as best for a premium architecturally designed home with an integrated design and build service. It named SHORE's projects in Bondi Beach, Vaucluse and Dover Heights and linked to shore.com.au.
That description matches what SHORE's own pages say about its work and suburbs. ChatGPT did not invent it. It found it.
Kavera note: Both screenshots were taken logged out in Chrome Incognito, so no saved account or chat history shaped the answer. AI answers still vary between sessions. Treat this as a dated example rather than a guaranteed placing.
What did we change in those two months?
We gave ChatGPT clear pages to find and quote. Our SEO work for SHORE began on 21 July 2026.
- Service and suburb pages. We built 17 new pages for SHORE's services and the suburbs it works in. Each one has its own projects, local detail and enquiry path.
- Project evidence on every page. Each page shows completed and current projects in named suburbs such as Bondi Beach, Vaucluse and Dover Heights. Those are the suburbs ChatGPT repeated in its answer.
- Regular Google Business Profile posts. From September we posted SHORE's projects and services to its Google Business Profile so the listing stays current and matches the website.
See the finished website in our SHORE website case study.
How does ChatGPT choose which businesses to recommend?
When ChatGPT searches the web it can rewrite your question into its own searches. It may also use your location or the conversation so far. It then writes an answer and links to sources you can check.1
To find web pages for those answers OpenAI uses a crawler called OAI-SearchBot. OpenAI says sites that block OAI-SearchBot will not be shown in ChatGPT search answers. GPTBot is a separate crawler used for model training. You can allow one and block the other.2
That leaves the same levers as good local SEO: access, clear pages and real evidence.
How do I get my business recommended by ChatGPT?
Start with access. Then give ChatGPT specific pages it can match to your customers' questions.
- Check your robots.txt allows OAI-SearchBot. Ask your developer or open yoursite.com.au/robots.txt and look for any rule that blocks it.2
- Write down the questions customers ask. Use their words, such as "best custom home builder eastern suburbs" or "who builds duplexes in Bondi".
- Give each main service and area its own page. A page that names the service, the suburb and real projects there is easier to recommend than one general services page.
- Show proof from real work. Add project photos, locations and what you did on each job. A changed suburb name on a copied page is not proof.
- Keep your business details identical everywhere. Use the same name, address, phone number and description on your website, Google Business Profile and directories.
Our AI SEO guide covers each step in more detail, including crawler settings for Google and Perplexity.
How do you test whether ChatGPT recommends your business?
Use a fixed list of customer questions and test them the same way each month.
| Step | What to do | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Open a logged-out Incognito window | Removes your own account and chat history from the answer |
| 2 | Paste the exact question from your list | Small wording changes can change the shortlist |
| 3 | Save a full-page screenshot with the date | Gives you a before and after you can compare |
| 4 | Note your position and the description given | Shows whether ChatGPT describes your business correctly |
| 5 | Repeat monthly with the same questions | Separates a real trend from one lucky answer |
Record questions where you do not appear as well. They show which pages to build or improve next.
What should you do this month?
Check your robots.txt for OAI-SearchBot. Write down five questions your customers ask. Run each one in a logged-out Incognito window and save the answers. That is your before screenshot.
If you want help building the pages that change the answer, see our SEO services.
Common questions
How do I get my business recommended by ChatGPT?
Check that your website allows OAI-SearchBot so ChatGPT search can reach your pages. Give each main service and area its own page with real projects and local detail. Keep your business name, address and phone number the same everywhere it appears. Then ask ChatGPT the questions your customers ask and save the answers each month to see what changes.
How long does ChatGPT SEO take?
SHORE moved from missing to first for its main custom home builder question in about two months. That followed a rebuild of its service and suburb pages with real project evidence. Timing depends on how well your pages already describe your services and how much competition you face. Expect to test monthly rather than daily.
Is ChatGPT SEO different from Google SEO?
They share the same foundations: crawlable pages, clear services, local detail and evidence from real work. The difference is access and measurement. ChatGPT uses its own crawler for search and writes a shortlist rather than ten blue links. You track mentions and first-place recommendations instead of positions alone.
Does ChatGPT give everyone the same answer?
No. ChatGPT can rewrite a question into its own searches and may use location or the conversation so far. Answers can differ between sessions. That is why our SHORE screenshots use the same question in logged-out Incognito sessions. Repeat your own tests the same way so the comparison stays fair.
Sources
- ChatGPT searchOpenAI Help Center. Accessed .
- Overview of OpenAI CrawlersOpenAI. Accessed .
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