SEO & AI in 2025: How to Get Cited by ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity & AI Overviews

Introduction

In 2025, more discovery journeys start with AI assistants than with classic SERPs. People ask ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity or Google's AI Overviews a question, get a fully composed answer, and only a short list of sources appears underneath. Those citations are the new competitive battlefield.

Large-scale studies of millions of AI answers show that these models do not simply mirror Google's ranking logic. Gemini favours structured, brand-owned pages. ChatGPT leans on listings and directories. Perplexity elevates specialist review sites. AI Overviews mix blogs, deep pages, community posts and video. Enter Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO)—the practice of making your content the material AI trusts enough to cite.

From SEO to GEO

Traditional SEO still matters: keywords, crawlability, links, Core Web Vitals. GEO builds on top by focusing on being quoted inside the AI-generated response.

Output: SEO delivers blue links; GEO delivers narrative answers with a few named sources.
Selection logic: SEO uses ranking factors; GEO looks for clarity, structure, expertise and cross-platform consensus.
Metric: SEO tracks position & traffic; GEO tracks share of citations in AI answers.

Strong SEO makes it easier for AI to find you, but GEO influences how you format, distribute and reinforce content so the models pick your explanation.

What Data Says About AI Source Preferences

The 8,000-Citation Baseline

Search Engine Land and Rankscale analysed ~8,000 citations across 57 queries and found four distinct personalities:

ChatGPT – the authority encyclopaedia: Prefers reference-style sources (Wikipedia, Reuters, Financial Times). Almost no UGC or vendor pages. Tip: appear in neutral, expert copy that feels non-promotional.
Gemini – the balanced synthesiser: Mixes brand blogs (~40%) and news (~25%), plus some video/community content. Tip: deliver in-depth explainers, comparisons and reviews with schema.
Perplexity – the expert curator: Prioritises specialist blogs (~38%), news (~23%) and expert review sites (~9%). Tip: earn coverage on niche, high-trust publications and review platforms.
AI Overviews – the broad aggregator: Loves blogs (~46%) and mainstream news (~20%), but also cites Reddit, Quora, vendor product blogs and deep quality pages. Tip: build a multifaceted footprint: owned media, community, video, product content.

The 6.8 Million Citation Study

Yext analysed 6.8M citations across 1.6M AI answers:

Gemini: ~52% of citations come from brand-owned sites. Structured data, consistent subdomains and factual tone win. Google Business Profile signals contribute even when uncited.
ChatGPT: Nearly half of citations originate from third-party directories/listings (Yelp, TripAdvisor, MapQuest). “Best/top” queries skew even more toward directories.
Perplexity: Relies on specialised, regional review portals and industry directories. For consumer queries, niche sources can be a quarter of citations.

Takeaway: Gemini trusts your structured content, ChatGPT trusts the internet's consensus, Perplexity trusts expert reviewers. GEO strategies must cover all three.

AI Overviews & Video

SurferSEO's 2025 AI Citation Report (57k URLs) shows YouTube contributes nearly a quarter of citations on average. Vertical insights:

Health: Institutional sites (NIH, Mayo Clinic) + YouTube explainers.
E-commerce: Mix of YouTube tutorials, Shopify guides, Amazon pages, Reddit reviews.
Gaming: Community wikis and discussions dominate.
SEO topics: Split between Google documentation and practitioner content on YouTube, LinkedIn, tool blogs.

Message: AI Overviews mirror the real research journey—from definitions to community validation. Video and UGC matter.

Product Content = 46–70% of Citations

Search Engine Journal reports that product-centric pages (detailed specs, buying guides, comparison tables) can represent 46–70% of AI citations in commercial contexts. Well-structured product content is essential for bottom-of-funnel GEO wins.

B2B vs B2C vs Mixed Queries

B2C queries: AI cites media, big review sites, YouTube, comparison blogs, Wikipedia, community threads. Brand sites appear but rarely dominate. Be present wherever consumers research.
B2B queries: Citations move toward industry blogs, vendor sites, analyst reports, directories (G2, Capterra). Invest in expert B2B assets and listings.
Mixed-interest queries: Engines lean on data-driven sources—public reports, rankings, academic papers. Support claims with research and third-party validation.

Seven Practical Tactics for 2025

Structure content like an answer engine. Start with a concise definition (≤80 words). Use question-style H2/H3s (“What is…?”, “How to…?”). Include FAQs and short paragraphs. Great for SEO and makes pages “ready-to-quote”.
Boost E-E-A-T. Publish under real experts with bios, cite primary research, keep critical pages fresh—especially in YMYL sectors. The same trust signals that help Google rank you help AI cite you.
Use citations, quotes, and stats as AI magnets. Research (Stanford/Princeton via Frase) shows fact-dense pages with frequent stats and expert quotes receive up to 40% more AI citations. Aim for a meaningful stat every 150–200 words and attribute everything.
Build a multi-channel footprint. Pair cornerstone posts with YouTube videos, LinkedIn explainers, Reddit contributions, accurate review-site profiles. AI Overviews already blend these touchpoints.
Optimise directories and niche listings. Because ChatGPT/Perplexity lean on directories, treat Yelp, TripAdvisor, Google Business Profile, and sector-specific portals (G2, Capterra, ZocDoc, etc.) as core SEO assets. Keep data complete, consistent, and review-rich.
Treat product and comparison content as strategic assets. Publish “X vs Y”, buying guides, and detailed product narratives with schema markup (Product, Review, FAQ). Capture both organic clicks and AI citations for commercial queries.
Monitor AI citation share-of-voice. Tools such as RankScale, Surfer AI Tracker, and others now track how often ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, and AI Overviews cite your domain. Reverse-engineer leaders and fill gaps (missing directories, no YouTube, little third-party coverage).

GEO Checklist Before You Publish

Clear definition or answer within the first 80 words?
Headings written as questions or discrete subtopics?
Up-to-date statistics with links to original sources?
At least one expert quote or clearly attributed statement?
Tone neutral enough to feel reference-worthy?
Supporting presence on directories, review sites, or niche platforms?
Companion asset ready (video, deck, community post)?

If you can tick most boxes, you're optimising simultaneously for SEO and GEO.

Conclusion

The winning brands in 2025 do three things consistently:

Create clear, well-researched content that genuinely helps people.
Structure and cite it so machines can confidently reuse it.
Distribute it wherever AI engines already look for evidence: websites, directories, videos, forums, expert publications.

Do that and you'll not only rank in Google—you'll also become the brand AI answers cite when users ask about your topic on ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, AI Overviews, and whatever comes next.