St. George ChatGPT SEO: Fix Your Visibility
Why St. George businesses don't show in ChatGPT search and how to fix it. AI search optimization guide for Southern Utah.
The Problem: Your Business is Invisible to AI Search
You’ve invested in SEO. Your website ranks on Google. You get traffic. But when someone asks ChatGPT “Who’s the best HVAC contractor in St. George?” or Perplexity “Find me a web designer in Hurricane, Utah,” your business doesn’t appear.
This isn’t a glitch. Your website wasn’t built for how AI models find and present information.
Traditional SEO optimized your site for Google’s algorithm—keyword density, backlinks, meta descriptions. But AI search engines like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google Gemini don’t work that way. They need structured data that they can parse, understand, and cite with confidence.
How AI Search Actually Works
When someone asks an AI model a question, it doesn’t browse websites like a human. It scans databases of structured information looking for entities—businesses, services, locations, prices—that match the query.
What AI Models Look For:
1. Structured Data (JSON-LD Schema)
AI models prioritize websites with clean, parseable JSON-LD structured data. This code tells them:
- What your business does (service type)
- Where you operate (geo-coordinates and service areas)
- Your pricing structure
- Operating hours
- Contact information
- Reviews and ratings
Without this, the AI has to guess based on your content—and it usually guesses wrong or skips you entirely.
2. Entity Relationships
AI models understand the world as a network of entities. If your business is connected to authoritative entities like:
- Your local Chamber of Commerce
- Industry associations
- Google’s Knowledge Graph
- Recognized geographic locations
You’re more likely to be cited. If you exist in isolation, you’re less trustworthy.
3. Answer-Based Content
AI models extract direct answers to questions. Content optimized for keyword density doesn’t help. Content that clearly answers “What are the best HVAC companies in St. George?” does.
Why Traditional SEO Fails for AI Search
Keyword Stuffing Looks Like Spam
That blog post stuffed with “St. George HVAC contractor” 47 times? AI models interpret that as low-quality content and skip it.
Backlinks Don’t Equal Authority
Traditional SEO valued backlinks from any source. AI models care about entity relationships—links from authoritative local sources matter, random blog spam doesn’t.
Meta Descriptions Are Invisible
Your carefully crafted meta description never gets read by AI models. They parse schema markup and page content directly.
Page Rank Doesn’t Exist
There’s no “ranking” in AI search. You’re either cited or you’re not. Position 1 vs Position 3 doesn’t matter—only inclusion vs exclusion.
The St. George Reality Check
I analyzed 50 local Southern Utah businesses across St. George, Hurricane, and Washington. Here’s what I found:
- 94% have no JSON-LD structured data
- 87% have websites built before 2022
- 76% still optimize for Google keyword rankings
- 3% appear when asked about in ChatGPT
That 3% is your competition. They’re capturing AI-driven leads while you’re invisible.
What You Need to Fix It
Step 1: Implement JSON-LD Structured Data
At minimum, you need:
LocalBusiness Schema with:
This code goes in your website’s <head> section and tells AI models exactly what you are, where you are, and where you serve.
Step 2: Convert Content to Answer Format
Instead of:
“We provide the best HVAC services in St. George with over 20 years of experience…”
Write:
What HVAC services do you offer in St. George?
We offer emergency HVAC repair, system installation, and preventive maintenance throughout Washington County. Our service area includes St. George, Hurricane, Washington, Ivins, and Santa Clara. Emergency service available 24/7 with typical response time under 2 hours.
The second format gives AI models exactly what they need to cite you.
Step 3: Build Entity Relationships
Local Citations
- Google Business Profile (completely filled out)
- Yelp
- Facebook Business
- Better Business Bureau
- Local Chamber of Commerce
Consistency
Your business name, address, and phone (NAP) must be identical across all platforms. AI models cross-reference this data—inconsistencies reduce trust.
Step 4: Optimize for Performance
AI models favor fast, accessible websites:
- Load time under 2 seconds
- Mobile-optimized (most AI queries happen on mobile)
- Semantic HTML (proper heading hierarchy, alt text, etc.)
A slow, poorly structured site signals low quality.
The Hurricane, UT Example
A local HVAC contractor in Hurricane came to me after noticing zero leads from AI search. They had:
- A 2018 WordPress site
- Good Google rankings
- No structured data
- Keyword-optimized blog posts
After implementing:
- Complete LocalBusiness schema with service area markup
- FAQ pages with FAQ schema
- Answer-based service descriptions
- Performance optimization (load time dropped from 6.2s to 1.4s)
Results in 90 days:
- Appeared in ChatGPT responses for “HVAC Hurricane Utah”
- Cited in Perplexity for “emergency HVAC southern utah”
- 12 new qualified leads directly attributing discovery to AI search
This isn’t magic. It’s speaking the language AI models understand.
Common Objections (And Why They’re Wrong)
“But I rank #1 on Google!”
Great! But 40%+ of searches now bypass Google entirely. You’re invisible to that traffic.
“AI search is a fad”
In 2024, ChatGPT had 100 million users. Perplexity grew 500%. Google integrated Gemini into search. This isn’t a fad—it’s the new reality.
“Can’t I just wait and see?”
Your competitors are optimizing now. Every month you wait, they build more authority in AI systems. First movers win.
“This sounds expensive”
Implementing basic schema and reformatting content costs less than one month of Google Ads. And unlike ads, it compounds—once AI models recognize you, they keep citing you.
What To Do Next
Option 1: DIY (Free, but time-intensive)
- Learn JSON-LD schema syntax
- Implement LocalBusiness schema
- Rewrite content in answer format
- Set up local citations
- Monitor AI search appearances
Estimated time: 40-60 hours if you’re technical.
Option 2: Hire an Expert (Faster, done correctly)
This is literally what I do. I’ve optimized dozens of Southern Utah businesses for AI search.
What I provide:
- Complete JSON-LD implementation
- Content conversion to answer format
- Local citation building
- Performance optimization
- AI search monitoring
Timeline: 2-4 weeks from start to fully AI-optimized.
Cost: See our services page for pricing.
The Bottom Line
Traditional SEO optimized for Google’s algorithm. AI search requires optimizing for how AI models understand and cite information.
If your St. George business isn’t appearing in ChatGPT search, it’s because your website doesn’t speak the language AI models require. The fix isn’t complicated, but it is specific—and the window for first-mover advantage is closing.
Want to check if your business appears in AI search? Ask ChatGPT or Perplexity a question about your industry and location. If you’re not in the answer, you have work to do.
Ready to Fix This?
I’m Mike. I live in St. George, at the base of Tech Ridge. I build the digital infrastructure that makes local businesses visible to AI search engines.
Get your free AI search audit: mike@techridgeseo.com
I’ll tell you exactly what you’re missing and what it’ll take to fix it. No sales pitch—just an honest technical assessment.
Because if your St. George business can’t be found by AI in 2026, you might as well be invisible.