Intermediate·9 min read
Getting cited by AI answer engines
A practical intro to generative engine optimization: what changes, what stays the same, and where to start.
Citations are the new ranking
Engines like ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, and Google AI Overviews answer directly and cite the sources they trust. The goal shifts from owning a position to being the source a model quotes, which rewards clarity and verifiable claims.
Write things a model can quote
Lead with direct answers, define terms plainly, and support claims with data and sources. Content that is easy to attribute and hard to dispute is far more likely to be pulled into a generated answer.
Measure where you get cited
Track which queries trigger AI answers, which sources they cite, and whether you appear. Treat the citation list the way you once treated the top ten organic results, and work to earn a place in it.