Get Recommended by ChatGPT and Google AI: Affiliate Guide

Key Takeaway: You cannot hack your way into AI recommendations. Google says no special optimization is required, and OpenAI says to allow its search crawler. What is left is the work that was always right: open doors, honest reviews, fresh facts and clear answers.

Why this matters this holiday season

More shoppers now start with a question to an AI assistant, like "what is a good gift for a new gamer under $100?", before they ever open a search page. Here is what the numbers say. In its September 2026 holiday forecast, Adobe projects US online holiday sales of $275.1 billion, up 6.7%, and AI-referred traffic to US retail sites up 130% from last year. For the Thanksgiving period alone, Adobe's page projects growth of 141%.

Two honest notes keep this in perspective. First, Search Engine Watch points out that the channel is still modest in overall volume, so 130% growth is not the same as 130% of all traffic. Second, Adobe measures visits to retail sites, not affiliate blogs. I am not claiming your blog will see the same jump. I am saying shoppers are changing how they look for recommendations, and your posts can be part of that.

There is also a quality signal worth noting. Adobe's Q1 2026 report found that AI-referred visitors converted 42% better than other traffic in March 2026, a big reversal from a year earlier. And in Adobe's holiday survey, 69% of people said they were less likely to return an item they bought with an AI assistant's help.

The honest limits first

Before we get practical, here is what nobody can promise. Google's own page on AI features says specific optimization is not required for AI Overviews and AI Mode, and that no special schema markup is needed. It also says that AI Mode and AI Overviews may use different models and techniques, so the answers and links they show will vary. OpenAI describes its search crawler the same way: it lets your pages be surfaced, but it does not promise a spot.

So the goal is not "rank number one in ChatGPT." The goal is to be eligible, be easy to read, and be the kind of page that is genuinely worth citing. That is something you can control.

Step 1: Make sure the doors are open

If a crawler cannot reach your page, nothing else matters. There are two simple checks, one for Google and one for OpenAI.

• Google: to be shown as a supporting link in AI Overviews or AI Mode, a page must be indexed and eligible to appear in Google Search with a snippet. Google also notes that more restrictive permissions limit how your content can be featured in its AI experiences.
• OpenAI: its crawler for ChatGPT search is called OAI-SearchBot. OpenAI says sites that opt out of it will not be shown in ChatGPT search answers, though they can still appear as navigational links. It recommends allowing it in your robots.txt file. This setting is separate from GPTBot, which is about model training, so you can allow one and block the other. Changes can take about 24 hours to take effect.

What to check on Blogger

Good news: a Blogger blog that has not been customized typically allows crawlers by default. The common default file blocks only the internal /search pages and leaves a rule for the AdSense bot, so most readers will not need to change anything. If you do use a custom robots.txt, keep the AdSense bot rule exactly as it is, because changing it can affect how ads are matched to your content.

Pro Tip: If you put a service like Cloudflare in front of your custom domain, check its bot settings too. Some guides report that a toggle there can override your robots.txt. I could not confirm the details for every setup, so look at your own dashboard.

Step 2: Write reviews that are worth citing

Google's guidance on writing high quality reviews is still the best checklist for affiliate posts, and it fits AI search too. Here is what it says, in plain words:

• Show real evidence. Use your own photos, screenshots, audio or links that prove you used the thing.
• Focus on what decides the purchase. Pick the few factors that matter most for that product.
• Explain why something is "best." If you call a product best overall or best for a purpose, say why, with first-hand support.
• Offer more than one seller when it makes sense, so readers can buy where they prefer.
• Make ranked lists stand on their own. A "best gifts" list should be useful even if the reader never clicks a separate review.
• Quality over length. Google says to focus on how original and useful your review is, not how long it is.

Google also acknowledges that reviews often use affiliate links, and the advice is the same: put the quality and originality of the review first.

Step 3: Answer the questions people ask AI

People talk to AI the way they talk to a friend. They ask things like "which one is better for a small apartment?" or "is it worth paying more?" You can write for those questions without any special tricks:

• Start each section with a short, direct answer, then explain.
• Use a simple comparison table for two to four products.
• Name the audience clearly, such as "best for students" or "best for gifts under $50."
• Say who should skip the product. It makes your picks easier to trust.

Google also says that supporting your text with good images and videos helps, and that it has seen clicks from AI Overviews be higher quality, with visitors more likely to spend time on the site.

Step 4: Keep your facts fresh for Black Friday

Holiday shoppers hate dead deals, and so do AI assistants that point to your page. A few habits keep you safe:

• Add a "last checked" date near each price.
• Remove expired deals instead of leaving them up.
• Check that your affiliate links still work and go to the right product.
• Re-read your top posts the week before Black Friday, which falls on November 27 this year.

I also covered how to prepare your blog for the holiday ad rush in my guide to preparing your AdSense blog for the Black Friday CPM spike, and my list of affiliate programs for Black Friday 2026 can help you pick what to feature.

Step 5: Say clearly that you earn commissions

Tell readers when a link may earn you a commission, and put that note close to the links, not buried in a footer. It is honest, it builds trust, and the US Federal Trade Commission expects clear disclosure. This is general information, not legal advice, so check the current rules for your situation.

Step 6: Measure what happens

You do not need fancy tools to see whether this is working.

• Google AI features: Google says traffic from AI Overviews and AI Mode is included in your normal Search Console Performance report, under the Web search type. There is no separate switch to flip.
• ChatGPT referrals: check your referral sources, either in Blogger's Stats under traffic sources or in Google Analytics if you use it, and look for visits from chatgpt.com.
• Your clicks: compare your affiliate dashboard before and after you update a post.

What not to do

One more choice that is yours to make: you can allow OpenAI's search crawler and still block GPTBot if you do not want your content used for training. They are separate settings, so decide what fits your site.

A 45-minute holiday checklist

1. Open your robots.txt and confirm nothing blocks OAI-SearchBot or the whole site (5 minutes).
2. Check that your top five review posts are indexed and not set to nosnippet (10 minutes).
3. Add a "How I chose these" box and a "last checked" date to each of those posts (15 minutes).
4. Add a short disclosure line near your affiliate links (5 minutes).
5. Set a reminder to re-check prices the week before November 27 (2 minutes).
6. Take screenshots of your referral sources now, so you can compare later (8 minutes).

Final thoughts

It is easy to feel nervous when shoppers start asking chatbots instead of searching. But the posts that are most likely to be useful to AI are the same ones readers love: honest, tested and up to date. Open the doors, do the real work, and keep your facts fresh. Then let the season show you what happens.

Sources and limits: this article draws on Adobe's September 2026 holiday forecast and its Q1 2026 AI traffic report (conversion figures as reported by Search Engine Watch, Retail Dive and other outlets), Google Search Central's pages on AI features and writing high quality reviews, OpenAI's crawler documentation, and public Blogger robots.txt guides. Adobe's data covers US retail sites, not affiliate blogs, and some outlets report slightly different Thanksgiving growth figures. Nobody outside Google or OpenAI can guarantee citations, and Blogger menu names may differ on your dashboard. Reviewed October 4, 2026. This is general information, not legal or financial advice.

Hardeep Singh

Hardeep Singh is a tech and money-blogging enthusiast, sharing guides on earning apps, affiliate programs, online business tips, AI tools, SEO, and blogging tutorials. About Author.