When was the last time someone asked ChatGPT to recommend a marketing agency, a cafe, or an electrician in Brisbane?
If you’re like most business owners I talk to, you haven’t thought about it. But you should.
The research makes this urgent. Gartner forecasts that traditional search engine volume will drop by at least 25% by 2026 because people are turning to AI chatbots for answers.
That means if ChatGPT isn’t recommending your business, you’re invisible to a growing chunk of your customers.
In this post, I’ll break down how ChatGPT decides who to mention, and the exact steps you can take to get your business into those answers. Let’s get into it.
Why being mentioned in ChatGPT actually matters
Here’s a stat that should stop you in your tracks. OpenAI reported over 400 million weekly active users on ChatGPT in 2025. That’s not a niche tool anymore. That’s mainstream.
And people aren’t just using it for fun. They’re asking for recommendations. They’re asking things like “what’s the best web design agency in Brisbane?” or “which accountant should a small business use?”
When ChatGPT answers those questions, it doesn’t pull from thin air. It pulls from the web. It scans websites, reviews, directories, and brand mentions to piece together an answer.
If your business isn’t part of that digital footprint, you won’t get mentioned. Simple as that.
So what does this actually mean for you? It means you need to think about a relatively new discipline. It’s called Generative Engine Optimisation.
What is GEO and why does it matter?
GEO stands for Generative Engine Optimisation. It’s the practice of making your business visible to AI engines like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google’s AI Overviews.
It’s not quite SEO. It’s not quite PR. It’s a bit of both.
The goal is simple. You want AI models to understand what your business does, trust it, and recommend it when someone asks a relevant question.
I’ve written a deeper breakdown on what GEO marketing is and why it matters, but here’s the short version. ChatGPT weights sources that are authoritative, consistent, and frequently referenced across the web.
Think of it like this. If 50 different websites mention your bakery as the best sourdough in Brisbane, ChatGPT will notice. If only your own website mentions it, ChatGPT will treat that as an unverified claim.
The trick is building a web presence that gives AI engines multiple reasons to trust you. Let me show you how.
Create content that answers questions directly
If you want ChatGPT to quote you, you need to be quotable.
That means writing content that directly answers the questions your customers are actually asking. Not fluff. Not vague corporate speak. Real answers.
Let me give you an example. If you’re a plumber in Brisbane, write a blog post titled “How much does a plumber cost in Brisbane?” and answer it honestly with real numbers. ChatGPT loves that because it’s specific, useful, and verifiable.
Structure your content with clear headings, bullet points, and short paragraphs. AI models scan for structure. The easier your content is to read, the easier it is for AI to quote.
Your website needs to support this strategy, which means it needs to be fast and mobile-friendly. If you’re not sure your site is up to scratch, I’d start with this guide on why Brisbane businesses need a mobile-first website.
Add structured data so AI can understand you
Have you heard of schema markup? It’s code you add to your website that tells search engines and AI models exactly what your business is, what you sell, and where you operate.
Once you have schema in place, AI engines can understand key facts about your business. Your name, your services, your location, your opening hours.
You don’t need to be a developer to get this done. If you use WordPress, plugins like Yoast or Rank Math can handle it. For a custom site, your web developer can add it in under an hour.
Build brand mentions across the web
Here’s where most businesses drop the ball. They focus on their own website and ignore everything else.
But ChatGPT weights third-party mentions heavily. When other websites talk about you, it shows AI engines that you’re real and worth recommending.
So how do you get mentioned? A few practical ways:
- Pitch a story to a local Brisbane publication
- Get listed in reputable Australian business directories
- Connect with influencers or industry blogs in your niche
- Sponsor a local event or community group
Each of those creates a citation that AI can find. The more consistent those citations are, the more trustworthy you look.
I’ve put together a full guide on local SEO for Brisbane businesses that covers a lot of this in detail. The principles overlap heavily with GEO.
Nail your local listings and reviews
This might sound basic, but it’s often the difference between being mentioned and being skipped.
Your business name, address, and phone number need to be identical everywhere. Everywhere. If you’re “Salt Agency” in one listing and “Salt Agency Brisbane” in another, AI models get confused.
Reviews are just as important. ChatGPT looks at sentiment when it’s weighing recommendations. A business with 100 glowing reviews will always beat a business with 10 average ones.
Ask your happy customers to leave reviews on Google. It’s the easiest win in local marketing, and it pays off in AI visibility too.
Build topical authority over time
This is the long game, but it’s the most sustainable way to get mentioned.
If you consistently publish content about your niche, AI models start to see you as an authority. They learn that your business is relevant to certain topics.
For an agency in Brisbane, that could mean writing about web design, brand strategy, video production, and Google Ads. After a few months of consistent publishing, you’ll start appearing in AI answers for those topics.
Stay consistent with your publishing cadence too. AI models favour websites that are regularly updated. It signals that your information is fresh and reliable.
Why Brisbane businesses should care right now
Here’s the thing about Brisbane. We’re a fast-growing market, but a lot of local businesses haven’t caught on to GEO yet. That’s an opportunity.
While your competitors are still fighting over Google rankings, you can get ahead by showing up in ChatGPT answers. It’s a cheaper and less crowded channel than traditional search.
And as more people in Brisbane adopt AI tools, the businesses that move early will be the ones getting mentioned. That’s just how first-mover advantage works.
The bottom line
Getting mentioned in ChatGPT isn’t a mystery. It comes down to creating clear, quotable content, building a strong footprint of third-party mentions, and staying consistent across the web.
Start with one thing today. Write down the five questions your customers ask you most, and turn them into five blog posts. That’s the beginning of your GEO strategy.
If you’d like a hand with it, grab a free marketing audit and we’ll show you exactly where you stand. Good luck, and I’ll see you in the AI answers.