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Ask ChatGPT “who is the best dermatologist in Riyadh?” or the same question in Arabic and you get a short list of names. A growing number of customers in Saudi Arabia now start their search this way, and they often contact one of the first names they see.
Getting your business into that answer is called GEO, generative engine optimization. This guide explains how ChatGPT chooses which businesses to mention, and the nine steps we used to take a new aesthetic clinic from no website to the first name ChatGPT recommends for its main treatments in four months.
How does ChatGPT decide which businesses to recommend?
When someone asks for a recommendation, ChatGPT often searches the web before it answers. OpenAI says ChatGPT search uses third-party search providers as well as its own crawler, OAI-SearchBot, to find and read pages. It then summarizes what it found and names the businesses that best match the question.
In practice, the businesses that get named have three things in common:
- They are findable. Their pages are indexed, load fast and are not blocked from crawlers.
- They are clear. Their website states, in plain sentences, what they do, where and for whom, so the AI can match them to the question.
- They are trusted. The same name, details and reputation appear in many places: Google Maps, reviews, directories, social profiles and other websites.
None of this is a trick. Google says the same about its AI features: there is no special markup needed, and pages must be indexed and eligible to show in search to be used. Good GEO is good SEO, written so that a machine can quote it.
What is GEO, and how is it different from SEO?
SEO (search engine optimization) aims for a click: your page on the first page of Google or in Google Maps. GEO aims for a mention: your business named or cited inside an AI answer from ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity or Google AI Overviews.
| SEO | GEO | |
|---|---|---|
| Goal | Rank and get the click | Get named and cited in the answer |
| Where | Google results and Maps | ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, AI Overviews |
| Input | Keywords | Full questions and prompts |
| What wins | Relevant, fast, linked pages | Clear facts, consistency and trust across the web |
They share the same foundation, which is why we run them together in our SEO and GEO service.
9 steps to get recommended by ChatGPT in Saudi Arabia
1. Let AI crawlers read your website
Check your robots.txt and security settings. If OAI-SearchBot, Googlebot or Bingbot are blocked, AI tools cannot read your pages. Verify your site in Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools, submit your sitemap and make sure your key pages are indexed.
2. Write the facts AI needs, in plain sentences
AI assistants quote sentences, not design. On your home and about pages, state clearly: your business name, what you do, the cities you serve, who you serve, your credentials and experience, and what makes you different. For example: “Dr. Sara is a board-certified dermatologist in Riyadh with 10 years of experience in laser treatments.” Vague slogans like “we deliver excellence” give the AI nothing to use.
3. Create one page for each service and each city
If someone asks for “the best laser clinic in Jeddah”, the AI looks for a page about laser treatment in Jeddah. One general services page cannot win every question. Give each main service its own page, and add city pages where you really serve that city.
4. Answer real questions in Arabic and English
People ask AI full questions: how much it costs, how long it lasts, whether it is safe, which option is better. Add short, honest FAQ answers to each service page, and write blog posts for the bigger questions. In Saudi Arabia, do it in both languages, because the same customer may ask in Arabic one day and in English the next.
5. Complete your Google Business Profile
Google Maps data feeds Google’s AI answers and is widely used across the web. Fill in every field, choose the right categories, add real photos, services and opening hours, and keep the name exactly as it appears on your website. If you serve customers at their location and have no public office, set up a service-area profile with no address, as Google’s guidelines allow.
6. Get mentioned on trusted websites
AI tools cross-check. A business that appears on directories, partner websites, press articles, professional associations and active social profiles, with the same name and details everywhere, looks real and established. Start with the Saudi directories and platforms your customers already use, then local press and partners.
7. Build genuine reviews
Ask every happy customer for a Google review, and reply to all of them. Reviews that mention the service and city (“best laser results in Riyadh”) help both Google Maps and AI answers understand what you are known for. Never buy or fake reviews: it breaks Google’s policies and can get your profile suspended.
8. Add structured data
Schema markup tells machines what a page is about: your organization, services, FAQs, articles and authors. It does not guarantee anything, but it removes guesswork. Make sure it matches what is visible on the page.
9. Track a fixed list of prompts every month
Write 10 to 20 questions your customers would ask, in Arabic and English, such as “best botox doctor in Riyadh” and its Arabic equivalent. Every month, ask them in ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google AI Mode, and record whether you are mentioned, in what position and which page is cited. AI answers vary between runs, so watch the trend over months.
Example: from no website to #1 on ChatGPT in four months
An aesthetic clinic we work with had no website and no organic visibility. We started with Meta Ads, then in June 2026 built its first website, its SEO and its GEO, following the steps above. By September, ChatGPT named the clinic first for “best botox doctor” and “best filler doctor” in its market, visits from AI assistants grew from 2 to 41 in 90 days, and organic search and AI brought 30+ new patients a month with no ad spend.
You can read the full story in the clinic case study, and the same approach for medical practices in our clinic marketing guide for Saudi Arabia.
How Saudi customers ask AI: Arabic vs English prompts
Research your prompts the way you research keywords. Here are real patterns we track for Saudi clients:
| English prompt | Intent |
|---|---|
| best dermatologist in Riyadh | Compare |
| best interior designer in Jeddah for villas | Compare |
| how much does laser hair removal cost in Saudi | Learn |
| best SEO company in Saudi Arabia | Buy |
Common mistakes that keep businesses out of AI answers
- A beautiful website with almost no text, or text inside images that machines cannot read.
- Different business names, phone numbers or addresses across Google, Instagram and directories.
- Only an Arabic site or only an English site, when customers ask in both.
- Blocking crawlers by accident with security plugins or a strict robots.txt.
- Expecting results in a week. Like SEO, GEO builds over months.
How long does it take?
There is no fixed date, and nobody can promise an AI recommendation. In our experience, new sites first get indexed, then start to appear in some AI answers once their facts, reviews and mentions are in place. The clinic above took four months; competitive markets such as Riyadh can take longer. What you can control is the foundation, and tracking it every month.
If you want a team to do this for you, see our SEO and GEO services in Saudi Arabia or ask for the free audit below.
Sources and further reading
Frequently asked questions
Can I pay to appear in ChatGPT recommendations?
No. ChatGPT's recommendations are not ads you can buy. They come from what it finds about your business on the web, so you earn them with clear facts, reviews and mentions.
Does GEO replace SEO?
No. GEO builds on SEO. AI tools read indexed, crawlable pages, so the same foundation helps you rank on Google and get cited by AI assistants.
Should my website be in Arabic or English for GEO in Saudi Arabia?
Both. Saudi customers ask AI in Arabic and in English, and AI answers tend to reflect the language of the question, so each language needs its own clear pages.
How do I check if ChatGPT recommends my business?
Ask ChatGPT the questions your customers would ask, such as "best dermatologist in Riyadh", in Arabic and English, and record the answers every month. Answers can differ between runs, so track the trend.
How long does it take to appear in ChatGPT?
There is no fixed timeline and no one can guarantee it. Our clinic client was named first about four months after launching its website.
Do you accept clients from other countries?
Yes. We are happy to accept clients worldwide. We work remotely in Arabic and English by calls and WhatsApp.
How we can help
Written by Mahmoud Mohamed Samir
Digital marketing specialist at BrightSeen
Works on SEO, GEO, Meta Ads and websites for businesses in Saudi Arabia, the UAE and the USA. Articles are reviewed against official platform documentation and updated when it changes.
