Before any other advice about getting named by ChatGPT, check one thing: can ChatGPT's search system actually read your website? OpenAI says sites that block its search crawler won't appear in ChatGPT search answers. It's the cheapest fix in this whole subject, and it takes about ten minutes to check.
Allowing the crawler doesn't guarantee a recommendation. It only makes your site eligible. This guide explains OpenAI's three bots in plain English, shows what a safe robots.txt looks like, and lists the settings that block crawlers without the owner knowing.
The three OpenAI bots
OpenAI's bot documentation lists three:
| Bot | What it does | What blocking it does |
|---|---|---|
| OAI-SearchBot | Finds and surfaces websites in ChatGPT's search features | Your site won't appear in ChatGPT search answers (it may still show as a plain link) |
| GPTBot | Collects content that may be used to train OpenAI's models | Tells OpenAI not to use your content for training. It does not control whether you appear in search |
| ChatGPT-User | Visits a page when a user asks ChatGPT to, for example, open it | OpenAI says robots.txt rules may not apply to it, and it doesn't decide whether you appear in search |
The detail that trips people up: blocking GPTBot is a training choice, not a visibility choice. A contractor can say no to training and still be visible in search by allowing OAI-SearchBot.
OpenAI says changes to robots.txt can take about 24 hours to take effect for search, and it also recommends allowing its published IP ranges.
Check your robots.txt in two minutes
- In your browser, go to yourwebsite.com/robots.txt. Every website has one (if you get an error page, you probably don't block anything this way).
- Look for lines naming OAI-SearchBot, GPTBot or PerplexityBot. Pay attention to any
Disallow: /that followsUser-agent: *, which blocks every bot that isn't named separately. - If you see
Disallow: /under OAI-SearchBot, ChatGPT search can't read your site.
A safe setup for most local businesses looks like this:
User-agent: OAI-SearchBot
Allow: /
User-agent: PerplexityBot
Allow: /
User-agent: Googlebot
Allow: /
If you want to opt out of model training but stay visible in search, add a block for GPTBot:
User-agent: GPTBot
Disallow: /
Bots follow the most specific group that names them, so an explicit OAI-SearchBot group usually overrides a general block. If you're not sure, send the file to whoever built your site and ask: "Does this allow OAI-SearchBot and PerplexityBot?"
Perplexity and Google
- Perplexity says its PerplexityBot surfaces and links sites in its search results, isn't used to train foundation models, and recommends allowing it. A second bot, Perplexity-User, fetches pages on a user's request and generally ignores robots.txt.
- Google says there are "no additional requirements to appear in AI Overviews or AI Mode, nor other special optimizations necessary." Your page just needs to be indexed and eligible for a snippet (Google).
Where accidental blocks come from
Even if your robots.txt is fine, something else on the way to your site may turn bots away:
- Website builder or SEO plugin settings. Some have an "AI bots" or "discourage search engines" toggle. Look for any option about AI crawlers.
- Security plugins and firewalls. Rules meant to stop scrapers can also stop legitimate crawlers.
- A content delivery network (CDN). Cloudflare, for example, began blocking AI crawlers by default for new domains in July 2025, and asks new customers at sign-up (report). If your site sits behind one, check its AI-crawler settings.
- Old developer instructions. A "block everything" line left from when the site was being built.
None of these is unusual. Our free scan includes a website check for AI-bot blocking, because it's a common finding.
If you use a website builder or an agency
Most small contractors don't edit files directly. A few practical routes:
- Ask the person who maintains your site to send you the current robots.txt and confirm in writing that OAI-SearchBot and PerplexityBot are allowed. It is a five-minute request.
- Check your website platform's settings for anything labeled "search engine visibility," "AI crawlers" or "bots." Some platforms let you control robots.txt from a settings page.
- Check anything sitting in front of your site, such as a security service, a firewall or a content delivery network, and ask whether AI search crawlers are being challenged or blocked.
- Keep a note of the date you made the change, so you can compare ChatGPT's answers before and after.
What allowing the crawler does and doesn't do
- Does: makes your site eligible to be read and cited by ChatGPT search and Perplexity.
- Doesn't: make ChatGPT recommend you. In our study of 390 Texas markets, ChatGPT's citations went mostly to ranking sites and marketplaces like Angi and ContractorsRanked, not to the businesses' own websites. Your site still matters, but it is one piece. See the directories ChatGPT reads.
- Doesn't: give you control over what ChatGPT says. For that, work on the sources it reads: your listings, your reviews and your website content. See why ChatGPT recommends your competitor.
After you've opened the door
Give the crawler something worth reading:
- A page for each service you offer, naming the cities you serve.
- A short FAQ with real answers: price ranges, timelines, warranty, licenses.
- Your license numbers, insurance and years in business on the site.
- The same name, address and phone as your Google profile and listings.
Our guides by trade cover this in more detail: roofing, HVAC, plumbing.
FAQ
Should I block GPTBot? That's your choice about training. It doesn't affect whether you appear in ChatGPT search, which depends on OAI-SearchBot.
I can't edit robots.txt. What now? Most website platforms have a settings page for it, or your web person can edit it. Ask for "allow OAI-SearchBot and PerplexityBot."
How do I know it worked? Wait a day, then ask ChatGPT a customer question in your area and see which sites it cites. Our five-minute test shows how.
Check whether AI bots can read your site. Run a free scan at localpickai.com. It tests your website for AI-bot blocking, shows whether ChatGPT names you, and lists what to fix first. Free, no signup, about a minute.
