How to get your architecture firm recommended by ChatGPT, from crawler access to clear pages
How to get your architecture firm recommended by ChatGPT: allow OAI-SearchBot, get indexed by Bing, write clear service pages and track ChatGPT visits.
In this article
A homeowner types "who are the best residential architects near Denver for a modern addition?" into ChatGPT and gets a short list of firms, each with a link. Your studio isn't on it. There's no form to submit, but there are concrete reasons a firm gets left out: a website that blocks OpenAI's search crawler, pages that never say what you design or where, a site that's poorly indexed outside Google, and few outside sources that mention you. This guide covers how ChatGPT search finds and cites sites, what to check and fix, and how to measure the visits it sends.
Key takeaways
- ChatGPT's search answers draw on websites that OpenAI's OAI-SearchBot can reach; OpenAI says sites that block it "will not be shown in ChatGPT search answers."
- Blocking GPTBot, the training crawler, is a separate choice and doesn't decide whether you appear in ChatGPT search.
- Make every service, location and project page say in plain text what you design, for whom and where, because an answer needs a sentence it can rely on.
- Reviews, directory listings, awards and press give ChatGPT outside sources that confirm what your own site says.
- Nobody can guarantee a recommendation; measure progress with visits tagged utm_source=chatgpt.com and with "How did you hear about us?" on your enquiry form.
How do you get an architecture firm recommended by ChatGPT?
To get your architecture firm recommended by ChatGPT, make sure OpenAI's search crawler, OAI-SearchBot, can access your site, that your site is well indexed by search engines including Bing, and that your pages state plainly what you design, for whom and in which places. Then build outside evidence through reviews, directories, awards and press, and track the visits ChatGPT sends. There's no submission process for ChatGPT's answers, and no one can guarantee a recommendation.
How ChatGPT finds and cites websites
ChatGPT answers some questions from what its model learned in training and others by searching the web, then cites the pages it used. Questions about local firms and recommendations often trigger a search, which is why your live website matters.
OpenAI documents three automated agents, and they do different jobs (OpenAI crawler documentation, as of October 2026):
| Agent | What OpenAI says it does | If you block it | What most firms should do |
|---|---|---|---|
| OAI-SearchBot | "Used to surface websites in search results in ChatGPT's search features" | Your site "will not be shown in ChatGPT search answers, though can still appear as navigational links" | Allow it |
| GPTBot | Crawls content "that may be used in training our generative AI foundation models" | Signals your content "should not be used in training" | Your choice; it doesn't control search appearance |
| ChatGPT-User | Visits pages for "certain user actions in ChatGPT and Custom GPTs" | It "is not used for crawling the web in an automatic fashion" and "is not used to determine whether content may appear in Search" | Leave it alone unless you have a reason |
The practical point: if you blocked "AI bots" a year ago to keep your work out of training data, check that you didn't block OAI-SearchBot along with GPTBot. They can be allowed or blocked separately.
Check your robots.txt and your host's bot settings
Your robots.txt file lives at your domain followed by /robots.txt. Open it in a browser. A file that allows ChatGPT search while opting out of training could look like this:
User-agent: OAI-SearchBot
Allow: /
User-agent: GPTBot
Disallow: /
If you are happy for your pages to be used in training, you can leave GPTBot allowed; the search line is the one that matters for recommendations. OpenAI says "it can take ~24 hours from a site's robots.txt update for our systems to adjust," so check again the next day.
robots.txt isn't the only place bots get blocked. Some website builders, hosting dashboards and content delivery networks offer one-click settings that block AI crawlers. If your site sits behind one of these, look for the setting, see which crawlers it covers, and make sure the search crawler isn't caught by a rule meant for training crawlers. If someone else manages your site, send them this section.
Get indexed by Bing as well as Google
OpenAI's crawler documentation doesn't say which search indexes ChatGPT draws on, and firms often look only at Google. Being properly indexed by Bing as well costs little and removes one possible gap.
Start with Bing Webmaster Tools. Microsoft's Bing team notes that "if your site is already verified in Google Search Console, you can import your verified" ownership directly, that "a sitemap gives Bing a complete view of your site's structure," and that Bing supports IndexNow, "a protocol that instantly alerts Bing and other IndexNow Search Engines when content changes occur" (Bing Webmaster Blog, June 17, 2025). A practical order:
- Sign in to Bing Webmaster Tools and import your site from Google Search Console.
- Submit your XML sitemap.
- Check that your services, location and project pages are indexed, and fix any that aren't.
- If your website platform supports IndexNow, turn it on so new project pages are picked up quickly.
The Google side still matters, both for Google's own AI features and as a sign of a healthy site; what AI Overviews and AI Mode mean for architecture firms covers that.
Write pages that answer the questions people ask
An AI answer needs a sentence on your site it can rely on. "We create meaningful spaces" gives it nothing. "We design new homes and additions in Boulder and Longmont, Colorado" gives it a direct match for a question about architects in Boulder.
| What people ask ChatGPT | The page that answers it | What the page must say in text |
|---|---|---|
| "Residential architect in [city] for an addition" | A service page for additions, and a page for the area you serve | The service, the towns you work in, typical project types |
| "Architect who does passive house or net-zero in [region]" | A page for that specialty | What you've done, with linked projects |
| "How much does an architect cost for a remodel near me?" | A fees or process page | How you charge and what drives the fee |
| "Who designed [notable local building]?" | The project page | Project name, location, type, year, your role, credits |
| "Is [firm] a good architect?" | About page and reviews | Who leads the firm, licenses, experience, client feedback |
A few rules make these pages work:
- Text, not just images. A project page with twelve photos and no words is invisible to an answer engine. Write a short description with the location, type, year and your role on every project; how to write an architecture project description gives a structure.
- One service per page. Additions, new homes, commercial interiors and historic renovation answer different questions, so give each its own page.
- Named people. Name the principals and, where it's accurate, their licenses, so an answer can say who leads the firm.
- Consistent facts. Use the same firm name, address, phone number and service area everywhere: website, Google Business Profile, directories.
- Answers in plain words. A short FAQ on fees, timelines and process gives the kind of sentence an assistant can quote.
The same pages serve the people who click through. A short project film on a project page won't be quoted in an answer, which relies on text, but it helps the visitor who arrives decide to get in touch. Arch2Video turns six project images into a 30-second vertical film for USD 15 per video, if you want one next to the description.
Reviews, directories and press
When ChatGPT recommends one firm over another, it can only work from what it finds. Your own site says what you claim; other sites confirm it. Strengthen the outside evidence:
- Google Business Profile with the same name, area and services as your site, real project photos and reviews from clients. Google Business Profile for architects covers setup.
- Directories that rank for your services, such as Houzz and your AIA chapter's directory, filled in completely and consistently; Houzz for architects covers the profile.
- Local press, awards and publications. A project in a regional magazine or an award from your chapter is a third-party page that names you, your project and your city. How to get a project published explains how to pitch.
- Collaborators' sites. Builders, landscape architects and photographers often publish the projects they worked on; ask them to credit and link your firm.
Ask clients for reviews honestly; never write them yourself or reward positive ones. Review platforms prohibit fake reviews, and a reputation built on them is fragile.
Measure what ChatGPT sends you
You can't see a ranking in ChatGPT the way you can in Google, so measure the visits and enquiries instead.
| Signal | Where to look | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|
| Sessions from chatgpt.com | Your analytics, filtered by source or by the utm_source=chatgpt.com tag | How many visits ChatGPT links send |
| Landing pages for those sessions | The same report, by landing page | Which pages ChatGPT cites |
| "How did you hear about us?" | Your enquiry form, with "ChatGPT or another AI assistant" as an option | Enquiries that came from AI answers, including visitors whose clicks weren't tagged |
| Spot-check prompts | ChatGPT, once a month | Whether and how your firm appears for your key questions |
Links clicked in ChatGPT answers commonly arrive with utm_source=chatgpt.com added, which makes them easy to separate in analytics. OpenAI's publisher FAQ describes this tagging, but the page blocked automated access when we tried to load it to verify in October 2026, so confirm it in your own reports. Not every visit is tagged: someone who reads your firm's name in an answer and then searches for it shows up as a branded search or a direct visit, which is why the form question matters.
Treat spot checks as spot checks. Answers vary by user, location, wording and time, so one missing mention means little; a pattern over several months means more. Keep a short log of the prompts, the date and whether your firm appeared.
Frequently asked questions
Can an agency guarantee that ChatGPT will recommend my firm?
No. OpenAI's documentation for site owners describes crawler access, not a way to submit a site or reserve a place in answers, and answers change with the question, the user and the moment. What an agency or you can do is remove the obstacles: crawler access, indexing, clear pages and outside mentions. Be wary of anyone promising a guaranteed spot.
Should my architecture firm block GPTBot?
It's a business choice. GPTBot collects content that may be used to train OpenAI's models, and blocking it signals that you don't want your pages used that way. It doesn't decide whether your site appears in ChatGPT search; that's OAI-SearchBot. If you block GPTBot, make sure OAI-SearchBot stays allowed, then check your robots.txt again a day later.
Why doesn't ChatGPT mention my firm when I ask about architects in my city?
The usual reasons are a blocked search crawler, pages that never name the city or the services, project pages with photos but no text, a site that's poorly indexed, or little coverage of your firm on other sites. Check robots.txt and your host's bot settings first, then add clear service and area pages, then work on reviews, directories and press. Remember that one test prompt isn't a verdict; answers vary.
How do I know if ChatGPT is sending visitors to my website?
Look in your analytics for sessions whose source is chatgpt.com or whose URLs carry utm_source=chatgpt.com, and check which landing pages they reach. Add "ChatGPT or another AI assistant" to the "How did you hear about us?" question on your enquiry form, because people who read your name in an answer and search for it later won't carry the tag.