AI citation

Why it matters

More people ask assistants instead of searching. When an assistant cites your page, you get a visit from someone with a clear need, and your brand is presented as a trusted source. When it does not, the answer may name competitors instead.

What gets cited

Pages that answer a question directly in a sentence that can be quoted, that carry specific facts and numbers, and that are easy for crawlers to read: server-rendered text, clear headings and structured data. Assistants that search the web also favor pages that already rank in search.

Making your site readable

Let AI crawlers in through robots.txt if you want to be cited, publish an llms.txt file that points to your key pages, and consider Markdown versions of pages for agents. Check what assistants see with a GEO checker.

Mentions beyond your site

Assistants also learn about products from what other sites say: directories, comparison pages, reviews and community threads. A product described consistently across many trusted pages is more likely to be named in answers, even without a direct link. Launch listings and directory pages help here, as long as their descriptions are accurate.

Example

Asked "which launch platforms give a dofollow link", an assistant cites a page that lists platforms with the link type checked on real listings, because it states the facts plainly.

Questions people ask

How do I get my product cited by ChatGPT?

Have pages that state clearly what the product is and does, get mentioned on sites that assistants already trust, and make sure AI crawlers can read your site.

Can I see when AI assistants cite my site?

Partly: visits from AI assistants show in analytics as referrals from their domains, and some tools track brand mentions in AI answers.