How to Get Recommended by ChatGPT: 2026 Case Studies
To get recommended by ChatGPT and Google’s AI answers, your website needs to answer real customer questions clearly, prove it is current and trustworthy and be structured so AI tools can read and quote it. In these two case studies we show exactly how we did that for two new websites, what worked and what didn’t. We also show how clinics and local businesses can use the same approach.
What is generative engine optimisation (GEO)?
Generative engine optimisation, or GEO, is the practice of making your website easy for AI tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google’s AI Overviews to find, understand and recommend.
Traditional SEO aims to get your page into Google’s list of blue links. GEO aims to get your business named inside the answer itself. The two overlap heavily, but GEO puts more weight on:
- Direct answers: a clear answer in the first two sentences of a page
- Structure: headings, tables, key facts and FAQs that AI tools can lift cleanly
- Freshness: visible “last updated” dates and current facts
- Trust: named authors, cited sources and consistent information across the site
Why it matters for your business
People increasingly ask AI tools full questions rather than typing short keywords. A patient no longer searches “lip filler London”. They ask “Who is the best clinic for natural-looking lip filler in Chelsea, and how much does it cost?”
If your website answers that question clearly, with prices, process and reviews, you have a far better chance of being the clinic the AI names.
Case study 1: Sovereign Residence
Sovereign Residence is an independent publication covering golden visas, citizenship by investment and international relocation. It was built from day one for AI search, in a highly competitive space dominated by firms with years of authority.
What we did
| Step | What we did | Why it helps AI tools |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Question-led content | Every guide was built around the exact questions readers ask, answered in the opening sentences | AI tools look for a direct answer they can quote |
| 2. Key facts box | A summary box at the top of each guide: cost, timeline, requirements | Easy for AI to extract accurately |
| 3. FAQs and structured data | 8 to 12 FAQs per guide, with FAQ, Article and Breadcrumb schema | Tells Google and AI exactly what each section answers |
| 4. Freshness | Visible “Updated” dates and facts checked against official sources | AI tools favour current, dated information |
| 5. Removing duplicates | Merged 21 pairs of near-identical pages with redirects | Stops pages competing with each other |
| 6. Topic hubs | Hub pages linking every article on a topic, with comparison tables | Shows depth of expertise on a subject |
| 7. Useful tools | An interactive cost calculator and an original data index | Original data gets cited and linked |
The interactive cost calculator is a good example of step 7. Instead of a generic contact form, visitors estimate their own costs first, then request a quote with their details already filled in. That produces better-qualified enquiries and gives AI tools a unique resource to reference.
The results after nine weeks
From Google Search Console data for the site’s first nine weeks in search:
| Measure | Result |
|---|---|
| Search impressions | 34,600+ |
| Average Google position | Improved from 69 in July to 38 in September |
| Countries reached | 170+ |
| Pages appearing in Google | 270+ |
| Conversational questions (10+ words) | Average position 19, against 75 for short keywords |
| Conversational questions on page one | 14 |
The most revealing number is the last pair. Long, conversational questions, the kind people type into AI tools, ranked around four times higher than short keywords. That is exactly what a GEO-first build should achieve.
What didn’t work, and the lesson
Content alone was not enough to win the most competitive short keywords. A technical comparison showed the site’s guides were already longer and more detailed than the top-ranking pages. The real gap was authority: the established competitors had years of backlinks from other websites.
The lesson for any business: great content gets you into AI answers for specific questions quickly, but ranking for the biggest keywords also needs other reputable websites linking to you.
Case study 2: NorthCyprus-Guide.com
NorthCyprus-Guide.com is an AI-powered travel platform for visitors to North Cyprus. It shows a different side of GEO: making sure AI tools can actually read your website in the first place.
The problem: AI crawlers could not see the content
Like many modern websites, the site loaded its content in the visitor’s browser using JavaScript. People saw the pages normally, but AI crawlers such as GPTBot (used by OpenAI) and ClaudeBot (used by Anthropic) often could not. To them, much of the site looked empty.
What we did
| Step | What we did | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Prerendering | Served ready-made HTML versions of pages to search engines and AI crawlers | AI tools can read the full content without running JavaScript |
| 2. Multilingual set-up | Added hreflang tags and canonical tags across language versions | Tells Google which language page to show and avoids duplicate content |
| 3. Spam score clean-up | Reviewed and fixed the signals that raised the site’s Moz spam score | Protects trust with search engines |
| 4. Press coverage | Launched with a press release via EIN Presswire, amplified on social media | Early visibility and brand mentions |
| 5. Content programme | Planned a programme of SEO and GEO-optimised articles targeting low-competition questions | Builds topical depth over time |
The results
The site reached over 10,000 page views in its first week and earned formal recognition from representatives connected to the TRNC Ambassador’s office.
The lesson
If AI crawlers cannot read your pages, no amount of great content will get you recommended. Many websites built with modern tools have this hidden problem. A quick technical check can reveal whether ChatGPT and other AI tools actually see what your customers see.
What the two case studies show together
| Lesson | Sovereign Residence | NorthCyprus-Guide.com |
|---|---|---|
| Main focus | Content structure and trust | Technical access for AI crawlers |
| Biggest win | Conversational questions ranking on page one | 10,000+ page views in week one |
| Key takeaway | Answer questions clearly, then build authority | Make sure AI tools can read your site first |
An 11-step GEO checklist for clinics and local businesses
- List the top 30 questions customers ask before booking, including prices and aftercare.
- Give each important question its own page or section, answered in the first two sentences.
- Add a key facts box to each treatment or service page: price from, duration, downtime, results.
- Show real prices or price ranges. AI tools struggle to recommend businesses that hide them.
- Add FAQs with schema to every service page.
- Name your practitioners with qualifications and a photo, and link to their profiles.
- Date your pages and review them at least every quarter.
- Merge duplicate pages so one strong page covers each topic.
- Build a hub page for each service category that links to every related page.
- Earn links and mentions from local press, directories and professional bodies.
- Check AI crawlers can read your site. If your website relies on JavaScript to show content, make sure GPTBot, ClaudeBot and Googlebot receive a fully rendered version.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between SEO and GEO?
SEO focuses on ranking your pages in Google’s traditional results. GEO focuses on getting your business named inside AI-generated answers from tools like ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews. Most GEO work also improves SEO, because both reward clear, trustworthy, well-structured content.
How long does it take to appear in AI answers?
It varies by competition. In our case study, conversational questions reached page one of Google within weeks of launch, while the most competitive short keywords take longer because they also depend on backlinks and authority.
Do I need a new website for AI search?
Not always. Many sites can be improved by restructuring pages, adding key facts boxes, FAQs and schema, then removing duplicate content. A rebuild makes sense when the site is slow, hard to update or poorly structured.
Can ChatGPT recommend a local clinic?
Yes. AI tools increasingly answer local questions and draw on websites, reviews and directories. Clinics with clear pricing, named practitioners, strong reviews and well-structured treatment pages have the best chance of being mentioned.
What is schema markup?
Schema markup is code added to a page that tells search engines and AI tools what the content means, such as a question and its answer, an article’s author or a business’s opening hours. It makes your information easier to understand and quote.
Does AI search replace Google?
No. Google remains the biggest source of website visits, and its own AI Overviews draw on the same pages. The practical approach is to optimise for both at the same time.
Want your website recommended by AI tools?
WDL Digital builds and optimises websites for clinics, med spas and healthcare practices with AI search in mind. Talk to us about a GEO review of your website.
