ChatGPT visibility

How to get recommended by ChatGPT

Ask ChatGPT for the best option in your category and it names a few brands, then links to the pages it trusted. This guide covers how ChatGPT finds those pages, what quietly blocks it, and how StarRise shows whether you are in the answer.

Get my free ChatGPT report AI crawler guide

The free plan runs on ChatGPT · No credit card

How ChatGPT finds sources

Where ChatGPT's answers come from

ChatGPT draws on two things: what the model learned in training, and what it finds on the web when a question needs current or specific information. "Best X for Y" questions usually send it to the web.

For web results, OpenAI runs its own crawler, OAI-SearchBot, and its own search index, with third-party search data behind it. ChatGPT's browsing ran on Bing until ChatGPT search launched in October 2024, and reporting indicates Bing data still contributes. Being in Bing still helps. Allowing OAI-SearchBot is what puts you in ChatGPT's results directly.

The two sources lead to two kinds of visibility. ChatGPT can mention a brand from what it already knows. A citation, a link to your page, needs a page it could actually read. A site closed to OpenAI's search crawler can still be named now and then, and it is almost never cited.

At a glance

ChatGPT and your site

Its index: OpenAI's own search index, plus third-party search data. Bing data reportedly still contributes.
Must be allowed to be cited: OAI-SearchBot indexes your pages for ChatGPT search. ChatGPT-User fetches a page live when a user's question needs it.
Training only, your choice: GPTBot collects text for future models. Blocking it has no effect on today's ChatGPT search results.

Access checklist

Which OpenAI bots to allow

robots.txt controls OAI-SearchBot and GPTBot separately. Allow the one that puts you in answers, and decide on the training bot as a separate business choice. ChatGPT-User may not follow robots.txt for requests a user starts.

Bot	What it does	If you block it	Recommended
OAI-SearchBot	Crawls and indexes pages for ChatGPT search	Your pages drop out of ChatGPT's web results and stop being cited	Allow
ChatGPT-User	Fetches one page on demand during a conversation. OpenAI notes robots.txt rules may not apply to it	A firewall block stops ChatGPT reading the page when a user's question needs it	Allow
Bingbot	Builds Bing's index, which reportedly still contributes to ChatGPT	You lose a second route into ChatGPT, and Microsoft Copilot entirely	Allow
GPTBot	Collects text to train future OpenAI models	Your content stays out of future training. Today's search results don't change	Your choice

Bot names accurate to November 2026. Vendors change these often. The AI crawler guide has every engine in one table and a copy-ready robots.txt.

The mistake that hides most sites

Blocking the wrong bot

Blocking GPTBot to "block ChatGPT" only stops training. The costly mistake runs the other way: a blanket "block AI bots" rule from a site template or a one-click CDN setting also blocks OAI-SearchBot, and the brand quietly drops out of ChatGPT's answers. A firewall rule can do the same even when robots.txt looks fine.

What StarRise measures on ChatGPT

Your ChatGPT visibility, measured the way buyers see it

StarRise asks ChatGPT the questions your buyers ask, three times each on paid plans, and records whether you are named, how prominently, and whether your site is the source.

Discover: every buyer question, every answer, and who it named. Demo data.

Mention rate

How often ChatGPT names you for your category's buyer questions.

Share of voice

How prominently you appear next to the competitors you track, answer by answer.

Verified citations

A citation counts only when ChatGPT really links to your domain. Which pages it cites instead of yours, too.

How ChatGPT describes you

Direct Perception shows the words ChatGPT attaches to your name, including weaknesses and anything out of date.

The app and the API

On paid plans, StarRise checks the answers buyers see in the consumer ChatGPT app alongside the official API. The two don't always agree.

Every raw answer

Prompt Explorer shows exactly what ChatGPT said, question by question and run by run.

ChatGPT is included on every StarRise plan, Free too. The free plan checks 4 prompts against 1 competitor once a month and shows your AI Readiness Score, your competitor ranking and how ChatGPT describes you. Starter includes a weekly analysis of 20 prompts against 5 competitors, with three samples per prompt, and adds Gemini, Perplexity and Google AI Overviews. See pricing.

How to improve

Six steps to get recommended by ChatGPT

Start with access, because nothing else works until ChatGPT can read your pages. Then give it a page worth quoting for each question your buyers ask. Mentioned is being known. Cited is being trusted.

Step 1

Open the door

Allow OAI-SearchBot and ChatGPT-User in robots.txt, then check that your CDN or firewall isn't blocking them anyway. It takes minutes.

Step 2

Get into Bing as well

Submit your sitemap in Bing Webmaster Tools and confirm your key pages are indexed. Bing data reportedly still contributes to ChatGPT.

Step 3

Answer the buyer's question on the page

Write a page for each question buyers ask ChatGPT about your category, with a clear answer in the first paragraph that ChatGPT can quote as written.

Step 4

Back every claim with evidence

Add measured results, statistics with their source, and quotes from named experts. Pages with opinions and no numbers lose to pages that have them.

Step 5

Show up where ChatGPT looks

Find the review sites, Reddit threads and articles ChatGPT cites in your category, and earn a place there by being genuinely useful.

Step 6

Measure, then repeat

Fixes on your own site show up as ChatGPT re-reads it, typically within a few weeks. Wider citation authority builds over a couple of months. Re-running the same questions shows each step.

FAQ

ChatGPT visibility questions

Why doesn't ChatGPT mention my brand when people ask about my industry?

It usually comes down to three things. ChatGPT can't read your site because a crawler is blocked. You have no page that answers the question buyers ask. Or competitors have the evidence and third-party mentions ChatGPT trusts. StarRise shows which one applies to you, question by question, and who ChatGPT names instead.

If I block GPTBot, am I removed from ChatGPT?

No. GPTBot only collects training data. ChatGPT search reads your site through OAI-SearchBot and ChatGPT-User. Blocking those is what removes you from ChatGPT's web answers.

Does ChatGPT still use Bing?

ChatGPT search uses OpenAI's own crawler and index, with third-party search data behind it, and reporting indicates Bing data still contributes. Being in Bing still helps. Allowing OAI-SearchBot is what puts you in ChatGPT's results directly.

How long until ChatGPT starts recommending us?

There are two speeds. Fixes on your own site, like letting crawlers in or adding real numbers to a page, show up as ChatGPT re-reads your site, typically within a few weeks. Being cited more widely builds over a couple of months. We can't promise a rank or a date, and every run re-asks the same questions so you see what moved.

ChatGPT says something wrong or out of date about us. Can we fix it?

You fix it at the source. StarRise shows how ChatGPT describes you in its own words, so you can spot the wrong claim, find the pages and profiles it comes from, and update them. StarRise doesn't change what ChatGPT says. It changes what ChatGPT can find and cite.

Can I check my ChatGPT visibility for free?

Yes. The free plan runs 4 buyer questions on ChatGPT against 1 competitor, once a month, and shows your AI Readiness Score and how ChatGPT describes you. Get the free report.

Other engines

Each engine reads the web its own way

Buyers don't stick to one assistant, and the engines often disagree. Here is how the others pick sources.