To show up in ChatGPT search, your website needs two things. It needs a robots.txt file that allows OpenAI's search crawler, OAI-SearchBot. It also needs a host or firewall that lets OpenAI's search IP addresses through. According to OpenAI's Help Center, placement after that depends on ranking and isn't guaranteed.
What OAI-SearchBot does, and why GPTBot is a separate decision
OAI-SearchBot is the bot OpenAI uses "to surface websites in search results in ChatGPT's search features." That's according to OpenAI's developer documentation on crawlers. GPTBot is a different bot. It collects content that may be used to train OpenAI's models. Blocking GPTBot is a training opt-out, handled apart from search.
A website can allow OAI-SearchBot while blocking GPTBot. If both are allowed, OpenAI may use one crawl for both purposes. A third bot, ChatGPT-User, handles visits a person triggers from inside ChatGPT. OpenAI says robots.txt rules "may not apply" to this bot. It doesn't decide whether a website appears in search results.
Websites that block OAI-SearchBot stay out of ChatGPT search answers. OpenAI's documentation notes they "can still appear as navigational links." A navigational link is a plain web link someone clicks directly. That's a different outcome from showing up inside a generated answer.
Why a host or firewall might block OpenAI without you knowing
Updating robots.txt is the step most owners check first. OpenAI's help page also asks owners to confirm their "host or CDN allows traffic from OpenAI's published searchbot IP addresses." That setting lives outside robots.txt, inside hosting or security tools.
Firewall services and security plugins sometimes block ranges of IP addresses by default, as a general security measure. If OpenAI's search addresses land on one of those lists, OAI-SearchBot gets stopped before it reaches your pages. This happens even with an open robots.txt file. OpenAI publishes its IP address lists for each bot, including a file at openai.com/searchbot.json. A host or developer can use that file to add the right addresses to an allow list.
After a robots.txt change, OpenAI's documentation says its search systems can take about 24 hours to adjust. Check your settings again after that window rather than right away.
What to check on your own website
- Open your robots.txt file and look for a rule that blocks OAI-SearchBot specifically. A rule that blocks GPTBot alone doesn't affect search.
- Ask your host or CDN whether OpenAI's search IP addresses sit on a blocked list.
- Decide on GPTBot separately from OAI-SearchBot. Blocking it opts you out of training without removing your website from ChatGPT search.
- Wait about a day after any robots.txt change before testing again.
Settings like these are part of what we check in our SEO, AEO and GEO work. We review them alongside the other technical fixes that keep a website open to search crawlers.
Does ChatGPT search use Bing?
OpenAI's Help Center says ChatGPT search "sometimes partners with other search providers." It rewrites a question into queries sent to those providers, naming Microsoft's privacy statement as one example. OpenAI's October 2024 launch post adds that the search product "leverages third-party search providers, as well as content provided directly by our partners." It also states "any website or publisher can choose to appear."
Microsoft said in May 2023 it was "bringing Bing to ChatGPT as the default search experience." That announcement predates the ChatGPT search product that launched in October 2024. OpenAI doesn't name Bing as its index or its only source today.
Microsoft's current Bing Webmaster Guidelines state they cover Bing search, Copilot, and "grounding API results." They list blocking Bingbot in robots.txt as something to avoid. Microsoft is one of the providers OpenAI names. Keeping Bingbot allowed and a sitemap submitted in Bing Webmaster Tools can help, alongside the robots.txt and IP address changes above.
For "near me" questions, OpenAI's Help Center says ChatGPT can use an approximate location from a person's IP address. ChatGPT may share general location with providers of local information, "such as nearby business listings."
For the wider picture of how search results, answer boxes, and AI tools fit together, see our guide to SEO, AEO and GEO. It walks through all three. And for steps beyond ChatGPT alone, our guide on getting cited in AI-generated answers covers habits that help across tools.
Frequently asked questions
Does blocking GPTBot keep my website out of ChatGPT search?
No. GPTBot handles training, and OAI-SearchBot handles search. They're controlled with separate robots.txt rules, so blocking GPTBot alone has no effect on ChatGPT search.
How long after I change robots.txt will ChatGPT notice?
OpenAI's documentation says its search systems can take about 24 hours to adjust after a robots.txt change. Test again after that window rather than right away.
Can I pay or submit my website to ChatGPT search?
OpenAI's guidance covers two steps: allow OAI-SearchBot in robots.txt, and confirm your host or CDN allows OpenAI's search IP addresses. Placement isn't guaranteed even after both steps.
Does ChatGPT search use Google or Bing as its index?
OpenAI says ChatGPT search uses third-party search providers and names Microsoft's privacy statement as one example. OpenAI doesn't state that any single provider serves as its index.
Why does my website show up as a plain link in ChatGPT instead of in an answer?
OpenAI's documentation says websites that block OAI-SearchBot can still appear as navigational links. If robots.txt or a firewall rule blocks the crawler, that's the likely reason. Checking both settings is the first step to take.
ChatGPT search can only reach a website once OAI-SearchBot can crawl it. It also needs a host or CDN that allows OpenAI's search IP addresses through. From there, OpenAI decides placement on its own, and that part stays outside an owner's control.
For help checking these settings alongside the rest of your SEO, AEO, and GEO setup, reach out for a review.
