To get your website cited in ChatGPT search, make sure OpenAI’s search crawler, OAI-SearchBot, can reach your pages, that the pages send their text in the HTML, and that each important page answers specific buyer questions directly and accurately. OpenAI says any public website can appear in ChatGPT search. Beyond access, the pages that get cited tend to rank well in web search, answer the question in a self-contained passage, and belong to a brand that is described consistently across the web.
How ChatGPT search works
OpenAI launched ChatGPT search in October 2024, after testing it as SearchGPT from July 2024, and later made it available to free users. When a question needs current or specific information, ChatGPT searches the web, reads the pages it finds and writes an answer with links to its sources. OpenAI’s publisher FAQ says it uses its own crawler, OAI-SearchBot, alongside third-party search providers.
| OpenAI user agent | Purpose | Effect of blocking |
|---|---|---|
| OAI-SearchBot | Finds and indexes pages for ChatGPT search | Your pages will not be shown as full search results; ChatGPT may still show a link and title from third-party search |
| ChatGPT-User | Fetches a page when a user asks ChatGPT to open or use it | ChatGPT cannot read your page on a user’s request |
| GPTBot | Collects data that may be used for training | No effect on ChatGPT search |
Step 1: allow access
- Check robots.txt allows OAI-SearchBot on the pages you want found.
- Check your CDN or firewall does not block or challenge it. Since July 2025 Cloudflare blocks known AI crawlers by default for new domains; see how to stop Cloudflare blocking AI crawlers.
- Run our AI crawler access checker and confirm visits in your logs with the verification script.
OpenAI notes that changes to robots.txt can take about 24 hours to reach its search systems.
Step 2: make the content readable
Crawlers that do not run JavaScript need the text in the HTML. Test a key page with “View page source” and search for a sentence from the middle of it. Our render test shows what happens when content is loaded in the browser.
Step 3: answer the questions buyers ask ChatGPT
- Collect 15 to 25 real buyer questions and check which ones ChatGPT answers with web sources.
- For each, make sure one page has a section that answers it in the first sentence, with specific facts.
- Cover the sub-questions that longer questions break into: cost, fit, comparison, process, risks. See query fan-out keyword research.
- Include information competitors lack: your data, examples, prices, process details.
Step 4: strengthen search visibility
Because ChatGPT search draws on search results, pages that rank well are more likely to be found. A study by Seer Interactive of 10,000 questions found that ranking on page one of Google correlated at about 0.65 with being mentioned in ChatGPT’s answers. Classic SEO is part of the job, in Google and in Bing.
Step 5: make your brand clear and consistent
Use the same company name, description and details on your website, LinkedIn, review sites and directories, and connect them with sameAs links in your Organization schema. When ChatGPT’s sources agree about who you are, it is easier for it to name you correctly. For why ChatGPT sometimes leaves a company out, see the 7-point diagnostic checklist.
Step 6: measure
- ChatGPT adds utm_source=chatgpt.com to many links it shows, so visits appear in analytics with that source.
- Run your buyer questions monthly, several times each, and record citations and mentions.
What does not help
- Paying for “guaranteed” ChatGPT placement. OpenAI does not sell placement in answers.
- Relying on llms.txt. OpenAI has not said ChatGPT search uses it.
- Blocking GPTBot in the belief that it removes you from ChatGPT search. It does not.
Frequently asked questions
Does ChatGPT search use Bing?
OpenAI says ChatGPT search uses third-party search providers as well as its own crawler. Being indexed in Bing is a sensible precaution.
Can I see my ChatGPT search traffic?
Yes, in analytics, through the chatgpt.com referral source and the utm_source parameter. There is no ChatGPT equivalent of Search Console.
How quickly can a new page be cited?
Once OAI-SearchBot has crawled it and it is relevant to a question, often within weeks. Timing depends on crawling and on competition for the question.
Sources
- OpenAI, “Introducing ChatGPT search”, October 2024
- OpenAI Help Center, “Publishers and Developers FAQ”
- OpenAI, “Overview of OpenAI crawlers”
- Seer Interactive, “What drives brand mentions in AI answers?”