How to Rank Your Brand on ChatGPT [2025]

As ChatGPT emerges as a dominant platform with over 1.4 billion monthly visitors, it’s revolutionizing how users discover brands and products. Learn how we harnessed its potential to go from 0 to 10,000 new users and how you can position your brand to thrive in this AI-driven landscape.

We are experiencing the most significant technological revolution of our lifetime. 

For the first time in years, Google has lost its dominant 90%+ share of the search market. 

Such transformative moments bring both substantial risks and extraordinary opportunities.

Among the greatest opportunities, today is the chance to showcase your brand to millions through ChatGPT and other cutting-edge large language models like Claude, LLama, and Mistral. 

While AI models may operate as a “black box,” you have the ability to shape how they represent and highlight your brand.

We did. 

Why Ranking on ChatGPT Matters

Do you remember ChatGPT becoming the first ever product to reach 100M users within just 3 months? 

Well, according to SimilarWeb, ChatGPT is currently visited by 3.6B users monthly! 3.6 Billion! 

It is getting close to 5% of Google traffic and growing. 

This offers a huge potential exposure for your brand. It is however not the only benefit of ranking on ChatGPT. 

Having your brand visible within ChatGPT can help to build trust. ChatGPT’s responses are perceived as authoritative, so being mentioned can enhance credibility.

While traditional search engines like Google prioritize keywords, ChatGPT evaluates a mix of factors such as relevance, authority, and brand mentions to generate responses. 

Understanding these dynamics is crucial for success.

Understanding ChatGPT’s Ranking Mechanism

ChatGPT is not unlike other search engines. 

It ranks websites, brands, or products based on algorithms evaluating both training data and live, fresh data. 

Here are the critical factors influencing ChatGPT’s recommendations according to Neil Patel’s analysis:

1. Brand Mentions: Frequent and positive mentions across various platforms signal reliability.
2. Relevance: Content must align with the user’s intent and provide direct, valuable answers.
3. Reviews: High ratings on platforms like Google Reviews or Trustpilot improve credibility.
4. Recommendations: Articles recommending your brand or product can help boost your chatGPT ranking.

7 Strategies to Rank on ChatGPT

Achieving visibility in ChatGPT’s responses requires a comprehensive strategy. Here are the seven key approaches to enhance your brand’s prominence:

01 Open your content to OpenAI (and other LLM) crawlers

Allowing OpenAI crawlers access to your website is a vital step in ensuring your content can be included in responses generated by ChatGPT and other AI-powered tools. 

To do this, you need to update your robots.txt file to explicitly permit OpenAI’s bots to crawl your site. This involves adding specific directives that align with OpenAI’s requirements, as outlined in their documentation.

By opening your site to OpenAI crawlers, you increase the likelihood of your brand being featured in AI-driven answers, which can significantly boost your visibility and authority. Review OpenAI’s detailed instructions and test your updates to confirm your robots.txt configuration is correctly implemented.

Moreover, In September, an interesting proposal emerged: adding a special llms.txt file to websites.

This file would contain a general description of the site, along with guidance on how to navigate it, including relevant links and descriptions of subpages. 

Such a document could significantly streamline the indexing and interpretation of content by LLMs, increasing the likelihood of your data being included in AI-generated responses.

If you’d like to learn more about this initiative and how to create an llms.txt file for your website, you can find detailed information on the official project page: llmstxt.org.

02 Track your brand inside ChatGPT

Less than 20% of ChatGPT brand mentions contain links that can be tracked with tools like Google Analytics. 

This is how we estimate for the overall traffic from ChatGPT to be over 10,000 per month (since 20% that is trackable equals 2048).

Does that mean most recommendations from ChatGPT are impossible to track? Not quite.

If you’re curious about how your brand is represented in ChatGPT responses, ChatBeat can provide valuable insights. It helps you understand how often your brand appears in replies to key industry questions and gives you an overall AI Visibility Score to gauge your presence in AI-generated content. 

This makes it easier to identify areas for improvement and refine your strategy to ensure your brand stands out in relevant conversations. It’s a straightforward way to stay informed about your position in the growing world of conversational AI.

To track traffic coming directly from ChatGPT, you can also use tools like:

• Google Analytics: Use UTM-tagged URLs and check reports for traffic coming from the source “chatgpt.” Analyze metrics like session duration, bounce rate, and pageviews for these visitors.
• Piwik PRO: Ideal for organizations requiring advanced analytics and strict compliance with privacy regulations like GDPR. Use Piwik PRO to monitor UTM-tagged visits, track user flows, and analyze how ChatGPT-related traffic engages with your content.
• Heap Analytics: Use this for automated tracking of user behavior, which can reveal patterns of traffic potentially coming from ChatGPT.

03 Improve the number of Brand Mentions

How to do that?

• Invest in online PR. Sharing newsworthy updates, such as product launches or achievements, can leverage PR and media outreach and secure mentions in reputable outlets.
• Create high-quality, shareable content that resonates with your audience. 
• Collaborate with influencers. They will help you amplify your reach. Partnering with trusted voices in your industry can introduce your brand to their followers and generate significant exposure.
• Start guest blogging and networking with other businesses or thought leaders in your industry. This can create mutual opportunities for mentions while participating in online forums or communities relevant to your niche, which helps establish credibility and attract attention.
  

Engaging in these activities consistently will help you build your brand’s online presence and increase the number of mentions it receives.

Pro Tip: By the way, you can track the number of brand mentions to monitor your marketing / PR efforts using tools like Brand24 or Brandwatch. I’m obviously biased for recommending Brand24, but I’m sure you can find the right tool!

04 Boost Positive Reviews

Boosting positive reviews for your brand requires a proactive and customer-focused approach. 

• Start by delivering exceptional products or services that consistently meet or exceed customer expectations (o’rly?). 
• Make it easy for them to leave reviews by simplifying the process and providing clear instructions. 
• Use follow-up messaging after purchase to gently encourage customers to share their thoughts, and include direct links to review platforms such as Google Reviews, Trustpilot, or Yelp.
• Engage with your audience authentically and show appreciation for their input. Respond to all reviews—both positive and negative—promptly and professionally. 
• Thank customers for their praise and address any concerns raised in critical reviews to demonstrate your commitment to improvement. 
• Highlight positive testimonials on your website, social media, or marketing materials to showcase customer satisfaction and encourage others to share similar experiences.

Remebenr to monitor feedback regularly and identify trends in customer sentiment. 

Address any recurring issues or areas for improvement to enhance overall satisfaction. By consistently delivering value and actively engaging with your customers, you can create a positive feedback loop that naturally boosts the volume of favorable reviews for your brand.

05 Engage or build a community on Reddit

Building a community for your brand on Reddit is a powerful strategy to achieve two significant benefits:

• driving direct traffic from the platform and 
• increasing the likelihood of your brand being noticed by ChatGPT. 

With OpenAI leveraging Reddit data to train new versions of its models, a strong presence on Reddit can amplify your brand’s visibility in both spaces.

• To start, establish an authentic presence on Reddit by participating in discussions within subreddits relevant to your industry or niche. 
• Avoid overt promotion, as Reddit thrives on genuine engagement and useful contributions. Share insightful content, answer questions, and contribute value to the community to build trust and recognition over time.

• Create and share content that resonates with the Reddit audience. Craft posts that spark discussions or provide solutions to common problems within your niche. 
• Posts with high engagement—upvotes, comments, and shares—tend to gain more visibility on Reddit, driving traffic to your website or platform. Additionally, these interactions make your brand more prominent in the data that may be used by ChatGPT during training, improving your chances of being featured in AI-generated responses.
• Consider hosting an “Ask Me Anything” (AMA) session to showcase your expertise and connect directly with the community. An engaging AMA can significantly boost your brand’s reputation and generate interest in your offerings. Be transparent and approachable, answering questions thoughtfully to leave a lasting impression.

Pro Tip: Monitor relevant subreddits for discussions about your brand or industry. Engage tactfully by addressing questions, offering solutions, or providing additional information. This positions your brand as a helpful and knowledgeable resource while naturally driving mentions and traffic.

06 Create more High-Quality Content

Content marketing is an absolute must in your marketing strategy, and its significance has grown even further in the era of ChatGPT. 

It’s not just about engaging your audience anymore. 

Content marketing is now a vital way to provide large language models (LLMs) with the information they need to recognize and recommend your brand or product.

To make the most of this opportunity, focus on the type of information LLMs prioritize clarity, relevance, and authority. 

How to do that?

• Create content that aligns with the kinds of questions people might ask ChatGPT, ensuring it’s informative, well-organized, and easy to digest. 
• Write in natural language that reflects how people talk or ask questions, as this is key to how LLMs interpret and respond to user queries.
• A successful strategy involves balancing evergreen and timely content that highlights your expertise in your field. Dive deep into topics with detailed explanations, actionable insights, and credible references to build trust and establish authority.
• Pay close attention to structure—use clear headings, subheadings, and concise paragraphs to enhance readability and accessibility for both human users and LLM crawlers.
• Finally, take advantage of tools like schema markup to add structured data to your content. This makes it easier for LLMs to understand the context and intent of your material, improving your chances of being featured in AI-driven responses. 

By adopting these practices, you position your brand as a trusted resource in the evolving landscape of AI-powered search and recommendation systems.

Bonus Tip: Moreover, crafting great content doesn’t only mean blog posts. You can also leverage YouTube. Julian Goldie showed how he managed to rank on ChatGPT Search with a content posted on a YouTube channel with only 20 subscribers. Considering OpenAI possibly transcribes YouTube videos for additional training data. So the more you are visible on youtube, the more likely your brand will be highlighted on ChatGPT. 

07 Gain online recommendations

You’re probably calling me “captain obvious” now. But recommendations matter.

• Begin by identifying online publications, blogs, and industry influencers that align with your brand’s niche. Research their content to understand their audience, tone, and the type of recommendations they typically make. This knowledge allows you to craft a tailored pitch that resonates with them.
• Focus on building relationships with journalists, bloggers, and content creators by engaging with their work on social media, leaving thoughtful comments, and sharing their articles. 
• Personalize your outreach by referencing specific pieces they’ve written and explaining why your product or brand aligns with their interests. A well-crafted pitch should highlight the unique value your product or service offers, supported by relevant data, testimonials, or case studies to substantiate your claims.
• Engage in collaborative opportunities, such as guest posting or co-authoring content with influencers or thought leaders. By contributing valuable insights to their platforms, you can gain mentions or recommendations for your brand. Partnerships with complementary brands can also help you tap into new audiences and gain additional exposure.

The Future of Ranking in ChatGPT

The future of ranking on ChatGPT is poised to evolve as AI continues to advance. 

The mechanisms that determine visibility on platforms like ChatGPT will likely shift, and staying ahead will require adapting to several emerging trends. 

First, ChatGPT and similar models are expected to integrate real-time data more effectively, blending live updates with training data. Brands will need to maintain a steady flow of fresh, relevant content to remain visible in AI-generated responses.

Structured data will also become increasingly important, as AI systems prioritize metadata, schema markup, and tools like llms.txt files to better understand and represent brand content.

Providing detailed, organized data will be essential for visibility. Verified content is expected to take center stage as AI models place a stronger emphasis on trustworthy and authoritative sources. 

High-quality reviews, certifications, and partnerships with reputable organizations will help brands maintain credibility and authority.

As ChatGPT integrates more personalized user data, responses will become tailored to individual preferences and behaviors. 

To adapt, brands must target niche audiences and create highly specific, user-focused content. 

Additionally, multimodal content, such as videos, audio, and interactive elements, is likely to gain priority in future iterations of AI. Expanding beyond text-based formats will help brands increase their exposure across AI platforms.

The impact of AI ethics and regulation cannot be overlooked. 

As guidelines for AI usage are established, ranking systems may adapt to ensure compliance with transparency and ethical standards. Monitoring these regulatory trends and aligning strategies accordingly will be vital to avoid losing visibility. 

AI systems are also likely to prioritize brands that actively engage in community discussions or provide real-time responses to user queries.

Lastly, as companies influence AI training datasets, being part of key conversations and platforms like Reddit, GitHub, or niche communities will play a significant role in maintaining visibility. 

Strategically positioning a brand in spaces where data is used for training will be crucial. By anticipating these changes and preparing accordingly, brands can maintain their competitive edge and thrive in the evolving AI-powered discovery ecosystem.

TLDR version

I know you guys are busy, so here is a super short version.

Summary: How to Rank Your Brand on ChatGPT

• Significance of ChatGPT
  1. Over 1.4 billion monthly visitors, revolutionizing brand discovery.
  2. A pivotal opportunity to gain exposure and build trust with ChatGPT’s authoritative responses.
• ChatGPT vs. Google
  1. ChatGPT’s traffic reaches 3.6 billion monthly, about 5% of Google’s traffic and growing.
  2. Evaluates factors like relevance, authority, and user experience over traditional SEO metrics.
• Key Factors for Ranking on ChatGPT
  1. Frequent positive brand mentions across platforms.
  2. High-quality reviews on sites like Trustpilot or Google Reviews.
  3. Recommendations and relevance to user intent.
• Strategies to Boost Visibility
  1. Open Content to AI Crawlers:
     • Update robots.txt to permit OpenAI access.
     • Consider implementing an llms.txt file for better AI indexing.
  2. Track Mentions and Traffic:
     • Use tools like Google Analytics, Piwik PRO, and ChatBeat for insights.
  3. Increase Brand Mentions:
     • Leverage online PR, social media, influencer collaborations, and user-generated content.
  4. Boost Positive Reviews:
     • Encourage feedback with follow-ups, simplify review processes, and highlight testimonials.
  5. Engage on Reddit:
     • Contribute value to relevant subreddits, host AMAs, and participate in discussions.
  6. Create High-Quality Content:
     • Publish clear, relevant, and authoritative content tailored to user queries.
     • Use schema markup and explore diverse formats like YouTube.
  7. Gain Online Recommendations:
     • Build relationships with journalists and influencers, create compelling press kits, and collaborate on content.