ChatGPT.How it picks local businesses.
What OpenAI documents about where ChatGPT gets its answers, how to check what it says about you, and what to fix first.
The short answer
Updated
ChatGPT answers local questions with its search feature, which OpenAI says draws on third-party search providers and partner content, and shows nearby business listings from providers it doesn't name. Your site can appear only if it allows OpenAI's OAI-SearchBot crawler. Yelp says it supplies its reviews, ratings and business details to ChatGPT, so your Yelp page matters here too.
Where it looks.As the maker documents it.
Each row links to the maker's or partner's own words, with the date we last checked it.
- Third-party search providers
- OpenAI says ChatGPT search sometimes partners with other search providers. Its help page doesn't name which.Source · checked Oct 31, 2026
- Nearby business listings
- OpenAI says ChatGPT may share your approximate location with trusted third-party providers to show results such as nearby business listings.Source · checked Oct 31, 2026
- Yelp
- Yelp says its integration gives ChatGPT users Yelp's reviews, ratings, photos and business details for local recommendations.Source · checked Oct 31, 2026
- OpenAI announced in May 2024 that it would access Reddit's Data API and bring Reddit content to ChatGPT.Source · checked Oct 31, 2026
- Thumbtack
- Thumbtack announced in October 2025 that ChatGPT can use Thumbtack's APIs to recommend home service professionals.Source · checked Oct 31, 2026
- Angi
- Angi launched an Angi app inside ChatGPT in March 2026 for home services.Source · checked Oct 31, 2026
Its crawlers.Let them in.
If your robots.txt blocks these user agents, the engine may not read your site.
OAI-SearchBot- Finds sites for ChatGPT search. OpenAI says sites that block it won't be shown in search answers, though they can still appear as plain links. Docs
GPTBot- Collects content for training. Blocking it doesn't remove you from ChatGPT search. Docs
ChatGPT-User- Fetches a page when a user asks ChatGPT to. OpenAI says it isn't used to decide what appears in search. Docs
Check it yourself.One prompt, two minutes.
Swap in your trade and town. Ask it a few times: answers change between runs.
Who is the best [trade] in [city]? I need someone for [job] this week. Give me a few options and say why you picked each one.
What to fix first.In this order.
- 01Let OAI-SearchBot inCheck that your robots.txt and firewall allow OpenAI's search crawler. OpenAI says robots.txt changes take about 24 hours to apply.
- 02Claim and complete your Yelp pageYelp feeds reviews, ratings and business details to ChatGPT. Match the name, phone, hours and categories to your Google profile.Yelp guide
- 03Give it pages to quoteChatGPT search quotes pages it can read. One page per main service, with prices, areas and hours in plain words, gives it something to cite.
- 04Complete Thumbtack or Angi if you're a home-service tradeBoth run inside ChatGPT for home services. A complete, accurate profile there is another route into its suggestions.Thumbtack guide
Questions people ask.Short answers.
Does ChatGPT use Bing for search?
OpenAI's help page says ChatGPT search partners with third-party search providers and links Microsoft's privacy statement, but it doesn't name Bing as the source of results. We don't state it as fact.
Will blocking GPTBot hide me from ChatGPT?
No. GPTBot collects training data. ChatGPT search uses OAI-SearchBot, which is controlled separately in robots.txt.
Does ChatGPT know where the person asking is?
Roughly. OpenAI says ChatGPT may use an approximate location from the IP address. Sharing precise device location is optional and off by default.
Can I pay to be recommended?
Not in the answers themselves. OpenAI says placement in ChatGPT search is not guaranteed.
Sources
- OpenAI Help: ChatGPT search · checked Oct 31, 2026
- OpenAI: Overview of OpenAI crawlers · checked Oct 31, 2026
- OpenAI: Introducing ChatGPT search · checked Oct 31, 2026
By Shakhawat Ullah Badhon, Founder, Damex Digital. Published Oct 31, 2026, updated Oct 31, 2026.