Can I use ChatGPT for Lead Generation

If you’ve ever asked ChatGPT for a recommendation and noticed that some businesses show up and yours doesn’t (unless you ask specifically about your business), you are not alone. You may be wondering how to get found in ChatGPT, Perplexity, and the Google AI Overview. Let’s talk about how to use ChatGPT for lead generation, how it works, and why it matters to your business today.

 

Why do we want to get found in ChatGPT or other AI search?

Consumers are switching to AI-based search, and in order for your business to show up in the answers for anything other than your business name or maybe your name, you need to do SEO specifically for AI search. 

 

Do you need SEO, AI SEO, AIO, AEO, or GEO to show up in the results?

You may have heard people use the terms AIO, GEO, or AEO; honestly, they’re all the same thing. It’s SEO for AI-based chat tools or answer engines. If you want to show up for searches related to your niche, not just your business name, then yes.

 

Why are people searching on ChatGPT instead of Google?

Search is changing. AI-based search is still relatively new, but what we’re finding is that people prefer the AI-based search experience to traditional Google, Yahoo, Bing, etc. results.

Rather than just sharing a list of websites that might contain the information they’re searching for, and be able to help them, AI-based search answers their questions right in the search results.

People like this because it makes life easier. Instead of scrolling through a page of links, they ask a question and get an answer that summarizes the available information and often provides guidance or suggests follow-up questions to help them find the right answer. 

What’s great about this is that ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews all help people make decisions. Sometimes they get enough information from the search that they’re ready to convert, and other times, they go to Google to finish their search. What we’re seeing is that searchers who come from AI-based search are more likely to convert because they’re closer to the point of purchase once they’re visiting your site.

 

 

How does ChatGPT decide what to recommend?

ChatGPT doesn’t work like Google. It doesn’t rank websites based on keywords the same way. Instead, it’s looking for content that clearly answers a question, is easy to understand, and is helpful to the person searching.

 

When someone asks ChatGPT something like, “How do I explain binge eating to my partner?” or “How do I repair a broken relationship with my adult child?” it scans the internet for content that directly addresses that question in a clear, helpful way.

 

So what does ChatGPT look for? It’s looking for content that answers real questions your audience is asking. It wants content that’s clearly structured with headings and short paragraphs, so it’s easy to read. It’s looking for content that matches how people talk, provides value, and is helpful to the reader.

 

In many ways, what AI search looks for is very similar to what Google looks for when deciding which sites to recommend. Both still want you to create great content that’s helpful to your audience, and they also want your site to be easy to crawl and understand for them.

The main difference between AI SEO and traditional SEO is how they understand the information. Google and other traditional search engines use your keywords as a way of understanding what your content is about. AI-based search doesn’t rely on keywords; it looks for the answer to the question that someone has searched. It’s important for you to optimize your content (do SEO) for both traditional and AI-based search to be visible online.

The great opportunity with AI-based search is that you can be visible even if you don’t rank at the top of Google. On Google, you have to rank at the top of page 1 for your keywords to get traffic, but we aren’t seeing that with AI-based search. In fact, the most recent study I saw showed that many of the sites that were being recommended by AI-based search were smaller, less authoritative, and ranked on pages 2 and 3 rather than page 1 for many queries.

 

 

Why aren’t you showing up in AI search results?

If you’re creating content but not showing up in ChatGPT or other AI search tools, there’s usually a reason. And it’s probably not that your content is bad.

The most common reason I see is that business owners are writing content they want to create instead of content their audience is searching for. There’s a big difference between the two.

For example, you might write a blog post about your coaching philosophy or your approach to therapy. That’s great content for people who already know you, but it’s not what someone types into ChatGPT when they’re looking for help.

They’re asking specific questions. Things like, “How do I find a life coach for relationship issues?” or “What type of therapy helps with anxiety?” If your content doesn’t match those types of questions, AI tools won’t know to share it.

The other thing I see a lot is content that isn’t structured in a way that’s easy for AI to pull from. Long paragraphs without clear headings, no direct answers to specific questions, and content that doesn’t get to the point quickly enough. AI tools want to give people fast, helpful answers, so your content needs to be set up to deliver that.

 

It’s similar to traditional SEO where you can create content, choose keywords, and do your SEO perfectly but if no one is searching for that topic, it won’t do any good.

 

It’s really important to understand what people are searching for so you can make sure you’re creating the right content and then optimize it for the platforms so that it’s easier for people to find when they’re searching.

 

 

What can you do to show up in ChatGPT?

The good news is that you don’t need to learn an entirely new marketing strategy to get found in AI search. A lot of what works for AI search also works for Google, so you’re not starting over. You’re building on a traditional SEO foundation. If you don’t have that already, it’s time to learn what it is because it’s going to be really important to your long term visibility on both traditional and AI based search.

 

Here are the most important things to focus on.

First, use question-based headings in your content. Think about what your ideal client would type into ChatGPT and use those questions as your headings. Instead of a heading like “My Approach,” try “How does life coaching help with binge eating?” The more your headings match what people are searching for, the better chance you have of showing up.

 

This is similar to how we use keywords for traditional SEO; if we don’t use the right keywords in the places Google (or another search engine) looks for the information, they’re less likely to show our site to people who are searching for that keyword. If you don’t have the answers to the questions people are searching for on ChatGPT, you won’t be shared by the tools.

 

Second, answer one clear question per piece of content. You don’t have to cover everything in one blog post. Pick one question your audience is asking and answer it thoroughly. This gives AI tools a clear, focused piece of content to review, summarize, and share.

 

Third, keep it simple and direct. Write the way you talk. Use short paragraphs. Get to the point. AI tools are looking for content that’s easy to understand, and so is your audience. Always write for your audience, not a tool, though. That’s super important to remember. Yes, the tool will help the audience find your website or blog, but it needs to be helpful to the audience and written for people to read.

 

Finally, make sure your content is helpful and specific. Share your experience, your perspective, and real examples when you can. Generic content that could be found on any website isn’t going to stand out to AI search or to your reader. It’s the same rule again as creating content for Google. Google refers to these factors as E-E-A-T and grades every page on them. They stand for experience, expertise, authority, and trust. Showcase your background, share stories and anecdotes, basically bring your perspective to the content piece and provide extra value that someone can’t find on other websites.

 

 

Can you really get clients from ChatGPT?

Yes. This is already happening for real business owners right now. Let me share a few examples from my students and one-on-one clients. It’s working great for them.

Jane is a life coach who helps women with binge eating. She has a new client who was searching on ChatGPT for ways to explain binge eating to their partner, and ChatGPT recommended Jane’s podcast as a resource.

 

She listened to the episode, and then a few more, and fell in love with Jane. She then visited her website, researched her offer and costs, and messaged Jane to ask if she had openings because she knew she wanted to work with her. That lead from ChatGPT earned her thousands of dollars from a new perfect-fit client.

 

Bonny is another life coach who works with parents who are estranged from their adult children. She has a new client who was searching ChatGPT for help repairing broken relationships with her adult kids, and ChatGPT recommended Bonny as a resource. It shared information about her. This new client went to her website, requested her opt-in, read several blog posts, and ultimately scheduled a consult call. She signed with Bonny because she knew she could help her. Bonny made thousands of dollars from helping that client. It’s not the only one she’s gotten from ChatGPT.

 

And then there’s Lisa, a therapist. A potential client used ChatGPT to figure out what type of therapy they needed. Once they knew what to look for, they searched for that type of therapy in their area, and because Lisa had done SEO on her website, she ranked at the top of the search results. They found her and became a client. This has happened multiple times. Lisa has helped many patients from Google and ChatGPT. In fact, she’s had 81 new client sessions and over $25,000 in revenue from Google and ChatGPT leads in 5 months.

 

These aren’t stories about people with huge followings or big marketing budgets. These are business owners who set up their content in a way that made it easy for people to find them when they were actively looking for help. They’re all small business owners with a small team or a VA, not big brands. They’re all people who don’t have huge sites that rank at the top of Google for loads of keywords, but they’re visible on ChatGPT, and we’re able to find the right keywords for Google so that they’re visible there, too.

 

 

Do you need to rank on Google to show up in ChatGPT?

No, and this is one of the most exciting parts of AI search for small business owners.

With Google, ranking on Page 1 can be really competitive, especially if you’re in a crowded niche. But AI search tools don’t work the same way. They’re looking for the best answer to a question, not the website with the highest domain authority.

 

A recent study found that 90% of the websites referenced by AI search tools don’t rank in the top 20 on Google. That means even if your website hasn’t made it to Page 1 of Google yet, your content can still show up in ChatGPT, Perplexity, or Google’s AI Overviews.

 

This is why I believe AI search is such an opportunity for small business owners. You don’t have to compete with the big websites that have been around for years. You just need content that answers real questions in a clear, helpful way.

 

AI-based search tools are learning which websites to trust today. Most sites aren’t doing AI SEO yet, so it’s a big opportunity to get in front of the competition and boost your brand’s visibility. Get my beginner's guide to ChatGPT and AI SEO today and learn what to do on your website. 

 

Ready to get your content found on Google and ChatGPT?

If you’re tired of creating content that nobody finds, I can help. This is exactly what I teach inside Simple SEO Content. I’ll walk you through how to choose the right topics, optimize your content for Google and AI search, and make sure the right people are finding your website.

 

You don’t have to figure this out on your own. My students are getting real results, helping new clients, and making money from these strategies. If you’re ready to make your content work harder for your business, join me in Simple SEO Content or work with me 1:1 as your Marketing Consultant. Let’s get your business found by the people who are already searching for what you do. This is the most important thing you can do right now to generate more leads for your business