AI and your business
Can I pay to be recommended by ChatGPT?
By the RankNext team · Updated June 2026
The short answer
No. ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity do not sell placement in their recommendations the way Google sells ads. You cannot buy your way into the answer. You earn it by being a trustworthy, consistent, well-structured source the engines choose on merit. Anyone selling paid placement in ChatGPT is misleading you.
This is good news for honest local businesses: the spot is earned, not bought. The work is real (site, profile, reviews, content), but it compounds and it is yours. The complete AEO guide lays out what actually earns the mention.
And yes, the engines really do hand out recommendations to earn: our captured answers show most name specific local businesses. Can ChatGPT recommend my business? Here is the data.
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