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Meta AI.How it picks local businesses.

What Meta Platforms documents about where Meta AI gets its answers, how to check what it says about you, and what to fix first.

The short answer

Updated

Meta AI is the assistant built into Meta's apps. Meta's search crawler, Meta-WebIndexer, helps Meta AI cite and link to sites, and Microsoft announced in 2023 that Bing powers its real-time search. Meta says the assistant uses your location for more relevant answers. Meta doesn't document a maps or places provider, so your website and Bing details are what it can draw on.

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.

Bing
Microsoft announced in September 2023 that it was integrating Bing into Meta AI's chat experiences for real-time information.Source · checked Oct 31, 2026
Location
Meta says Meta AI uses your location, from device settings or activity across its products, to give more relevant responses.Source · checked Oct 31, 2026
Partners
Meta says that when its AI can't answer, it shares the message and general information such as region with select partners.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.

Meta-WebIndexer
Improves Meta AI search results. Meta says allowing it helps Meta AI cite and link to your content. Docs
Meta-ExternalAgent
Crawls for uses such as training AI models or indexing content directly. Docs
Meta-ExternalFetcher
Fetches a link when a user asks. Meta says it may bypass robots.txt. Docs

Check it yourself.One prompt, two minutes.

Swap in your trade and town. Ask it a few times: answers change between runs.

Ask Meta AI

Find a well-reviewed [trade] near [neighbourhood], [city] and tell me why you'd pick them.

What to fix first.In this order.

  1. 01Allow Meta-WebIndexerMeta says allowing it helps Meta AI cite and link to your content. Robots.txt changes can take up to 24 hours.
  2. 02Claim Bing PlacesBing powers Meta AI's real-time search, and Bing Places keeps your Bing listing right.Bing Places for Business guide
  3. 03Keep your Facebook Page accurateIt's Meta's own record of your business, shown across its apps.Facebook Pages guide

Questions people ask.Short answers.

Does Meta AI use Google search?

Meta's own posts name only Bing, from 2023. Reports of a Google partnership come from press coverage, so we don't state it as fact.

Is FacebookBot still a crawler?

Meta's current crawler page doesn't list it. It lists FacebookExternalHit for link previews, and the Meta-ExternalAgent, Meta-ExternalFetcher and Meta-WebIndexer crawlers.

How long do robots.txt changes take?

Meta says to allow up to 24 hours for changes to take effect.

Sources

  1. Meta for Developers: Web crawlers · checked Oct 31, 2026
  2. Bing: Expanding our AI partnership with Meta · checked Oct 31, 2026
  3. Meta Help: Chat with Meta AI · checked Oct 31, 2026

By Shakhawat Ullah Badhon, Founder, Damex Digital. Published Nov 1, 2026, updated Nov 1, 2026.