When someone asks ChatGPT or Perplexity a question, the model composes one answer from a small set of sources. Getting cited means earning a place in that set. Unlike classic SEO, it is not about ranking a single page, it is about being the most quotable, credible source on the topic across the whole web the model reads. Here are twelve tactics that move the needle.
Make your content extractable
- 1Lead with the answer: state the question as a heading and answer it in the first one to two sentences.
- 2Add a TL;DR or key-takeaways block near the top, the block AI engines quote most.
- 3Use FAQ sections with real questions people ask, in natural language.
- 4Break content into short, self-contained paragraphs a model can lift without context.
- 5Add comparison tables, models extract structured data cleanly.
- 6Implement Article, FAQPage and Organization schema so machines parse meaning.
Build credibility the model can verify
- 1Publish original data, benchmarks or survey results, unique numbers get cited.
- 2Show clear authorship and expertise (E-E-A-T): named authors, credentials, dates.
- 3Keep facts current and consistent across every page and profile you control.
- 4Earn mentions in the third-party sources AI trusts, publishers, reviews, communities.
- 5Get listed accurately in the directories and comparison content for your category.
- 6Cite your own sources, models favor content that shows its work.
Measure what you're changing
Track how often each model cites you, your share of voice versus competitors, and the sentiment of how you are described, across ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini and Google AI Overviews. Rankings and traffic no longer tell the whole story; citation rate is the new position.
