How to Rank in ChatGPT: Your Questions Answered

We’ve pulled together answers to the questions we recieved during this webinar, what our clients have been curious to know and what our peers have been asking about ranking in ChatGPT and other Large Language Models (LLMs) in this guide.

This is not a technical deep dive. We’ve responded with honest, direct answers for in-house marketers’ most pressing questions so they know what actions to take today to stay visible tomorrow. We’ve divided the questions into themes and sections to make it easier for you to navigate through:

• The big picture: ChatGPT’s role in marketing
• Understanding the landscape: ChatGPT vs other AI tools
• SEO in the age of LLMS
• Practical optimisation tactics
• Content, creative and channel-specific questions
• Measurement and reporting
• Preparing for the future

The adoption curve has been staggering. ChatGPT hit 100 million users globally in just two months, which is faster than any platform before it. 34% of adults use ChatGPT monthly and nearly 78% of knowledge workers do the same. In fact it’s now the third most searched website in the country and although it’s constantly changing, it ranks steadily towards the top.

That means it’s not just students or coders playing with prompts. Decision-makers are building ChatGPT into their daily workflows, and for marketers this means that people have started turning to AI at the beginning of their path to purchase.

Google isn’t going away but the way people search is diversifying. New research shows 20% of Americans now use AI tools 10+ times a month, but growth is slowing and, interestingly enough, traditional search hasn’t dipped. 

What we’re already seeing is ChatGPT stealing “top of funnel” activity; those exploratory searches that used to start in Google now start in ChatGPT. Instead of bouncing from blog to blog, people ask AI and get what feels like a tailored answer.

For categories where trust and authority matter (finance, education, healthcare, B2B, tech) ChatGPT is already the preferred starting point. So if your brand isn’t present there, you’re missing out on high-intent audiences.

Long story short - the funnel is compressing. Instead of 10 searches and multiple site visits, buyers now get a distilled set of recommendations directly in ChatGPT. And those recommendations do convert - Rocket’s own data shows traffic from ChatGPT is about 5x more likely to convert than traditional organic search.

This doesn’t mean websites are irrelevant. It means your website works hand in hand with ChatGPT and other AI search tools by feeding structured, trustworthy information.

If you’re a brand selling primarily through retailers or marketplaces, AI makes visibility trickier. You don’t always control the digital shelf, but you can still influence it. Here’s how:

• Invest in owned assets that establish authority (brand websites, thought-leadership content).
• Ensure your products are accurately and consistently described across retailer sites.
• Secure mentions in trusted media and industry publications as these are heavily weighted in ChatGPT results.

Instead of relying on third-party distributors, focus on building a strong digital footprint. This is more likely to surface your brand in AI search.

While ChatGPT dominates with around 85% market share in Australia, competitors like Claude, Perplexity, Gemini and Copilot are worth tracking. Each is experimenting with slightly different approaches to search and discovery. Perplexity leans heavily on citations, which can give brands more direct visibility. Claude focuses on natural conversation and safety, which makes it great for knowledge work. Gemini is deeply integrated into the Google ecosystem, so expect close ties with existing search and productivity tools. Copilot is positioned around task execution within Microsoft products, meaning visibility here will often depend on how well your brand shows up in those ecosystems.

Yes, but with nuance. Each is experimenting with different approaches to search and discovery but the basics remain the same - brands with strong, trustworthy content will benefit.

Not exactly. Most LLMs mix their own trained data with live web searches. ChatGPT for example primarily pulls from Bing (and Google when Bing can’t index content). Others assign weightage to different sources. But the logic is similar: they’re looking for authoritative, recent and structured information.

Yes. While LLMs aren’t indexing exactly like Google, the overlap is significant. If you’re strong in technical SEO, structured content and authority building, you’ll see benefits in both worlds. That said, both platforms do prioritise different ‘types’ of content and would return different results for the same query. A considered approach to SEO is needed to make sure you show up wherever your audience is searching.

Backlinks as a raw signal are less important. Brand mentions and authority matter more. If your brand is cited in trusted publications, award listings, or reviews, ChatGPT is more likely to include you in results.

Shift focus from keywords to questions. Instead of “best accounting software Sydney,” think “What is the best accounting software for small businesses in Sydney in 2025?” Build content that answers real, specific queries in clear, snippable sections.

• Schema is structured data you add to your site to help machines understand your content (for example, marking up product prices, reviews, or FAQs). It isn’t a direct ranking factor in ChatGPT yet, but other models rely on it more heavily, so it’s worth implementing.
• Robots.txt is a simple file that tells search engines (and AI crawlers) which parts of your site they can or can’t access. It remains the primary way to control what LLMs can crawl.
• llms.txt is an experimental idea some in the SEO community have floated as an equivalent for AI models, but it hasn’t been adopted by major LLMs. For now, it’s not worth your time.

Write in short, snippable paragraphs (65-120 words). Use headings that match user intent and provide clear summaries upfront. Tables, bullet points and pros/cons lists are gold as they’re easy for AI to lift directly.

This type of content performs best in AI search:

• Listicles (e.g. “Top 10 CRMs in Australia” or “Best Accounting Software for Small Businesses in Sydney”)
• FAQs (e.g. an accounting firm including “How do I choose the right accountant for my business?” on their service page)
• Pros/cons comparisons (e.g. “Pros and Cons of Using a Recruitment Agency” or “Advantages and Disadvantages of Cloud Hosting”)
• Original research reports (e.g. publishing a study on Australian consumer attitudes to digital banking or original survey data in your industry)
• Expert commentary with citations (e.g. a blog that includes quotes from your Head of Product plus references to Deloitte or ABS reports)

These formats align with how ChatGPT performs “query fan outs”, which is breaking one question into multiple smaller ones. If you’ve already answered those questions on your site, ChatGPT is more likely to reference you.

Yes. ChatGPT favours unique data and authoritative voices. If you can provide stats or insights no one else has, you dramatically increase your chances of being cited.

Publish early, keep content updated and use tools like Bing’s IndexNow to speed up indexing. For event-heavy businesses (like concert venues or festivals), structured event pages with clear dates and FAQs are essential.

Often, yes. ChatGPT leans heavily on trusted third-party sites like news outlets, Wikipedia, Reddit. That’s why PR and generating real reviews are critical complements to owned content.

As long as the domain is consistent and the page is crawlable, it doesn’t matter whether it’s built in a CMS, CRM or custom site. What matters is structure and accessibility.

Currently text is king. Images and videos don’t directly influence ChatGPT rankings, but the context around them (captions, transcripts, alt text) does. Expect this to evolve as multimodal models mature.

Yes. If content is behind a strict paywall, ChatGPT can’t access it. Some publishers are experimenting with partial access (e.g. first paragraph open, rest gated).

Branded video will shift more toward social and discovery channels, with AI engines surfacing summaries and transcripts rather than embedding the video itself. Think of AI as the “front door” to your video strategy, not the host.

Yes. Brands are already experimenting with custom GPTs and integrations. But these are more about user engagement than organic discoverability. For now, your best bet remains optimising core content so it gets cited naturally.

In GA4, set up filters to identify traffic from AI sources. Expect small volumes as ChatGPT’s CTR is only around 1-3%. But that traffic converts at much higher rates.

Multi-touch frameworks work best. LLMs often spark discovery, but the actual conversion may happen later via organic, direct or paid channels. Adjust your attribution models to account for AI-driven discovery as an assist and not just last-click.

Not on its own. Organic traffic remains important, but brand mentions and authority signals are now equally critical. Watch for shifts in the quality of traffic, not just the volume.

• SEO suites like Ahrefs and SEMrush are adding LLM tracking, but coverage is patchy.
• Profound and other specialist tools let you monitor visibility on key terms.
• Manual testing in ChatGPT is still one of the most practical ways to check, and asking ChatGPT why it cited certain sources gives invaluable insight.

You can read more about this in our dedicated blog: How to Track and Monitor Traffic and Conversions From AI Search in 2025

For now, organic optimisation is the only way in. That’s an opportunity for brands to establish a presence before ads flood the space, if it happens.

Shift from volume to value. Instead of measuring clicks track brand mentions the number of times your content/brand was cited. Over time, these will become the KPIs that matter most.

This depends on resourcing. In-house teams should own strategy and brand voice while agencies can accelerate execution, technical implementation and testing. This will help you stay agile, especially while the landscape shifts so quickly.

ChatGPT has already reshaped how Australians search, research and buy. But while the tools are new, the fundamentals aren’t: clarity, authority and trust are still the signals that matter most.

The real challenge is to adapt quickly without chasing every new shiny object. Focus on making your brand’s information discoverable, authoritative and up-to-date and you’ll be in the strongest position to benefit as AI-driven search evolves.