I recently spoke with a successful spa owner in Phrom Phong who felt invisible. Despite having five-star reviews, her business was overlooked when customers asked AI assistants for the “best Thai massage nearby.” Getting found on Google Maps is no longer enough; you need to convince AI that you are the most trusted choice. Here is your four-pillar strategy for getting recommended in Bangkok.
Is Your Business Invisible to AI?
I was having coffee with the owner of a luxury spa in Phrom Phong last week. She’s been in business for over a decade, with a beautiful location and five-star reviews on Google Maps. But when her clients ask their phones or AI assistants, “What’s the best spa for a traditional Thai massage nearby?”, her business is nowhere to be seen. Another, newer spa gets the recommendation instead.
This is the new challenge for business owners in Bangkok. Getting found on Google Maps is no longer enough. Now, you need to convince AI assistants like ChatGPT and Google’s AI Overviews that your business is the most trusted and relevant choice. The good news is, it doesn’t require learning complex code. It requires a return to marketing fundamentals, done with precision.
Four Pillars to Get Your Business Recommended by AI
Think of AI as a very diligent, but very literal, research assistant. It scours the internet to find the most credible answer. It doesn’t just look at one source; it looks for agreement across many sources. Here is how you can ensure it finds and trusts your business.
1. Master Your Google Business Profile
Your Google Business Profile, the listing that appears on Google Maps and Search, is the single most important piece of online real estate you own. It’s the foundation of your local digital presence. AI tools rely heavily on this data, so it must be perfect and, more importantly, active.
According to Google’s own official guidelines, keeping this profile updated is critical. This means more than just having the correct address. Ensure your business categories are precise (e.g., “Thai Restaurant” not just “Restaurant”), upload new photos regularly, and use the Q&A feature to answer common questions. An active, complete profile signals to AI that you are an operational and authoritative business.
2. Build a Web of Trust Across the Internet
AI looks for consensus. If your spa is listed on Google Maps with one phone number, but on Bing Maps or a local directory with an old one, it creates confusion. This inconsistency is a red flag that makes AI hesitate to recommend you.
Your business Name, Address, and Phone number (NAP) must be identical everywhere it appears online. This includes major platforms like Apple Maps and Bing Places, but also industry-specific directories and local Thai websites. The more consistent, trustworthy sources confirm your details, the more confident an AI becomes in recommending you.
3. Become the Answer to Your Customers’ Questions
People don’t talk to AI assistants the way they type into a search box. They ask specific, conversational questions. A customer won’t just type “dentist Bangkok”; they will ask, “Where can I get affordable teeth whitening near Asoke?”
The best way to get recommended is to answer these questions directly on your website. Create simple pages or blog posts that address these long, detailed queries. For example, a dental clinic could have a page titled “The Cost of Dental Implants in Bangkok.” This shows the AI that you are an authority on the exact topics your potential customers are asking about.
4. Let Your Reviews Tell Your Story
AI doesn’t just count your star rating; it reads the content of your reviews to understand *why* customers love you. A review that says “great service” is nice, but it isn’t very useful to an AI. A review that says, “The deep tissue massage here completely fixed my shoulder pain” is rich with valuable details.
Encourage your happy customers to leave detailed feedback mentioning the specific services they enjoyed. This gives the AI concrete evidence of what your business excels at. Over time, the AI learns to associate your business with those specific services, making you the go-to recommendation for related queries.
A Hard Truth: Your #1 Google Rank Isn’t Enough
Here’s the reality that surprises most business owners: having a strong ranking on the traditional Google local search results does not guarantee you will be recommended by AI. I’ve analyzed businesses that are number one in the Google “Map Pack” but get zero mentions from AI assistants.
Why? Because the AI is looking for that broader consensus I mentioned. It might find that your competitor, who is ranked lower on Maps, has more consistent listings across other directories, more mentions in local blogs, and more detailed reviews. The AI weighs this collective reputation more heavily than a single ranking position on one platform.
The Trap: Avoid Chasing “AI-Only” Tricks
Because this technology is new, you will see a lot of noise online about secret tricks or complex tactics to “hack” the AI. Most of it is a distraction from what truly works. Some marketers are taking advantage of the confusion, but there is no magic bullet.
The core principles of good local marketing haven’t changed. Building a strong reputation, being consistent with your information, and providing genuine value to your customers are what matter. Focusing on these fundamentals is the most reliable way to earn the trust of both customers and the AI tools they use.
The Frustration of Inconsistent Information
I was working with the owner of a highly-regarded law firm in Sathorn. Despite her excellent reputation, she was frustrated that AI assistants would sometimes recommend a competitor or show her old office address. The problem was that her firm’s information was inconsistent across dozens of online directories she didn’t even know existed.
Manually finding and fixing every single one of these listings is a tedious, time-consuming nightmare. You have to create accounts for each directory, submit changes, and wait for them to be approved. For a busy business owner, it’s an impossible task. To solve this, we use a tool with our clients called OnEveryMap. It allows us to scan and automatically fix a business’s information across all the important online directories from a single dashboard. It ensures the AI sees a consistent, trustworthy signal everywhere, which is the key to getting recommended.
