How to get cited by AI search
AI assistants answer with a few cited sources. Getting into that shortlist takes crawl access, pages that are easy to quote, and a brand that shows up across the web. Here's the checklist.
By Anurag Pattnaik · Updated 28 Sep 2026
- If AI crawlers can't fetch your pages, you can't be cited — check robots.txt first.
- llms.txt gives assistants a clean map of your most useful pages.
- Answer the question in the first lines; use clear headings, tables and definitions.
- Structured data and consistent facts help machines understand who you are.
- Brand mentions and links on trusted sites feed the sources assistants draw on.
- Measure it: track when and where assistants cite you.
How AI search picks sources
Assistants with web search retrieve pages, pick passages that answer the question, and cite a handful of sources. Pages that load cleanly, state facts clearly and come from recognisable brands are easier to retrieve and quote.
Traditional SEO still matters: many assistants lean on search indexes to find candidates. AI visibility is an extension of search visibility, not a replacement.
1. Let AI crawlers in
Check robots.txt for the user agents that fetch pages for AI products. Blocking them is a legitimate choice — but it means those products can't read you.
| User agent | Operator | Used for |
|---|---|---|
| GPTBot | OpenAI | Crawling for model training |
| OAI-SearchBot | OpenAI | Search features in ChatGPT |
| ChatGPT-User | OpenAI | Fetching pages a user asks about |
| ClaudeBot | Anthropic | Crawling for Claude |
| PerplexityBot | Perplexity | Indexing for Perplexity answers |
| Google-Extended | Controls use of content for Gemini; not a separate crawler and doesn't affect Google Search |
Operators update these names; confirm against each operator's documentation before changing rules.
Free tool2. Publish an llms.txt
llms.txt is a proposed standard (from Answer.AI, 2024): a Markdown file at /llms.txt that summarises your site and links to the pages an assistant should read. It's cheap to add and gives models a clean, curated map.
- H1 with your site or product name
- A one-paragraph summary in a blockquote
- Sections listing key pages as Markdown links with one-line descriptions
- Keep it short and current
3. Make pages easy to quote
- Answer the question in the first 1–2 sentences
- One idea per section, with descriptive H2/H3 headings
- Definitions, numbers and dates stated plainly
- Tables for comparisons, lists for steps
- Author, date and sources on every factual page
- Fast, server-rendered HTML — no key content hidden behind scripts or logins
- One canonical URL per topic
4. Add structured data and consistent facts
Organization, Product/SoftwareApplication, Article and FAQPage markup make it explicit who you are and what a page covers. Keep your name, description, pricing and key facts identical across your site, profiles and listings.
Free tool5. Earn mentions where assistants look
Assistants reflect the web. Being listed on relevant directories, comparison pages, review sites and industry publications makes your brand more likely to be retrieved and named. Consistent, verified listings are part of the same work as link building.
See the directory submission guide for how to choose the listings worth having.
6. Track citations
Pick 20–50 questions your buyers ask assistants. Check them monthly across the assistants that matter to you, and record whether you're cited, which page, and who else is. Watch referral traffic from AI products in analytics.
BuildSEO tracks AI citations in the same pipeline as your links, so you can see whether assistants start citing you as your link profile grows.
- llms.txt: a practical guide Coming soon
- robots.txt for AI crawlers Coming soon
- AI citation tracking: how to measure it Coming soon
- Brand mentions and LLM visibility Coming soon
- AI Search Readiness Checker
- llms.txt Validator