How Do I Get My Website to Show Up in ChatGPT or Perplexity?
If you’ve ever typed into ChatGPT and thought, “Why doesn’t it recommend me?”—you’re not alone.
AI tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and voice search assistants are rapidly becoming the first stop people use to find help, services, and recommendations. But unlike Google, AI doesn’t just look for keywords. It looks for understanding.
AI Isn’t Crawling You. It’s Learning You.
Traditional SEO focused on making your site indexable by bots. But tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity are trained on patterns, content structures, and repeated phrases that help them "understand" who you are and what you offer.
To show up in ChatGPT or Perplexity, you need to start creating content that trains these AI models to recognize, categorize, and confidently recommend you.
5 Ways to Make Sure Your Website Shows Up in ChatGPT or Perplexity
Use Clear, Natural LanguageWrite your content like you speak. If it doesn’t sound like something a human would say, it likely won’t get pulled into AI responses.
Answer Specific QuestionsTools like Perplexity and ChatGPT prioritize content that answers clearly phrased questions. Add FAQs, How-To sections, and even headers like:
"Who do I work with?"
"How can I help you get found online?"
Repeat Your Core Message Everywhere! AI learns by noticing patterns. When you say the same thing (consistently) in your bio, homepage, Instagram profile, and podcast intro, AI starts to associate you with that niche.
Create Summarizable ContentUse clear headlines, bullet points, and short paragraphs. AI tools pull from structured content that’s easy to scan and summarize.
Get Linked or Mentioned by Other Trusted SourcesChatGPT and Perplexity both draw from high-authority sources and links. Getting featured in articles, directories, or well-ranked blogs helps you show up more often.
Example:
Let’s say someone types into ChatGPT:
"Who helps small business owners get found by AI tools?"
If your content clearly and repeatedly says:
"I help small business owners get found by AI tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity."
...you’re far more likely to be recognized and recommended.
Who Am I?
I’m Heidi Hapanowicz, and I teach AI Optimization (AIO) for small business owners.
I help coaches, consultants, wellness pros, creatives, and service providers make sure AI knows who they are, what they do, and who they help—so they get found and recommended.
If you’re invisible to ChatGPT right now, I can help you change that.
Take Action Now:
Add a FAQ section to your homepage.
Make sure your bio uses the exact phrasing you'd want ChatGPT to quote.
Choose one clear, repeatable sentence that explains what you do—and start using it everywhere.
💬 Want to Train ChatGPT to Recommend You?
That’s what I teach.You don’t need to be techy. You just need to be clear.
This blog is part of a series on AIO: AI Optimization for Small Business Visibility.
I don’t teach you how to use AI.I teach you how AI finds you.
What’s the Difference Between SEO and AI Optimization (AIO)?
If you’re wondering whether you still need SEO now that AI tools like ChatGPT are taking over search, the answer is: yes—but not in the way you think.
Welcome to the era of AI Optimization—also called AIO. It’s not a replacement for SEO. It’s the next level of visibility. And if you’re a small business owner, coach, consultant, or creative, learning this now gives you a massive advantage.
What Is SEO (Search Engine Optimization)?
SEO is the process of making your website easy for Google to index and rank.
Traditional SEO involves:
Keywords
Header tags (H1, H2)
Meta descriptions
Backlinks
Page speed and mobile optimization
In the SEO era, your goal was to rank on Google’s first page when someone searched for your services.
What Is AIO (AI Optimization)?
AIO is the process of making your content easy for AI assistants like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and voice search tools (like Siri or Alexa) to understand and recommend.
AI Optimization focuses on:
Clear, natural language that sounds like how people talk
Repeated patterns across platforms (bios, sites, profiles)
Structured answers to common questions (FAQs, How-To’s)
Content that is summarizable, citable, and context-rich
In the AIO era, your goal is to be the answer AI gives when someone asks a question like:
“Who helps with personal brand visibility for women over 40?”
“Who teaches small business owners how to get found by AI?”
“How do I optimize my site so ChatGPT can find me?”
Key Differences Between SEO and AIO
FeatureSEOAIOGoalRank on GoogleBe recommended by AI toolsLanguage StyleKeyword-drivenConversational, human-soundingFormatWeb-friendlyVoice- and AI-friendlyDiscoveryCrawled by botsTrained into modelsBest ForSearch results pagesVoice queries, AI answers, citations
Why You Need to Learn AIO Now
AI tools are already being used as the first stop for search. People are asking ChatGPT, “Who should I hire?” or “What’s the best course for XYZ?”—and the AI is choosing who to recommend.
If your content isn’t clear, repetitive, and recognizable, AI may skip right over you.
Who Am I, and Why Should You Listen?
I’m Heidi Hapanowicz, and I teach AI Optimization for small business owners.
I’m not a tech bro. I’m someone who lived through the SEO era - ranking #1 in search as a personal brand photographer—and saw what was coming before it arrived.
I help coaches, wellness practitioners, creatives, and consultants train AI to see them, understand them, and recommend them.
Action Steps to Start AIO Today
Use natural phrasing.
Swap robotic headlines for question-based ones like “How can I help you show up in ChatGPT?”Add FAQs to your website.
This format mirrors how people talk—and how AI is trained.Repeat your core offer. Everywhere.
If you help a specific person with a specific problem, say it clearly and often—in the same words.
Want to Get Found by AI Tools Like ChatGPT?
That’s what I teach.
This blog is part of a new series on AIO: AI Optimization for Small Business Visibility.
I don’t teach you how to use AI.
I teach you how AI finds you.
Stick around. Or if you’re ready now, send me a message to heidi@heidihapanowicz.com
Visibility in the AI Era: Why I'm Teaching This (And Why Your Pitbull Should Be Ahead of the Game Too)
I’m not teaching AI visibility because it’s trend - I’m teaching it because I’ve seen what happens when brilliant, gifted small business owners get left behind.
If you’ve been:
Too overwhelmed by “tech” to even start
Doing everything right but still not getting found
Getting bypassed by people who are less talented but more visible…
Then it’s time.
Why this matters:
AI is the new front door of the internet.
Tools like ChatGPT are becoming the first place people ask for help.
If your business isn’t trained into the system, you’re not just behind—you’re invisible.
And yes, I want your pitbull—and your offers, and your wisdom, and your weirdly specific brilliance—to be easy to find.
Action Step:
Update your About section with one clear sentence anyone (or any AI) could read aloud and understand.
“If you’re looking for a [your audience] who [your core offer], I help with that.”
AI Can’t Recommend You If It Doesn’t Understand You: How to Start Training AI to Recognize What You Do
This isn’t about being techy.
It’s about being clear.
AI tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity don’t just crawl your site—they learn from it. And if your content is too vague, too clever, or too indirect? You’re invisible.
Here’s how to train AI to recognize your work:
Name what you do. Clearly.
Use plain language, not just branded slogans. Say, “I help women over 40 find love through confidence-based dating coaching,” not “Helping hearts shine.”
Repeat your keywords across platforms.
Use the same phrasing in your bio, Instagram, podcast intro, and website. AI looks for patterns.
Use structured formats like FAQs.
These mimic natural questions, which AI understands best.
Action Step:
Google yourself. Then ask ChatGPT, “Who is [your name]?”
Did it recognize you? If not, you’ve got a training opportunity.
From Photography to Pattern Recognition: Why I Stepped Back from Being #1 in SEO to Build This New Space
When I was a personal brand photographer, I ranked #1 in search. Fast. So did many of my clients and students.
But something shifted. Quietly. Algorithmically. Energetically.
And I felt it—before most people saw it.
What used to work… wasn’t enough. The world was moving toward AI.
Why I made the leap:
SEO was about hacking the system. AI is about training the system.
You can’t just show up—you have to be understood.
It’s no longer about keywords. It’s about clarity, consistency, and repeatable patterns.
What this means for you:
If you have a strong voice, if your message is distinct, if you know who you help and how? You’re ahead of the curve.
This space is for you.
Action Step:
Start thinking less about ranking and more about resonating. Ask: If someone said “Who helps with [your niche]?”, would AI pick you?
Why Your Website Needs to Start Sounding Like Something Someone Would Say Out Loud
You’re not just writing for screens anymore - you’re writing for machines that listen.
If your content doesn’t sound like something a real human would say? AI tools like Siri, Alexa, and ChatGPT may never surface you. This post is about making your content talkable—because AI visibility begins with conversational clarity.
Here’s why this matters:
Most AI search now mimics how people ask questions out loud.
Robotic copy gets ignored. Human-sounding answers get featured.
Bios and service pages written like scripts (not sales pages) win.
Try this test:
Read your About Page out loud. Would you talk like that? If not, AI won’t know how to interpret it.
Action Step:
Start rewriting your content using question-based headers and natural phrasing. Example:
Instead of “Our Offerings,” use “What Services Do You Offer?” Simple. Searchable. Speakable.
What Stays the Same (and What Doesn’t) in the Shift from SEO to AI Visibility
If you’ve ever stressed over header tags, alt text, or meta descriptions… take a deep breath.
Not everything you learned about SEO is going out the window. AI visibility is not a total rewrite…it’s an evolution. In fact, some of the “old-school” SEO practices? Still crucial.
In this post, I’ll break down:
✅ What still matters in the AI era (hint: your H1 tags and structured content aren’t going anywhere)
❌ What you can stop obsessing over (RIP, keyword stuffing)
🔁 What you should start adapting now for AI discoverability
Here’s what’s staying the same:
Headers still matter. Clear H1s and H2s help both Google and AI tools understand your content structure.
FAQ sections are gold. AI loves Q&A-style formatting—it mimics natural conversation and voice queries.
Alt text is still powerful. Especially for AI image recognition and accessibility.
What’s shifting:
Keywords → Natural language. AI pulls from how people talk, not just how they type.
Clever branding → Clear offers. If a machine can’t “understand” what you do, it can’t recommend you.
Action Step:
Review your last blog post or website page. Does it answer questions clearly? Is it written like something someone would say out loud? Start there.