Your Bing Places Profile: The Most Overlooked Lever for ChatGPT Recommendations
ChatGPT pulls local recommendations through Bing, not Google. If your Bing Places profile is incomplete or unclaimed, you don't exist for ChatGPT users. Here's a complete step-by-step guide.
Most German businesses have spent years investing in Google. What got overlooked: ChatGPT pulls local recommendations through Bing, not Google.
If you're not visible on Bing, ChatGPT won't recommend you — regardless of how strong your Google profile is.
Why ChatGPT uses Bing
Microsoft and OpenAI have a close partnership. Search Engine Land has measured it: the correlation between Bing presence and ChatGPT recommendations is significantly stronger than with Google. For local service providers in Munich, Bing Places is the most direct lever for ChatGPT visibility.
The current state for most German businesses
Many have an auto-generated Bing listing — never claimed, often outdated: old address, wrong phone number, no opening hours, no photos. Bing treats these as unreliable. ChatGPT builds on these signals.
Step by step: setting up Bing Places
1. Check your listing
Go to bing.com/places. Three scenarios: claimed (update all fields), unclaimed (claim it), not found (create it).
2. Fill in all required fields completely
- Business name — identical to website and Google Business Profile
- Address — complete with postcode and district
- Phone number — consistent format across all platforms
- Opening hours — complete and current
- Category — most specific available
- Description — 200–300 words: what, for whom, where
- Photos — at least three current photos
3. Ensure NAP consistency
Name, address, phone number — identical on your website, Google Business Profile, Bing Places, and relevant directories. Each inconsistency creates uncertainty for AI systems.
4. Keep it current
Update when: address changes, opening hours change, phone numbers change. Bing evaluates recency.
What happens next
Bing indexes changes within a few days. ChatGPT improvements become visible after 2–4 weeks. Bing Places is free, effort is manageable, and the effect on ChatGPT visibility is direct — no ad spend, no complex tech required.
Bing Places is one part of the picture
You also need structured data on your website, consistent NAP across all directories, and content answering potential clients' questions. I offer a free audit covering all of these factors.
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Timo Birck runs TB Webdesign, a web design and AEO agency based in Munich.