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Do you want your content referenced in AI overviews, chatbot outputs, and summaries? Of course you do! It’s a key way to boost brand recognition and trust, drive visitors to your website, and get consumers to check out your products and services.
The issue: AI engines (in their current state) quote some formats far more than others.
Let’s go over which content formats AI prefers to cite so you can focus on creating content more likely to appear in AI-generated overviews and summaries.
Q&A Content
AI search engines favor direct question-and-answer content, especially if it includes answers to the queries people frequently search online. AI engines like ChatGPT scrape this material and use it on their platforms.
If you want to win in this area of search, research what questions people ask related to the products and services your business offers. Forums related to your industry can be great places to find common questions people ask.
Once you identify popular queries, use them as subheads in your content and concisely answer the question in the opening paragraph, reserving additional details or color for later paragraphs. Add frequently asked questions (FAQ) sections to your website pages and blog posts. Keeping your answers clear, concise, and complete will make it more likely that they will be used in summaries.
Tip: Watch what competitor answers to questions AI is including in overviews and summaries and try to find better—or better structured—answers to them. It could help you beat the competition and steal some of their traffic and prospective customers.
Keep in mind that many factors determine which sources get cited in an AI response, and that traditional SEO factors like website authority still play a role in driving your answers to the top of these queries. In other words: merely publishing strong content in Q&A format will not guarantee that it gets viewed in AI search results. Improving your website speed, brand reputation, and overall search rankings will help.
Structured Comparisons, Lists, and Data Tables
Comparative and other types of lists and tables get cited in AI overviews and summaries because they present discrete, extractable facts the search engines can pull and present without needing to interpret them.
When you develop content for your website, find ways to replace or enhance paragraphs of copy with structured comparisons, lists, and data tables. Use clear subheads and descriptions to explain what these assets are about so search engines can understand them. Use original data and insights to increase the possibility of AI selecting them. AI tools prefer information not already available all over the internet.
Third-Party Reviews, Roundups, and Editorial Mentions
Other people’s endorsements of your business have long been a sticking point for SEO. The same is true in the age of AI. Getting positive reviews and mentions on other platforms sends a strong signal to large language models (LLMs) that your voice is worth listening to. This is one reason so many companies are flocking to platforms like Reddit in an effort to join a more organic conversation.
To gain more (and better) reviews, develop a process for requesting reviews from happy clients and customers. Include messages in customer service scripts, follow-up emails, and invoice messaging. For stronger outreach, network with industry and local media personalities and request coverage about your business. The process may be tedious and time-consuming, but a single media mention can pay off in a big way when it comes to earning credibility with AI search engines and earning more mentions.
How to Know AI Search Engines Are Citing Your Content
Use the information in this guide to start producing content AI search engines prefer.
Then leverage AEO by GoEpps to find out for certain whether your efforts are working. This is a uniquely powerful analytics and optimization service. It tracks how a brand ranks against four competitors across 43 metrics in AI search engines like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity.
AEO by GoEpps shifts focus from traditional keyword ranking to getting a brand cited directly inside AI-generated answers and chat responses. It helps businesses get results through:
Direct answers: Recommends content optimizations so AI tools extract single-sentence facts or summaries.
Multi-platform tracking: Monitors performance across engines like ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot, Perplexity, Claude, and Grok.
Key features of AEO by GoEpps include:
AEO SuperScore: A 1 to 100 benchmark rating your website's AI visibility versus competitors (a great way to see if your formatting efforts are working).
Monthly Action Plan: A prioritized checklist detailing content or structural changes to improve AI rankings.
To learn more or view a sample dashboard, check out AEO by GoEpps.
