How to Actually Get Cited by AI (Not Just Ranked)

See our MR research on earned authority and AI visibility.

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Here is what most people get wrong about AI search: they treat it like SEO. Same goal, different channel.

Wrong. The mechanics are fundamentally different — and if you are applying SEO logic to AI visibility, you are leaving 90% of the opportunity on the table.

Let me break down exactly how to optimize for each major AI platform based on their citation behavior.

Perplexity: The Community & News Playbook

Citation rate: 97%

Perplexity is the citation champion. It cites sources in nearly every query, pulling heavily from:

• Reddit (46.7% of top citations)
• News outlets (Reuters, Guardian, TechCrunch)
• Real-time web content

How to get cited:

1. Get into the conversation. Reddit is huge for Perplexity. Engage in relevant communities. Not with spam — with genuine expertise. Answer questions, provide value, build reputation.
2. Newsjacking works. Perplexity pulls real-time news. When something breaks in your industry, get a quote out fast. Be the source.
3. Earned media in high-velocity outlets. TechCrunch, Reuters, Forbes — these get scraped and cited. Prioritize placements in publications that break news.
4. Structured data helps. Perplexity pulls from web content that is well-structured. Schema markup, clear headings, bulleted lists.

ChatGPT: The Authority & Reference Playbook

Citation rate: 16%

ChatGPT is the volume leader but cites sparingly. When it does cite, it favors:

• Wikipedia (47.9% of top citations)
• Established publications (Guardian, major news)
• Book/reference content

How to get cited:

1. Go long-form and authoritative. ChatGPT's limited citations go to the most authoritative sources. Think comprehensive guides, reference content, definitive resources.
2. Wikipedia matters more than you think. If you can get a factual, verifiable Wikipedia presence, ChatGPT is more likely to cite you.
3. Get cited by sources that ChatGPT trusts. If the Guardian, Reuters, or major outlets cite you, you inherit their authority.
4. Be the consensus answer. ChatGPT tends to cite the source that represents the established view, not the contrarian take.

Google AI Overviews: The Traditional-SEO-Plus Playbook

Citation rate: 34%

Google AI Overviews is the hybrid — still pulling from traditional SEO signals while adding AI extraction.

How to get cited:

1. Keep doing what works for SEO. Featured snippets, structured data, high-authority backlinks — these still matter.
2. FAQ content is gold. AI Overviews pull heavily from question-answer patterns. FAQSchema is not optional.
3. Review and Q&A content. Google pulls from review platforms and Q&A sites. Manage your presence there.
4. E-E-A-T signals. Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness. Google's bread and butter.

Claude: The Depth & Precision Playbook

Claude is different. It favors academic sources, technical documentation, and precise, well-reasoned content.

How to get cited:

1. Depth over breadth. Claude responds better to thorough, nuanced analysis than surface-level content.
2. Technical precision. If your space has technical depth, lead with it. Claude respects expertise.
3. Citation-worthy structure. Clear citations, linked sources, transparent methodology.

The Platform-Agnostic Rules

Regardless of platform, three things are universal:

1. Specific numbers beat vague claims. "We drove 247% more qualified leads" gets cited. "We drove more leads" does not.
2. Entity consistency matters. AI engines need to verify who you are. Consistent entity declarations across all content — name, role, company, credentials.
3. Quotable sentences are citation bait. Write sentences that stand alone as facts. AI engines extract these. Make them about you.

What To Do Monday Morning

Here is your action list:

1. Audit your current AI visibility. Search your brand and category terms across Perplexity, ChatGPT, and Google AI Overviews. See where you are — and where you are not.
2. Map your earned media to platform priorities. If Perplexity is big in your space (tech, B2B, news-driven), prioritize community and news. If ChatGPT is dominant (consumer, reference-heavy), prioritize authoritative content.
3. Build citation architecture into every piece of content. Specific numbers. Quotable claims. Entity declarations. FAQ patterns. This is the foundation of Machine Relations.
4. Track it. Set up monitoring for your brand and key terms across AI platforms. Measure citations, not just rankings.

The brands winning in 2026 are the ones treating AI visibility as a discipline, not a tactic. And the discipline starts with understanding how each platform decides what to cite. Our full GEO 2026 guide covers this in depth.

That is how you own the citation graph. That is Machine Relations in practice.

Key Takeaways

• Perplexity (97% citations): Prioritize Reddit, news outlets, and breaking news
• ChatGPT (16% citations): Focus on Wikipedia and authoritative reference content
• Google AI Overviews (34% citations): Continue traditional SEO + structured data
• Claude: Prioritize depth, technical precision, and academic-style citations
• Universal rule: Specific numbers, entity consistency, and quotable claims

Platform Citation Comparison

Platform	Citation Rate	Top Source	Optimization Focus
Google AI Overviews	34%	Web pages	SEO + Snippets
ChatGPT	16%	Wikipedia (47.9%)	Authority content

Frequently Asked Questions

Which AI platform should I prioritize first?

Prioritize based on where your audience searches. B2B tech: Perplexity. Consumer/reference: ChatGPT. Most brands: both.

Do I still need traditional SEO?

Yes — especially for Google AI Overviews. Traditional SEO signals still matter for hybrid platforms.

How long does AI visibility take to build?

Most brands see initial citations within 30-60 days of consistent MR execution. Full authority compounds over 6-12 months.

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Source: https://otterly.ai/agencies-ai-search-monitoring