When customers search ChatGPT, can they find you

When a potential customer opens ChatGPT or Perplexity and asks 'who does dental implants in Kelowna' or 'commercial cleaning services near me in Burnaby', they're not opening Google. They're asking an AI search engine to find and summarize answers from across the web.

If your website doesn't show up in those results, you're invisible to a growing slice of how people find service businesses. The bad news: most Canadian service businesses are invisible. The good news: it's fixable, and it doesn't require rebuilding your website or hiring a developer.

How AI search engines actually find you

AI search engines work differently than Google. Google returns a list of links. AI search engines read your website, your Google Business Profile, your reviews, and local directories, then write a summary in their own words. They're looking for three things: clarity about what you do, proof you serve a specific location, and recent signals that you're still in business.

A plumber in Richmond with a homepage that says 'full service plumbing solutions' ranks lower than one that says 'emergency drain cleaning, water heater repair, and new installations for residential homes in Richmond and Burnaby'. The second one answers the question. The first one doesn't.

AI engines also weight your Google Business Profile heavily. If your profile is incomplete, outdated, or missing your phone number, you lose visibility. Same with reviews. A dental clinic in Kelowna with 40 recent reviews on Google will appear ahead of one with 8 reviews from 2021, even if both are good practices.

How to test if you're invisible

You don't need a consultant or a tool. You need five minutes and a search.

Open ChatGPT or Perplexity. Search for your service and your location exactly as a customer would. For example: 'accountant in Burnaby', 'property manager in Surrey', 'software development agency in Vancouver', 'physiotherapy clinic in Kelowna'.

Look at the results. Do you see your business mentioned? Does it list your phone number, address, or website? If the answer is no, you're invisible.

Now search the same thing on Google. You'll probably find yourself in the top 10. That's the gap. Google finds you because it indexes everything. AI search engines find you only if your information is clear and consistent.

Do this test for three different ways a customer might search for you. A software company in Gastown might test 'web development Vancouver', 'custom software development BC', and 'software consulting agency near me'. If you're missing from two of those three, that's your starting point.

What actually needs to change

Most of the time, your website content is the problem, not your website code.

Start with your homepage and service pages. Every page should answer the question a customer actually asks. If you're a distributor in Calgary selling to contractors, your homepage should say 'electrical supplies, plumbing fixtures, and HVAC equipment for contractors in Alberta' not 'leading distributor of industrial products'. The first one is findable. The second one is vague.

Add your full address and phone number to every page, especially the footer and contact page. Not 'serving the Greater Vancouver Area'. Your actual street address. AI engines use this to confirm you're real and local.

Update your Google Business Profile. Make sure your hours, phone number, address, and main service categories are current. Add a few recent photos. This matters more than you think. A property manager in Surrey with a complete, updated profile will outrank one with a half-filled profile, even if the second one has a fancier website.

Add a FAQ section to your website that answers the questions customers actually ask. A dental clinic in Kelowna might answer 'Do you take emergency patients', 'What is your cancellation policy', 'Do you offer payment plans'. Write in plain language. AI engines read this and use it to answer customer questions.

Update your website at least once a month. Add a blog post, update a service description, refresh a case study. Stale websites rank lower. You don't need to publish every week. But a site that hasn't changed in a year signals to AI engines that you might not be active.

Check your reviews. On Google, on your local chamber, on industry-specific sites. Respond to recent reviews, even the negative ones. A business with 12 recent reviews and thoughtful responses looks more trustworthy than one with 50 old reviews and no engagement.

From visibility to booked work

Getting found is only half the problem. The second half is speed.

When someone finds you in ChatGPT and clicks through to your website or calls your number, how long before they hear back. A 12-person software company in Gastown that responds to enquiries within 2 hours will book more work than one that responds in 2 days, even if both are equally good.

Make it obvious how to contact you. A phone number and an email form on every page. Not buried. Not behind a popup. Clear.

Set up an autoresponder so enquiries get a reply within minutes, even if it's just 'Thanks for reaching out. We'll call you by 2 pm tomorrow'. Customers who get a fast first response are more likely to stay engaged.

If you're getting enquiries now but losing them, the problem is usually speed or clarity, not visibility.

Where to start

• Test yourself this week. Search your service and location in ChatGPT and Perplexity. Write down whether you appear and what information shows up. This is your baseline.

• Update your Google Business Profile. Add your full address, current phone number, and at least three recent photos. This takes 20 minutes and moves the needle more than most website changes.

• Pick your three most common customer questions and add them to your website as a FAQ section, with clear answers in plain language. Write as if you're explaining to a friend, not a search engine.