LOCAL AI
The short answer
ChatGPT’s web search runs on Bing’s index, not Google’s, per OpenAI’s own search documentation. A business can rank well on Google and still be invisible to ChatGPT if it’s thin or unclaimed on Bing. Reviews and ratings only help once a business is actually indexed somewhere ChatGPT can find it.
Why does ChatGPT sometimes recommend a competitor with worse reviews?
Because ChatGPT isn’t searching Google. OpenAI’s own documentation for ChatGPT search confirms it works with third-party search providers, including Bing, to answer web-based questions. If a business is well set up on Google but thin on Bing, ChatGPT may simply never see it, regardless of review quality.
That’s a different failure mode than ranking low. It isn’t that ChatGPT compared two businesses and picked the one with worse reviews on purpose, it’s that the stronger business may not have been in the pool of results ChatGPT was drawing from in the first place.
Does that mean a Google Business Profile doesn’t matter?
It still matters, mainly for Google’s own search results and AI Overviews. But it isn’t the same signal ChatGPT is reading from when it answers a web-connected question about local businesses, since the two systems pull from different indexes.
SEO strategist Edwin Toonen at Yoast put it directly: if a site isn’t indexed by Bing, it won’t appear in ChatGPT’s search results, and that indexing is separate from anything happening on Google.
What this looks like for a local business
- Strong Google reviews and profile, but no completed Bing Places listing
- A website Google has crawled thoroughly, but Bing hasn’t indexed as deeply
- A great local reputation, invisible to a question typed straight into ChatGPT
What can a Simcoe County business actually do about this?
Set up and complete a Bing Places for Business listing the same way you would a Google Business Profile, then confirm your site is actually indexed by Bing, not just Google.
- Claim and complete a Bing Places for Business profile
- Check indexing status in Bing Webmaster Tools, not just Google Search Console
- Keep name, address, and phone number consistent across every listing, not just the one you check most often
None of this replaces good reviews or a clear website. It’s an added visibility layer most local businesses have never touched, because until recently there wasn’t a reason to. If you want help thinking through AI visibility as part of a broader plan, our AI systems for marketing teams and agencies page is a good starting point.
Is this going to change again?
Probably. OpenAI’s own help documentation confirms search partnerships are part of how ChatGPT search works today, and OpenAI has continued adding data partners and features since search launched. Where ChatGPT pulls local information from is likely to keep shifting.
The safer long-term move is being well represented everywhere, not just optimizing for whichever engine happens to be dominant this year. For a broader look at how AI search visibility fits into a local business’s marketing, our AI systems for marketing teams and agencies page covers how we think about it for clients across Simcoe County.
Frequently asked questions
Why would ChatGPT recommend a competitor with worse reviews than mine?
Because ChatGPT’s web search draws on Bing’s index, not Google’s, according to OpenAI’s own documentation. A business can have excellent Google reviews and still be missed if it isn’t well set up on Bing, so ChatGPT may be choosing from a smaller pool of visible options rather than comparing review quality directly.
Does my Google Business Profile help me show up in ChatGPT?
It helps with Google’s own search and AI Overviews, but it isn’t the same signal ChatGPT reads from for web-connected answers. Bing indexing and a completed Bing Places listing are a separate, and currently under-used, visibility layer for most local businesses.
What’s the fastest thing a local business can do to show up in ChatGPT search?
Claim and complete a Bing Places for Business listing, then confirm your website is actually indexed in Bing Webmaster Tools. Keeping your name, address, and phone number consistent across every listing helps too.
Will this stay the same, or is ChatGPT’s local search still changing?
It’s likely to keep changing. OpenAI has continued adding data partners and features to ChatGPT search, so the safest long-term approach is being well represented across search engines and directories rather than optimizing for just one.
Make sure your business shows up wherever people are asking AI
See how Art of AI helps Simcoe County businesses build visibility across Google, Bing, and AI search, not just one channel.
