More customers now ask an assistant instead of typing a search: find a mobile mechanic near me who works on weekends, or what does a deck stain job usually involve. The answer may name a few businesses and describe them in a sentence or two. Nobody outside these companies knows the full recipe, and anyone selling a promise of being recommended is guessing. What is known is how assistants reach websites and what makes a business easy to describe accurately.
Crawlers: who visits your site and why
AI companies use automated visitors called crawlers, and they publish their names. OpenAI documents several. OAI-SearchBot fetches pages so they can appear in ChatGPT’s search answers; OpenAI says sites that block it will not be shown there. GPTBot collects content that may be used to train OpenAI’s models, and blocking it is a separate choice that does not remove you from ChatGPT search. ChatGPT-User visits a page when a person’s request needs it, rather than crawling the web automatically.
Google’s AI Overviews and AI Mode draw on Google’s normal search index, so the usual Googlebot crawl is what matters there. Google says there are no extra requirements, special files or special markup needed to appear in those features.
Check that the doors are open
- ✓Read your robots.txt file — make sure search crawlers you want are not disallowed
- ✓Ask about firewall bot rules — some security settings block or challenge automated visitors by default
- ✓Keep key facts in text — assistants read words more reliably than text inside images
- ✓Make pages reachable by links — pages nothing links to are found late or not at all
Clear facts beat clever wording
When an assistant describes your business, it pieces together what it can confirm: your name, what you do, where you work, your hours and what people say about you. Contradictions make that harder. If your website says you serve three counties, your Google Business Profile says two and an old directory lists a previous address, any system trying to summarize you has to pick one.
So write plainly. Name each service you offer on its own page, state the towns you serve, list your hours and say who the work is for. Answer common questions directly in short paragraphs. Keep the same business name, address and contact details everywhere you appear online.
A fact check you can do this week
- ✓Search your business name — note every listing and correct outdated details
- ✓Read your home page aloud — could a stranger say what you do and where in one sentence
- ✓Compare your profile and website — hours, services and service area should match
- ✓Ask an assistant about yourself — see what it gets wrong, then fix the source of the error
Structured data and llms.txt
Structured data, also called schema markup, states facts such as your business type, address and hours in a machine-readable format. It is not required for Google’s AI features, but it removes guesswork when it matches the page. Our schema markup basics guide covers the types that suit a small business.
An llms.txt file is a proposed convention: a plain text file at your site’s root that summarizes the site and links to its most useful pages, written for language models to read. Google says it does not need such files, and no assistant promises to use one, so treat it as a tidy index rather than a lever.
Where we fit, honestly
Every site we build includes essential search setup, plain-language copy we write for you and a mobile-friendly design, which covers much of the groundwork above. If you want ongoing work on new pages and consistent facts across the web, Monthly SEO is an optional add-on. We do not promise that any assistant will mention or recommend your business, and you should be wary of anyone who does.
What to expect, honestly
- ✓No one controls assistant answers — we cannot promise mentions or recommendations
- ✓Crawler names and policies change — check each company’s own documentation
- ✓Blocking choices are yours — we explain the tradeoffs and you decide
One example of what your site could look like
This is one sample we designed. Yours is built around your business, your photos and your words, and we have more examples if you want to compare directions.
What it costs
Websites are priced one-time by size, plus Website Care at $30/month for hosting, HTTPS, backups, weekly checks and A/B testing. Every package includes a consultation, mobile-friendly design, copy we write for you, a contact form, essential search setup and 10 revision rounds. Monthly SEO is an optional add-on when you are ready for it.
Optional add-ons, billed separately
The prices above are for your website. These two are separate monthly products you can add now or later. Neither is part of the website price.
Monthly SEO, from $50/month: new pages published on your site every month. See Monthly SEO →
Business Spotlight, from $30/month: articles about your business, labeled as paid, published on The Company Chronicle. See Business Spotlight →
How it works
1. Consultation
We learn your services, customers and goals, in English or Spanish.
2. We write and design
We draft the words and build the site around your business.
3. 10 revision rounds
You review and request changes until it is right.
4. Launch and care
We launch, then Website Care keeps it hosted, backed up, checked weekly and A/B tested.
Keep reading
Schema markup basics · Not showing on Google · Local SEO · Monthly SEO
