credible by design
All seven checks

Can ChatGPT describe your practice correctly?

Asked to recommend a therapist, the assistants we tested searched the web and described practices from what they found. In 18 answers from ChatGPT, Gemini, and Meta AI (September 29 and October 2, 2026), their searches found Psychology Today every time.

How we ran these tests

Start the check

Page 7 of 7 · 6 checks · About 10 minutes · No email needed

Six checks to work through

Open ChatGPT or Gemini, your main directory profile, and your homepage. Answers change from one try to the next, so treat each one as a sample.

  1. 01When asked about your practice by name, an AI assistant describes it correctly.

    Ask ChatGPT or Gemini, “What do you know about [practice name] in [town]?” Compare the answer with your site. Answers change each time, so treat one as a sample.

    Your answer: Unanswered

    Why this matters

    Assistants repeat what they find, and sometimes mix practices up. A wrong detail often points to a source you can fix.

    If not yet: Note each wrong or missing detail. Find where it comes from, often an old profile or page, and correct it there.

    Some writing or checking

  2. 02One short paragraph on your site states the essentials: where and how you work, how clients pay, what you help with, and who you serve.

    Find that paragraph on your homepage or About page. Could someone quote it as a description of your practice?

    Your answer: Unanswered

    Why this matters and an example

    A site that states the details as plainly as a directory profile gives an assistant a reason to cite the site.

    Example: I see adults in person in Arlington and online across Virginia and Maryland. Sessions are $180, private pay, with superbills for out-of-network benefits. I help with anxiety, burnout, and life transitions.

    If not yet: Write three or four plain sentences: where you work, in person or online, how clients pay, what you help with, and who you serve. Place them near the top of your homepage or About page.

    Some writing or checking

  3. 03The first lines of your main directory profile carry the same details as your site.

    Open your Psychology Today profile, or your main directory profile, and read the first two or three sentences.

    Doesn't apply? Your practice has no directory profiles.

    Your answer: Unanswered

    Why this matters

    In our tests, AI assistants often cited directory listings and repeated their words. A profile that matches your site gives them one consistent set of facts.

    If not yet: Rewrite the profile's first sentences to state where you work, how clients pay, what you help with, and who you serve. Use the same facts as your site.

    A focused edit

  4. 04Active profiles describe services your practice currently provides.

    Compare each active profile with your service pages. Look for retired services or specialties that are no longer offered.

    Doesn't apply? Your practice has no external directory or professional profiles.

    Your answer: Unanswered

    Why this matters

    A visitor arriving for an advertised service needs to find that service on your site.

    If not yet: Remove outdated services from your active profiles and link visitors to the relevant current service information.

    A focused edit

  5. 05Your website settings let AI search tools read your public pages.

    Ask your website person to check the settings that tell AI tools which pages they may read. Keep private pages protected.

    Your answer: Unanswered

    Why this matters and an example

    AI search tools generally cite only pages they can read. Some switches that block AI training also block tools that read pages to answer questions.

    Example: Where to look, checked October 3, 2026. Squarespace: Settings, then Crawlers, “Block known artificial intelligence crawlers.” Wix has no AI switch; its rules for these tools are in SEO & GEO, Tools and settings, Robots.txt Editor. WordPress.com: Settings, then Reading, “Prevent third-party sharing.” Self-hosted WordPress: your SEO plugin's bot settings. Google Search Console: Settings, then Search generative AI. Cloudflare, if your site uses it: AI Crawl Control. Its Block setting for training now also stops Google and Bing search.

    If not yet: Decide with your website person which AI tools may read your public pages. Some companies, such as OpenAI, let you allow their search tool and block training.

    Help from your website person

    OpenAI on its search and training tools
  6. 06Your site is verified in Bing Webmaster Tools.

    Sign in to Bing Webmaster Tools. If your site isn't listed, import it from Google Search Console.

    Your answer: Unanswered

    Why this matters

    Bing Webmaster Tools is Microsoft's free service for site owners. It shows when Copilot and Bing's AI answers cite your pages.

    If not yet: Sign in to Bing Webmaster Tools and import your site from Google Search Console, or verify it another way Bing offers.

    A focused edit

    Bing's AI Performance report

Result so far

Your next steps start with your answers.

Answer the checks above. Your counts and first changes appear here as you go.

The parts you can't check yourself

  • What assistants say about you across many questions and days. One answer is a sample.
  • Which sources the assistants read before they name anyone in your area.

The free audit

Want a person to look?

Ask for the free credibility audit, focused on search and AI answers.

Send your URL, get a written audit naming the fixes we would make first, with the evidence behind each one, within 3 business days.

Request the free auditYour checklist answers are not sent with an audit request.

Reviewed October 3, 2026. We checked each platform step against that platform's help pages on October 3, 2026.

Before you spend

What doesn't help

  • Special files such as llms.txt

    Google's guide says no special AI files are needed to appear in its search, and that Google Search ignores them.

    Google's guide to its AI features

  • A page for every search

    Google's guide says pages made for every variation of a search, mainly to sway its rankings or AI answers, break its spam policy. Write one clear page per service.

    Google's guide to its AI features

  • Special AI markup

    Google's guide says structured data, the hidden labels some sites add for search engines, isn't required for its AI features.

    Google's guide to its AI features

  • Bought or manufactured mentions

    Fake reviews, payment for praise, and bought fake followers mislead the people you hope to help. The FTC banned all three in 2024.

    The FTC's rule on fake reviews

  • Asking clients for testimonials

    Ethics codes for psychologists, counselors, and social workers restrict asking clients for testimonials. See APA 5.05, ACA C.3.b, and NASW 4.07(b).