Google AI Overviews and ChatGPT Search: What Pakistani Businesses Should Do
What Google AI Overviews, AI Mode and ChatGPT search mean for a Pakistani small business website, what Google says is not needed, and a six step checklist.
Google says there is no special trick to appear in AI Overviews or AI Mode. A page must be indexed and eligible to show a snippet in normal Google Search, and that is all. No "AI SEO" tag, no llms.txt file and no special schema. For ChatGPT search, OpenAI asks you to allow its OAI-SearchBot crawler.
Shop owners in Pakistan keep getting the same pitch on WhatsApp: pay for "AI SEO" so ChatGPT and Google's AI recommend your business. We read what Google and OpenAI actually publish about this on 6 October 2026. Their own documents are short, and they cut most of that pitch down.
AI Overviews are the AI-written summaries that sit above some Google results. AI Mode is Google's chat-style search for longer questions. Both show links to the websites they drew on. Those links are where your customers come from.
Google uses the same index for AI answers as for normal search
Google's documentation says its AI features find pages through the same index as ordinary Search. To be shown as a supporting link, a page must be indexed and eligible for a snippet. Google adds there are no extra requirements or special optimisations.
Google describes a method it calls "query fan-out". The AI runs several related searches across subtopics at once, then shows a wider set of links than a normal results page. So a clinic page that clearly answers "female dentist in Gulberg, open Sunday" can be picked up for many related questions, not one keyword.
Google's July 2026 guide on optimising for generative AI search says the same thing in plainer words. Good SEO is still the base. Write for people, keep pages crawlable, and avoid duplicate pages.
Five things that do not exist, according to Google
Google's own guide lists several popular tactics as unnecessary. It says you do not need new machine readable files, AI text files or Markdown copies, you do not need special schema markup, and you do not need to chop content into tiny pieces.
| Claim you may hear | What Google's documentation says |
|---|---|
| "You need an llms.txt file" | No new machine readable or AI text files are needed |
| "Add AI schema to rank in AI Overviews" | Structured data is not required, and there is no special markup |
| "Break pages into small chunks for AI" | There is no requirement to break content into tiny pieces |
| "Rewrite everything for AI robots" | Write for people first |
| "Buy mentions on other sites" | Inauthentic mentions will not help visibility |
Structured data still has a job. It helps Google understand opening hours, prices and products for normal rich results. It is just not an AI pass.
Your Google Business Profile matters more than a new website trick
Google's AI guide names Business Profiles and Merchant Center as ways to make products and services visible in AI responses and other Search results. For a local shop or clinic, a complete and verified profile is the most direct step you can take.
Most people who ask an AI assistant for a nearby service want a name, a location, opening hours and reviews. Those details already live in your profile. If you do not have one, start with putting your shop on Google Maps, which is free and needs no website.
A website then adds what the profile cannot hold: a full price list, your services in detail, delivery areas and answers to the questions customers ask on the phone every day. You do not need an expensive one. The cost of a small business website in Pakistan starts low, and a .pk domain is one of the cheaper parts of it.
ChatGPT search reads your site through OAI-SearchBot
OpenAI publishes the names of its crawlers. OAI-SearchBot is the one that powers ChatGPT search. OpenAI says sites that block it will not be shown in ChatGPT search answers, apart from plain navigational links, and recommends allowing it in robots.txt.
| Crawler | What OpenAI says it does | If you block it |
|---|---|---|
| OAI-SearchBot | Finds sites for ChatGPT search results | Your pages drop out of ChatGPT search answers |
| GPTBot | Collects content for training OpenAI's models | Your content is marked not for training |
| ChatGPT-User | Visits a page when a user asks ChatGPT to | robots.txt rules may not apply |
| Google-Extended (Google's token) | Controls use in training Gemini models | No effect on Google Search inclusion or ranking |
These are two separate choices. A business can block training through GPTBot and still allow OAI-SearchBot so it shows up in ChatGPT search. The same split exists at Google: Google says blocking Google-Extended does not affect inclusion or ranking in Search.
Some hosting or security settings block bots without telling you. Open yoursite.com/robots.txt in a browser and read it. If you see "Disallow: /" under OAI-SearchBot or under "User-agent: *", ChatGPT search cannot read you.
A practical checklist for a Pakistani small business
Start with the free basics that both Google and AI assistants read: a verified Business Profile, a crawlable website, clear service pages, honest reviews and correct robots.txt rules. Then check Search Console once a month to see whether anything changed.
- Verify your Google Business Profile and fill in hours, categories, photos and phone number.
- Make one website page for each main service, with the price, the area you cover and how to book.
- Write the answer to each common customer question in plain text on the page, not only inside an image.
- Check that robots.txt allows Googlebot and OAI-SearchBot.
- Add your site to Google Search Console and confirm the pages are indexed.
- Ask every customer for an honest review, with no discount or gift attached.
On measurement, Google's earlier documentation says clicks from AI features are counted inside the normal "Web" search type in Search Console. Its July 2026 guide also points owners to a Generative AI performance report. The newer Search Console reports are worth a monthly look either way.
One honest warning. Nobody, including Google, can promise your shop will appear in an AI answer. An agency that guarantees it is selling something Google itself does not offer.
Common questions
Do I need special AI SEO to appear in Google AI Overviews?
No. Google says there are no additional requirements. A page that is indexed and eligible for a snippet can be shown.
Should I add an llms.txt file to my website?
Google says you do not need one to appear in Google Search, including its AI features.
How do I get my business into ChatGPT search?
Allow OpenAI's OAI-SearchBot in robots.txt. OpenAI says blocked sites are not shown in ChatGPT search answers.
Does blocking GPTBot remove me from ChatGPT search?
No. GPTBot is for model training. ChatGPT search uses OAI-SearchBot, which is a separate setting.
Can an agency guarantee my shop appears in AI answers?
No. Neither Google nor OpenAI describes any paid route or guarantee for appearing in their AI answers.
How we verified this
What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.
Last checked 6 October 2026, against Google Search Central's pages on AI features and your website and on optimising for generative AI search, Google's list of common crawlers for the Google-Extended token, and OpenAI's crawler documentation. Both companies update these pages, so read them again before changing your robots.txt.
About the author
Founder and Editor
Umer Kureshi founded Pakistan Era in July 2024 and runs it as administrator, SEO lead and writer, overseeing website operations, search growth, content strategy and coverage of technology and current affairs.
