**Updated 4/6/2026
We are getting asked a lot by our clients questions like “can we increase our ranking within ChatGPT?” and “How do we make our company appear when people search for services we offer?”. The question around how to “rank” within ChatGPT and how does one company appear in queries vs others is a fascinating topic, and we wanted to share what we know.
Can your company appear within queries specific to the services you offer?
In our original article, we noted that very select prompts in ChatGPT would return actual companies, often requiring tailored queries seeking out service providers or companies offering specific services.
For example, when asking ChatGPT for the "best Umbraco agency in Chicago," the system historically queried Bing to provide results, closely mirroring Bing’s search listings (which you can see in the image below). At that time, this was limited to paid versions of ChatGPT (GPT-4), and broader prompts would return only general information about industries or services rather than specific company names.
Since then, significant advancements have shifted this landscape, particularly with the release of GPT-4o and ChatGPT Search.
AI Search Is Changing How Users Discover and Click Through to Websites
Real-Time Answers Now Include Links and Sources
Modern AI platforms like ChatGPT have evolved beyond static responses and now incorporate real-time web data, citations, and external links directly into their answers.
Rather than relying on a single model or feature (such as GPT-4o or ChatGPT Search), today’s experience is powered by a combination of AI and live search integration. This allows platforms to:
Pull in up-to-date information from across the web
Provide clickable citations to authoritative sources
Surface specific companies, services, and content within responses
This marks a major shift from earlier versions of ChatGPT, which relied more heavily on pre-trained data or limited search integrations.
AI Platforms Are Becoming a New Traffic Channel
For businesses, this evolution creates a new opportunity to drive visibility and traffic.
At Marcel Digital, we’ve observed a noticeable increase in referral traffic from ChatGPT and other AI-driven platforms. This traffic is not only increasing website visits, but is also beginning to generate qualified leads, as users engaging with AI tools are often further along in their decision-making process.
Rather than competing solely for rankings, businesses now need to position their content to be:
Selected as a source within AI-generated answers
Structured in a way AI can easily extract and cite
Authoritative and discoverable across the web
How Do You “Measure” Your Visibility in ChatGPT?
From the virtual horse's mouth “I don't have the capability to track or analyze queries in real-time or access any data or usage statistics that have occurred after my last update.” So the short answer - you can’t.
But you are able to measure traffic coming to your website from ChatGPT which we will cover in the section below. This section has been updated to reflect recent changes that have been made to how you measure ChatGPT traffic in GA4.
Measuring ChatGPT Referral Traffic on your Website
While measuring brand visibility in ChatGPT is not entirely possible, you are able to see referral traffic in Google Analytics when users follow links provided by ChatGPT in an output.
To see this data, access the 'Traffic Acquisition report' in Google Analytics 4. From here you will want to apply the following filters:
'Session Default Channel Group' exactly matches "Referral"
'Session Source' matches partial regex: "chatgpt|openai"
The name of the session source has changed to “chatgpt” so to see all historical traffic, you want to include the old session source name “openai”. This partial regex will capture traffic from both source names.
You will then see traffic data from users accessing your website via links in ChatGPT.
So, How Do You Show Up in ChatGPT?
The answer lies in Answer Engine Optimization (AEO), but it’s important to understand that visibility in ChatGPT and other AI platforms now extends beyond a single tool.
Today, platforms like ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Gemini, Perplexity, and Microsoft Copilot all rely on a combination of:
Search engine data
Structured website content
Authoritative third-party sources
To show up consistently, your content must not only be optimized for search engines, but also structured in a way that AI systems can easily extract, interpret, and cite.
AEO focuses on ensuring your business provides clear, direct answers to real user questions, while reinforcing credibility through strong SEO fundamentals and authoritative signals across the web.
How to Structure Content for AI Visibility
Adopt an Answer-First Content Structure
To increase your chances of being cited or referenced by AI tools, your content should:
Start with a direct answer in the opening paragraph
Use clear H2/H3 headers that mirror real user questions
Break down content into scannable sections and lists
Include FAQ-style sections targeting conversational queries
This structure makes it easier for AI systems to extract and reuse your content when generating responses.
How Marcel Digital Helps You Show Up in AI-Driven Search
At Marcel Digital, we specialize in AEO to help businesses like yours stay ahead in this AI-driven era. Our tailored strategies ensure your content is optimized for ChatGPT and other conversational platforms, so your business appears when it matters most.
Ready to show up where it matters most? Learn more about our AEO services or reach out to us to discuss how we can help your business thrive in the AI era.
