Expert Summary ChatGPT doesn’t “prefer” Australian sites; it mirrors Google. Our tests show it often scrapes Google’s results and follows their canonical decisions. To appear in AI answers in 2026, you don’t need a “local” trick—you need to rank high in Google and optimise for direct answer formats. The Situation in 2026 Australian SMEs are facing a double squeeze: soaring digital ad costs and “zero-click” searches where AI answers the query on the page. This steals traffic from your website, forcing a shift from chasing clicks to chasing citations within the AI response to maintain lead flow. Key Considerations Canonical Reliance: We’ve seen ChatGPT surface URLs that Google has already canonicalised to a different version. It appears to be scraping Google’s index rather than making its own independent discovery decisions. So what: If your technical SEO is messy and Google is ignoring your rel canonical hints, your AI visibility will be inconsistent and may drive users to the wrong page. Usage Patterns: Australians are using AI as a “shortlist” generator for research and comparison. They aren’t looking for a landing page; they are looking for a recommendation. So what: Your content must move away from generic “About Us” fluff and toward structured, comparison-heavy data that an AI can easily parse and recommend. The Cost of Entry: While ChatGPT ads have launched, the US$200,000 minimum spend makes paid visibility a game for big enterprises only. So what: SMEs cannot rely on a “paid” shortcut to get cited in AI answers; you must win organically through Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO) to remain competitive. The Verification Gap: Most Australian users treat ChatGPT as a productivity assistant, not a final source of truth. So what: There is a massive opportunity to capture these users by providing the “verification” layer—deep, authoritative content that proves the AI’s summary was correct. ROI and Growth Perspective ROI Growth Agency treats AI visibility as a high-leverage way to lower acquisition costs. We stop focusing on vanity traffic and instead implement AEO frameworks that position our clients as the primary source for AI citations. This ensures that when a prospect asks for a recommendation, your business is the one the AI suggests. Published by ROI.COM.AU — Australia’s business growth resource.

Expert Summary ChatGPT’s search results in Australia are more likely influenced by Google than Bing, given its scraping of Google results. As of 2026, with ChatGPT advertising on hold, Australian businesses focus on AI search visibility. The Situation in 2026 Australian businesses face rising acquisition costs, AI-disrupted search, and tight budgets. With ChatGPT usage on the rise, understanding its search results is crucial for maintaining online visibility. The cost of living squeeze and digital ad cost inflation add to the pressure. Key Considerations Our client work shows that ChatGPT often returns incorrect canonical URLs, mirroring Google’s indexing decisions. So, ensuring Google is handling canonicalization correctly is vital for Australian businesses. We typically see that Bing is good at returning the correct language URLs, but its influence on ChatGPT search results appears limited. Therefore, businesses should prioritize optimizing for Google’s indexing and canonicalization. When testing ChatGPT with translated content, we found that it often returns the US English version instead of the correct language URL. This means Australian businesses with multilingual content must ensure their hreflang implementation is correct and actively monitor Google Search Console. Across our client work, we’ve observed that ChatGPT’s conversational interface closely matches the adoption curve of younger and working-age Australians, making it essential for businesses to understand how their target audience interacts with ChatGPT. ROI and Growth Perspective At ROI Growth Agency, we believe that understanding ChatGPT’s search results and optimizing for Google’s indexing is crucial for maintaining a competitive advantage in the Australian market. By focusing on AI search visibility and ensuring correct canonicalization, businesses can improve their online presence and drive revenue growth. Australian businesses can leverage tools like Google Search Console to monitor and optimize their website’s performance. Published by ROI.COM.AU — Australia’s business growth resource.

Expert Summary Check your website’s robots.txt file to see if GPTBot is blocked by looking for the “Disallow” directive. In 2026, Australian businesses must ensure AI crawlers like GPTBot can access their content to avoid negative SEO impacts. The Situation in 2026 Australian businesses face increasing pressure to optimize their online presence as AI-led search disruption and digital ad cost inflation continues to rise. With the cost of living squeeze affecting consumer behaviour, businesses must ensure their website is technically accessible to AI systems to remain competitive. The accuracy of robots.txt files has become crucial in this context. Key Considerations Across our client work, we’ve found that blocked AI crawlers can lead to reduced website visibility, so it’s essential to audit your robots.txt file to ensure GPTBot and other AI crawlers are allowed to crawl your content. What we typically see in this situation is that a simple check of the robots.txt file can reveal if GPTBot is blocked, and adjusting the “Disallow” directive can resolve the issue, so it’s crucial to regularly review and update your robots.txt file. One pattern that keeps showing up is that many Australian businesses overlook the importance of technical accessibility, including robots.txt files, which can have significant implications for their online presence and revenue. ROI and Growth Perspective At ROI Growth Agency, we understand the importance of ensuring AI crawlers like GPTBot can access your content to maximize online visibility and drive revenue growth. By leveraging tools like HubSpot’s Content Hub, Australian businesses can optimize their content structuring and publishing workflows to improve technical accessibility and stay ahead of the competition. This approach can help businesses in Australia maintain a competitive advantage in the market. Published by ROI.COM.AU — Australia’s business growth resource.

Expert Summary GPTBot is a type of AI bot, and in 2026, Australian businesses should block it to prevent unnecessary traffic and costs, especially with the rise of AI-disrupted search and tight marketing budgets. The Situation in 2026 Australian businesses are under pressure to manage rising acquisition costs, navigate AI-disrupted search, and deal with flat conversion rates, all while working with tight budgets. The cost of living squeeze and digital ad cost inflation are exacerbating these challenges. With AI-led search disruption, businesses must be cautious about the bots and scrapers hammering their sites. Key Considerations Across our client work, we’ve found that AI bots and scrapers can dramatically inflate website traffic numbers, leading to unnecessary costs and hosting overages, so it’s essential to set up bot management and blocking functionality, such as Cloudflare. What we typically see in this situation is that official AI search platforms like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Claude can be distinguished from malicious bots and scrapers, and it’s crucial to allow the former while blocking the latter to maintain a positive user experience and avoid losing valuable traffic. One pattern that keeps showing up is that AI bots and scrapers often don’t use specific user-agents, making them difficult to block using traditional methods like robots.txt, so more advanced solutions like Cloudflare are necessary to mitigate these issues. When dealing with AI bots and scrapers, it’s vital to monitor website traffic and analytics closely to identify and address potential issues promptly, such as the sudden spikes in traffic that can indicate bot activity. ROI and Growth Perspective At ROI Growth Agency, we recommend that Australian businesses take a proactive approach to managing AI bots and scrapers to protect their revenue and maintain a competitive advantage. By leveraging tools like Cloudflare and closely monitoring website traffic, businesses can ensure they’re not wasting resources on unnecessary traffic and focus on driving genuine growth and conversions. This approach can help Australian businesses optimize their marketing budgets and improve their overall ROI. Published by ROI.COM.AU — Australia’s business growth resource.

Expert Summary To get your website crawled by GPTBot in the Australian market, ensure your site is well-structured, mobile-friendly, and has relevant, high-quality content, as Google’s algorithms prioritise these factors, especially with the rise of AI-led search disruption in 2026. The Situation in 2026 Australian businesses are facing increased pressure to optimise their digital presence due to the rising cost of living, AI-led search disruption, and digital ad cost inflation. As a result, getting crawled by GPTBot is crucial for maintaining online visibility. With changing buyer behaviour, businesses must adapt to stay competitive. Key Considerations Across our client work, we’ve found that having a well-structured website with clear navigation and relevant content is essential for getting crawled by GPTBot, so ensure your site is easy to navigate and has a clear hierarchy of information. What we typically see in this situation is that websites with high-quality, unique content are more likely to be crawled and indexed by GPTBot, so focus on creating valuable content that resonates with your target audience. <li-One pattern that keeps showing up is that websites with good technical SEO, including fast server response times and proper robots.txt files, are more likely to be crawled by GPTBot, so ensure your site's technical foundation is solid. Using tools like Cloudflare can help manage bot traffic and reduce hosting costs, which is particularly important for Australian businesses facing tight budgets and rising digital ad costs. ROI and Growth Perspective At ROI Growth Agency, we believe that getting crawled by GPTBot is crucial for maintaining online visibility and driving revenue growth. By optimising your website for crawlability and creating high-quality content, you can improve your competitive advantage and increase your chances of being found by potential customers. Using tools like Cloudflare and focusing on technical SEO can also help reduce costs and improve efficiency, which is essential for Australian businesses looking to stay ahead in a rapidly changing market. Published by ROI.COM.AU — Australia’s business growth resource.