How to Get Your Brand Recommended by ChatGPT and Claude in 2025

Why ChatGPT and Claude Recommendations Matter

When someone asks ChatGPT or Claude "What's the best [your product category]?" your brand either gets recommended or it doesn't. There's no page 2. No second chance. Just 2-3 brands mentioned in the response.

This guide shows you exactly how to become one of those recommended brands. We'll cover the specific factors ChatGPT and Claude consider, actionable optimization strategies, and proven techniques to increase your AI visibility.

These strategies are based on analysis of over 10 million AI responses across ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews. Everything here is data-driven and proven to work.

Understanding How ChatGPT and Claude Make Recommendations

Before optimizing your brand, you need to understand how these AI models decide which brands to recommend. The process is more nuanced than traditional search ranking.

1. Semantic Relevance

AI models analyze the semantic relationship between user queries and your brand. It's not just keyword matching—they understand context, intent, and meaning. Your brand needs to be semantically associated with the problems you solve and the value you provide.

2. Authority Signals

ChatGPT and Claude prioritize authoritative sources. They look for signals like industry recognition, quality backlinks, expert mentions, media coverage, and consistent presence across trusted platforms. Brands with stronger authority signals get recommended more frequently.

3. Factual Accuracy

AI models are trained to provide accurate information. They favor brands with clear, verifiable facts about their offerings. Vague marketing speak or inconsistent information across sources reduces your likelihood of being recommended.

4. User Context

Both ChatGPT and Claude consider the user's specific context when making recommendations. A brand perfect for enterprises might not be recommended to a small business owner asking the same basic question. Your positioning must address multiple user contexts.

5. Recency

AI models prefer current information. Brands with recent content, updates, and activity get recommended more often than stale ones. This is especially true for fast-moving industries where older information becomes quickly outdated.

Step 1: Optimize Your Brand Positioning

Clear positioning is fundamental to AI recommendations. If AI models don't understand exactly what you do and who you serve, they can't recommend you confidently.

Define Your Value Proposition Clearly

Create a single-sentence value proposition that anyone can understand immediately. Format: "We help [target audience] achieve [specific outcome] through [unique approach]." This clarity helps AI models match you to relevant queries.

Identify Your Primary Keywords

List 10-15 keywords that represent your category, solutions, and use cases. These should be terms your target customers actually use, not marketing jargon. Include both broad terms ("project management software") and specific ones ("async team collaboration tool").

Map User Intent Scenarios

List 20+ actual questions your target customers might ask AI assistants. Examples: "What's the best CRM for small businesses?" or "I need a tool to help my remote team collaborate better." Create content that directly answers these questions.

Step 2: Optimize Your Website Content

Your website is the primary source AI models use to understand your brand. Optimization here has the highest impact on recommendations.

Homepage Optimization

Your homepage should communicate your value proposition within the first 100 words. Include your primary keywords naturally. Add a clear description of who you serve and what problem you solve. AI models often pull this information directly for their recommendations.

Create Detailed Product/Service Pages

Each offering should have a comprehensive page with: clear description, key features, use cases, pricing information, and customer testimonials. Use structured data markup (we'll cover this in Step 4) to make information easily parseable by AI models.

Build a Resources Section

Create authoritative content that answers common questions in your industry. Guides, tutorials, and comparison articles establish expertise. AI models frequently cite brands with comprehensive educational content as trusted sources.

Add Customer Success Stories

Case studies and testimonials provide social proof AI models value. Include specific results, customer names (with permission), and concrete outcomes. AI assistants often mention these when explaining why they recommend a particular brand.

Step 3: Build Authority and Credibility

Authority signals significantly influence AI recommendations. Here's how to build them systematically.

Earn Quality Backlinks

Focus on links from authoritative sources in your industry. A single link from a respected industry publication is worth more than 100 directory links. Guest post on relevant blogs, participate in expert roundups, and create link-worthy original research.

Get Media Coverage

Being mentioned in TechCrunch, Forbes, or industry-specific publications dramatically increases your authority in AI model training data. Start with industry blogs and trade publications, then work your way up to major outlets.

Publish Original Research

Create studies, surveys, or data analysis that provides unique insights. AI models cite original research frequently. Example: "According to [Your Brand's] 2025 Industry Report..." This positions you as a thought leader.

Build Your Expert Profile

Establish founder/executive presence through speaking engagements, podcast appearances, and expert contributions. AI models consider personal brand authority when recommending companies.

Step 4: Implement Structured Data

Structured data (Schema.org markup) helps AI models parse your information accurately. This is technical but critical.

Organization Schema

Add Organization schema to your homepage with: official name, logo, description, founding date, and contact information. This establishes basic facts about your company that AI models reference.

Product/Service Schema

For each offering, add Product or Service schema including: name, description, features, pricing, ratings, and reviews. AI models pull this structured information directly into recommendations.

FAQ Schema

Implement FAQ schema for common questions. AI assistants often use FAQ content to answer follow-up questions after recommending your brand. This increases the depth and quality of your mentions.

Review Schema

Add review/rating schema if you have testimonials or third-party reviews. AI models factor ratings into recommendation confidence. Higher-rated brands get mentioned more frequently.

Step 5: Create AI-Optimized Content

Content format and structure matter for AI recommendations. Here's how to optimize specifically for AI assistants.

Write Comparison Articles

Create objective comparisons: "Best [Category] Tools in 2025" or "[Your Brand] vs [Competitor]." Include your brand with honest pros/cons. AI models frequently cite comparison content when users ask for recommendations.

Answer Questions Directly

Structure content to answer questions explicitly. Use the question as a heading, then provide a clear, concise answer in the first paragraph. AI models extract this format easily.

Use Clear Formatting

Break content into sections with descriptive headings. Use bullet points for lists. Keep paragraphs short (3-4 sentences). AI models parse well-formatted content more accurately.

Include Specific Details

AI models prefer concrete information over vague claims. Instead of "best-in-class performance," say "processes 10,000 transactions per second." Specific details increase recommendation confidence.

Step 6: Monitor and Measure Your AI Visibility

You can't optimize what you don't measure. Tracking your AI visibility is essential for improvement.

Manual Testing

Start by manually testing 10-15 queries in ChatGPT and Claude. Ask questions like "What's the best [your category]?" or "I need a tool to [your value proposition]." Document whether you're mentioned, your position, and how you're described.

Automated Tracking

Manual testing doesn't scale. Use a tool like Mentify to automatically test hundreds of queries across ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews. Track your visibility score over time and measure the impact of your optimizations.

Competitor Analysis

Monitor which competitors get mentioned instead of you. Analyze their positioning, content, and authority signals. Identify gaps you can fill to outrank them in AI recommendations.

Measure Improvements

Track key metrics weekly: mention frequency, average position, sentiment, and query coverage. Most brands see measurable improvements within 2-4 weeks of implementing these strategies.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Keyword Stuffing

AI models detect unnatural keyword usage and penalize it. Write naturally for humans. The semantic understanding of modern AI means you don't need exact keyword matches—related concepts and natural language work better.

Inconsistent Information

If your pricing on one page conflicts with pricing elsewhere, or your description varies across sources, AI models lose confidence in recommending you. Ensure consistency across all channels.

Ignoring User Intent

Don't just optimize for product names. Think about the problems users are trying to solve and the questions they ask. Optimize for intent, not just keywords.

Neglecting Mobile Experience

Many AI users access recommendations on mobile. If your site isn't mobile-optimized, you lose credibility. Ensure fast load times, responsive design, and easy navigation.

One-Time Optimization

AI models evolve constantly. What works today might need adjustment next month. Continuous monitoring and optimization is essential. Treat AI visibility as an ongoing strategy, not a one-time project.

Advanced Strategies

Multi-Platform Optimization

ChatGPT and Claude have slightly different algorithms. Test your visibility on both and optimize accordingly. Some brands rank better on ChatGPT, others on Claude. Understanding these differences helps you prioritize efforts.

Seasonal Content

Create timely content around industry events, seasonal trends, or market changes. AI models favor recent, relevant content. Publishing "Best [Category] Tools for Q1 2025" captures recommendations during that period.

User-Generated Content

Encourage customers to create reviews, testimonials, and case studies. User-generated content provides diverse signals that strengthen your authority in AI training data.

Video and Multimedia

AI models increasingly analyze video content and transcripts. Create explainer videos, product demos, and tutorials. Include detailed transcripts to make content parseable by AI.

Timeline and Expectations

Getting recommended by ChatGPT and Claude doesn't happen overnight. Here's a realistic timeline:

• Week 1-2: Implement on-site optimizations, structured data, and initial content improvements
• Week 3-4: Begin seeing improved visibility for low-competition queries
• Week 5-8: Measurable improvement in mention frequency and positioning
• Week 9-12: Consistent recommendations across multiple query types
• Month 4+: Compounding benefits as authority signals strengthen

Results vary based on industry competition, existing authority, and optimization consistency. Brands in competitive spaces may take longer but see more significant impact once established.

Using Mentify to Accelerate Results

While you can implement these strategies manually, most brands use specialized tools to accelerate results and reduce guesswork.

Mentify automates the entire process: analyzing your current AI visibility, identifying optimization opportunities, generating recommended content, tracking improvements across ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews, and providing ongoing recommendations as AI models evolve.

Our platform is built on analysis of 10 million AI responses, so every recommendation is data-driven rather than speculative. Most Mentify customers see measurable improvements within 2-4 weeks—significantly faster than manual optimization.

Start your 7-day free trial today. No credit card required. See exactly where you stand with AI visibility and get your personalized optimization roadmap.