How to show up on AI conversations?

Jan 15, 2026

Let's be honest: we can't game large language models (LLMs) or manipulate results the way we want. Anyone who claims otherwise is lying.

So what are we doing?

We break this down into three parts. First, understand the current results. Second, understand how those results were reached. Third, create similar content for your business so the next time an LLM searches, it's positioned to surface your brand.

This is possible, and it's not manipulation. It's the same approach companies have used with SEO for years to rank higher in Google searches.

But if you're wondering, "I'm already investing in SEO, so why would I need AI SEO?" you're not alone. We just said nobody can manipulate LLM results, and LLMs discover content using the same Google search engine. So it makes sense to focus on SEO and not worry about AI SEO, right?

You're both right and wrong. Google's algorithm differs from how LLMs rank results, even though both rely on the same Google crawlers that index billions of pages. That's precisely why you should complement your SEO efforts with AI SEO.

Tens of millions of Americans now use ChatGPT, and many of these searches would have traditionally gone to Google. People are switching to asking ChatGPT instead.

Now that we've established the difference and importance, how should you implement this for your business?

AI Search Analytics

First, know where you stand. You can do this manually or automate it through OpenAI API queries (that's where we come in). But let's start with the manual process. Say you're an HVAC contractor in Denver, Colorado. Simply go to www.chatgpt.com and type "who are the best HVAC contractors in Denver, Colorado." As of today, the results include:

  1. Heart Heating, Cooling, Plumbing, & Electric

  2. Apex Clean Air AC & Heating Repair

  3. The Weather Changers Heating and Air Conditioning

  4. MileHi HVAC Contractor Denver CO

  5. UniColorado Heating & Cooling

  6. Right Away Heating

  7. Ultimate Heating, Cooling, Plumbing & Electric

  8. Roots Heating & Air

  9. Premier Mechanical

  10. Top Shelf Electric, Heating, & Plumbing

  11. Sanders & Johnson Heating, Cooling, and Plumbing

  12. Premier Heating and Air

  13. Rogers & Sons, Inc.

  14. All Weather HVAC Denver

  15. ComfortFlow HVAC Service

  16. Cool Sunshine Heating and Air Conditioning, Inc.

  17. Cub Creek HVAC

  18. Comfy Cave

  19. Jump HVAC

  20. D&A Heating & Air

Are you an HVAC contractor from Denver, CO? Is your business on this list? If yes, congratulations. If not, you're missing out on a growing wave of customers who will only become more prevalent in the years ahead.

This step is important, no doubt. Now, let's move on to the next part.

Content Optimization

Let's break down the ChatGPT result and understand why it ranked "Heart Heating, Cooling, Plumbing, & Electric" first.

ChatGPT's description for this listing says: "Very high review count and solid ratings; full HVAC service with plumbing and electrical support."

Right away, we have one clear insight: high review count and solid ratings matter. But this raises an important question: where did ChatGPT find these reviews and ratings?

Next step: Google Search.

Searching "who are the best hvac contractors in denver colorado" on Google gives:

  1. Google Gemini AI response: Heatwave Heating & Cooling, SWAN Plumbing, Golden West, Thanks Ron Air, Applewood Plumbing, Otter HVAC, Logic HVAC, AAA Service, and DALCO Heating & Air Conditioning (none match ChatGPT)

  2. Google Places listing: The Weather Changers Heating and Air Conditioning, Roots Heating & Air, Absolute Plumbing, Electrical, Heating & Air (again, no overlap with ChatGPT)

  3. Google Search listing: 1 Reddit discussion from a year ago (no ChatGPT matches), 1 Forbes article from May 2024 listing 10 businesses with only D & A Heating and Air matching ChatGPT (finally!), 1 Yelp listing showing D & A Heating and Air, Jump HVAC, Logic HVAC, and others (just 3 businesses matching ChatGPT results)

See the problem? We still do not have a transparent, deterministic explanation for how ChatGPT selects and ranks these businesses. We checked Reddit, Yelp, and Google, but the results only occasionally match. So where is ChatGPT getting its answers?

Here's the interesting part: I asked ChatGPT the same question again (who are the best hvac contractors in denver colorado) and got completely different results. This time, the businesses mentioned were:

  1. The Weather Changers Heating and Air Conditioning

  2. Heart Heating, Cooling, Plumbing, & Electric

  3. Apex Clean Air AC & Heating Repair

  4. Ultimate Heating, Cooling, Plumbing & Electric

  5. Great Guys Colorado

  6. MileHi HVAC Contractor Denver CO

  7. Roots Heating & Air

  8. UniColorado Heating & Cooling

  9. Golden West Plumbing, Heating, Air Conditioning, and Electrical

  10. Mountain Breeze Heating & Air, Inc.

  11. Right Away Heating

  12. All Weather HVAC Denver

  13. Roger & Sons, Inc.

  14. DALCO Heating & Air Conditioning

  15. Premier Mechanical

  16. Denver’s Best Heating & AC Repair

  17. Pasterkamp Heating and Air Conditioning

The results aren't the same even when asking ChatGPT the same question just minutes apart. This is why manually checking your rankings (or tracking who's ranking) is nearly impossible. You need a product like Pallet to automate this process.

Now, what do we do as part of content optimization?

Based on patterns across multiple responses, the results appear to be influenced by factors such as: high average rating (for quality), large number of reviews (for quantity), consistency across platforms (so nobody is gaming the system), keywords (residential or commercial, HVAC or plumbing, etc.), local presence (Denver in this case), and recency (not someone who got a 5-star review 10 years ago).

Again, manually managing all these sources isn't humanly possible. We handle everything while you sleep. That's our pitch: get done-for-you content relevant to your business while you sleep.

Up next, MCP Servers!

MCP Server

MCP may be the most abused term in AI over the past year. MCP stands for Model Context Protocol. It's a protocol, not a product you buy or a framework you install. It's a standard you follow when connecting your system to AI agents through a standard interface.

By implementing MCP, you allow AI agents to discover available tools, understand their capabilities, and interact with your software in a structured way.

With Pallet's MCP server, AI assistants like ChatGPT Operator don't just suggest results for "best contractors in Denver, Colorado" but also let users find available slots and book appointments without ever leaving ChatGPT. This type of AI-driven, in-chat action flow is where the ecosystem is clearly heading, and we're already prepared to equip you.

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