How to Get Cited in ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews

How to Get Cited in ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, and Google AI Overviews (2026 Playbook)

Last updated: February 2026

AI search is no longer “coming.” It’s already answering questions for your customers, and it’s sending traffic to a small set of cited sources, not ten blue links.

In a March 2025 sample, Pew Research Center found Google’s AI summaries appeared in 18% of searches. Users were also less likely to click when an AI summary showed up. Translation: fewer clicks overall, but more value for the few sources AI chooses to cite.

Skimmer summary (read this if you have a life)

• Your goal is citations, not just rankings.
• Write answer-first blocks of 40 to 70 words, then expand with proof.
• Make your business identity consistent everywhere including name, positioning, and URLs.
• Add proof like cases, testimonials, and process where AI can actually see it.
• Structure pages for easy extraction with headings, bullets, and tables.
• Use schema for machine clarity, not as a magic trick.
• Keep pages fresh because stale pages look abandoned.

What “being cited” actually means

A citation is when an AI answer includes a link to your page as a source (often 1 to 5 sources). That citation is the new “top ranking.”

In practice, citations go to pages that are:

How AI engines pick sources (simple version)

Example queries that can trigger citations to your page

In 2026, people search not only in Google but directly in AI tools. Here are the types of queries this guide targets:

When you structure your pages to answer these queries directly, AI engines have a clear reason to cite you.

The Citation-First Content System

1) Write for extraction: the Answer-First Rule

For every important topic in your niche, create a section that answers the question in 40 to 70 words immediately. Then expand.

Why: AI summaries love short, complete answers they can quote safely.

Then add examples, steps, FAQs, and proof.

2) Build “citation pages” (not diary blog posts)

Most blogs start with 400 words of throat-clearing. AI engines don’t cite throat-clearing.

Create pages designed to be cited:

3) Make your entity painfully consistent (yes, even punctuation)

AI engines cross-check who you are across the web. If your site says “AI Automation Agency” but your LinkedIn says “Business Coach” and a directory says “Marketing Consultant,” the systems don’t debate it. They downgrade confidence and move on.

Do this:

• Use one official business name everywhere with the same spelling and formatting.
• Use one positioning line everywhere with the same keywords.
• Use the same logo, site URL, and contact info across all platforms.

4) Put proof where AI can actually see it

If you want citations, you need verifiable trust signals on-page.

Minimum proof pack:

• One to three short case studies, even small ones.
• Testimonials with name and role included.
• Founder or team section showing who is responsible.
• Clear service pages with deliverables and scope.
• “How we work” section because process reduces risk.

If clients can’t be named, anonymize responsibly: “A B2B SaaS in Switzerland” or “a medical practice in Geneva,” then explain the steps and outcomes.

5) Structure content like you expect to be quoted

AI extracts best from pages with:

• Clear H2 and H3 headings.
• Short paragraphs.
• Bullets and numbered steps.
• Definitions near the top.
• Tables for comparisons.

Write like a lawyer with a deadline: clear, direct, specific.

6) Use schema for machine clarity (but don’t expect magic)

Schema markup helps machines understand what your page is (Article, FAQ, Service, etc.). It’s not a cheat code, but it improves clarity and consistency.

Also, Google has reduced visibility of some rich results (for example, FAQ and HowTo rich results are largely limited now). That doesn’t make schema useless. It means you should treat schema as machine readability, not as SERP decoration.

Most useful schema types for citation-first sites:

• Organization or LocalBusiness
• Service and Offer
• Article or BlogPosting
• VideoObject if you embed video
• Review (only if truthful)
• FAQPage (still valuable for structure even if not always shown as rich results)

Minimal schema example for a citation-ready article

Here’s a simplified JSON-LD structure that combines Article, Organization, and FAQPage. This helps AI engines understand your entity, topic, and Q&A structure:

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@graph": [
    {
      "@type": "Article",
      "headline": "Your Article Title",
      "datePublished": "2025-01-15",
      "dateModified": "2026-02-01",
      "author": { "@id": "#organization" }
    },
    {
      "@type": "Organization",
      "@id": "#organization",
      "name": "Your Business Name",
      "url": "https://yourdomain.com",
      "sameAs": ["LinkedIn URL", "Other profiles"]
    },
    {
      "@type": "FAQPage",
      "mainEntity": [
        {
          "@type": "Question",
          "name": "Your question here?",
          "acceptedAnswer": {
            "@type": "Answer",
            "text": "Your 1-2 sentence answer."
          }
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}

The goal is not to “boost ranking” but to clarify entity, topic, and Q&A structure for AI engines.

7) Keep content fresh (because stale pages look abandoned)

Stale pages are pages that look old, untouched, or inaccurate: outdated tools, old screenshots, broken steps, old “best tools” lists, or no “last updated” date.

AI systems can interpret stale pages as “not maintained” or “behind,” so they’re less safe to cite.

Simple cadence:

• Refresh your top pages quarterly.
• Update stats, tools, screenshots, and examples.
• Add a clear “Last updated” line.

Platform-specific notes

The 7-page “Citation Core” (fastest foundation)

If you want the simplest setup that earns citations, build these assets:

Weekly workflow (30 minutes/day)

Consistency beats intensity. Every time.

Common mistakes that kill citations

Final thought

What makes a page “safe to quote”:

• Easy to extract from.
• Hard to doubt.
• Obvious about who you are and what you do.

That’s the whole game.

Prepared by Viktoriia Didur, Founder of Vimaxus.

Sources

• Pew Research Center: Google users are less likely to click when an AI summary appears
• Google blog: AI Overviews expansion (May 2025)
• OpenAI Help Center: ChatGPT search
• Google Search Central: Changes to HowTo and FAQ rich results
• Le Monde: Le Monde partnership with Perplexity