How to Get Your Brand Mentioned by ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity

The way people search is changing—fast. Instead of typing a question into Google and clicking through pages of blue links, more users are asking ChatGPT, Gemini (Google's AI), or Perplexity.ai and receiving summarized, AI-generated answers in seconds. These tools often pull from across the web—but here’s the kicker: they don’t cite everyone.

This shift has massive implications for SEO and brand visibility. Traditional search optimization is no longer enough. To truly stay competitive, your brand needs to show up where people are getting instant answers—inside the AI-generated summaries themselves.

Whether you're a SaaS company, DTC brand, or service provider, being referenced in these tools can establish you as an authority and drive indirect traffic, backlinks, and trust. But how do these tools choose what to include? And how can you make sure your content is part of the conversation?

This blog post breaks it all down: how AI tools find and cite content, how to structure your website to get noticed, and how to track whether you're actually showing up.

Table of Contents

How Generative AI Tools Source Information

Understanding how generative AI platforms gather and prioritize information is crucial if you want your brand to be cited. These tools don’t randomly generate facts—they synthesize data from a curated, often verified pool of online sources. Each AI model approaches this differently.

ChatGPT (OpenAI)

ChatGPT, especially with browsing enabled (available via GPT-4o with web access), pulls from:

• Live webpages and indexed content
• High-authority sources like Wikipedia, news outlets, and prominent blogs
• Its internal training data, which includes content up to its cutoff date

When browsing is disabled, ChatGPT relies entirely on its training data—so if you weren’t part of that training set, your brand likely won’t be mentioned unless users upload or paste information directly. When browsing is active, it tends to favor domains with high trust signals and clear structured content.

Gemini (Google)

Gemini is powered by Google’s infrastructure, meaning it taps into the full weight of Google Search and its ranking algorithm. It favors:

• Well-optimized, mobile-friendly, and authoritative websites
• Pages with structured data like FAQ, Organization, and Article schema
• Content that already ranks well in traditional search

While Gemini doesn’t always cite sources visibly, the answers reflect Google’s prioritization of top-performing content.

Perplexity.ai

Perplexity offers the clearest citation model. Every response includes visible hyperlinks to the sources it used. It leans on:

• News publications
• Knowledge bases (e.g., Wikipedia, Stack Overflow)
• Informative blog posts and tools with high domain authority

It’s also sensitive to real-time changes and updates its sources frequently, making it ideal for tracking brand citations.

Bottom Line: AI tools prioritize trustworthy, well-structured, and consistently updated content. Brands that treat their site like a source of record—not just marketing—will win.

Key Strategies to Get Mentioned in ChatGPT, Gemini & Perplexity

1. Publish Authoritative, Original Content

AI engines prioritize credible, information-rich sources. If your blog posts regurgitate generic advice, you’ll get ignored.

What works:

• In-depth, evergreen content
• Unique viewpoints or first-hand data
• Clear answers to common (and niche) questions
• High engagement and backlink potential

Use tools like Frase, SurferSEO, or Clearscope to uncover what real users are asking, then structure your content to answer those queries clearly. For example, instead of “SEO Trends,” write a post titled “What Are the Key SEO Trends AI Tools Will Use in 2025?”

Well-structured, long-form content with question-based subheadings tends to be favored by ChatGPT’s browsing mode and Google’s Gemini when summarizing complex topics.

2. Use Structured Data (Schema.org)

Structured data—or schema markup—is one of the most underutilized signals when it comes to getting cited by AI platforms.

Recommended schema types:

• Organization: Add to your homepage and About pages
• Article: Add to every blog post
• FAQPage: Add to help centers or question-based content
• Product or Review: Add to product detail pages (especially for e-commerce)

Proper schema markup helps AI tools understand the context and reliability of your content. Use TechnicalSEO.com’s Schema Markup Generator to create valid snippets quickly.

3. Build High-Quality Backlinks

Just like in traditional SEO, authority matters. AI tools—especially ChatGPT with browsing or Gemini—prefer content that is frequently referenced across the web.

Proven link-building tactics:

• Guest posting on industry blogs
• Submitting to HARO (Help A Reporter Out)
• Publishing original research, reports, or statistics
• Earning links via PR, roundups, or press coverage

Backlinks from .edu, .gov, and high-authority niche publications are particularly valuable. Also consider contributing insights to niche podcasts and LinkedIn roundups, as some AI systems crawl LinkedIn articles and transcripts as part of their dataset.

4. Get Listed in Trusted Directories

Many generative tools extract structured data from web directories to create knowledge graphs. If you’re not in these directories, AI tools may treat you as irrelevant or invisible.

How to get listed:

• Crunchbase: Sign up for a free Crunchbase account and create a profile under your company name. Add detailed fields like founding date, industry, funding, team members, and links to your site and socials. Verify the company domain via email to improve legitimacy.
• G2: Submit your SaaS product or service through the “Add a Product” form. You’ll need to include a description, pricing, images, and competitor listings. Encourage current users to leave reviews to boost your ranking.
• Trustpilot: Set up a business profile and start collecting reviews by inviting customers directly. Verified reviews build trust with AI engines and increase your discoverability.
• Product Hunt: Submit your product during launch or relaunch. Optimize your listing with branded images, a compelling description, and relevant tags. Upvotes help your page appear in AI outputs for tools and software queries.
• Wikipedia/Wikidata: If eligible, submit a page with citations from third-party news and press. Notability is key. If a full Wikipedia page isn’t feasible, create a Wikidata entity linked to your website, founder, and social properties. Gemini and Perplexity often use Wikidata entries to match brand entities to web results.

5. Claim Knowledge Panels (If Available)

When your brand or founder has a Google Knowledge Panel, you’re more likely to be treated as a “verified entity”—especially in Gemini and ChatGPT browsing models.

Steps:

1. Search your brand or name. If a panel appears, click “Claim this panel.”
2. Verify identity via official websites, social accounts, or Google Business profiles.
3. Update associated information using linked sources (Wikipedia, Crunchbase, LinkedIn, etc.).

Even if you don’t have one yet, building consistent mentions across trusted sources can trigger panel generation over time.

6. Publish Thought Leadership & Proprietary Data

Generative AI engines reward originality. They often cite the first publisher of a new idea, term, or data set—especially if it’s well-formatted.

What to publish:

• Industry benchmarks or trends
• Customer survey results
• Founder opinions or predictions
• “State of the Industry” style reports

These assets not only earn links and press, but they also increase the likelihood that your insights get picked up and cited in AI-driven summaries.

7. Align with Recognized Entities

Large Language Models (LLMs) don’t just process keywords—they understand entities. These are real-world concepts or identifiers like people, organizations, or product names that link to larger knowledge graphs (e.g., Wikidata or Wikipedia).

How to align with entities:

• Create or claim Wikidata entries for your brand, products, and leadership.
• Link out to established entities (e.g., Google, ChatGPT, Shopify) using consistent terminology and URLs.
• Use internal linking to group content by topic and reinforce your authority in a specific niche (e.g., a cluster on AI SEO).

🔧 Tool Tip: Use Google's Natural Language AI Demo to analyze your site and see what entities it recognizes in your content.

8. Fix Crawlability (robots.txt, meta tags, sitemaps)

You can’t be cited if AI tools can’t find or access your content. Many brands accidentally block their most valuable pages.

Check your robots.txt:

• Visit yourdomain.com/robots.txt
• Make sure no important sections are disallowed (e.g., /blog/ or /resources/).
• Use Google’s robots.txt Tester to validate.

Check meta tags:

• Look for <meta name="robots" content="noindex"> on key pages.
• Replace with <meta name="robots" content="index, follow"> where needed.

Submit your sitemap:

1. Generate a sitemap via WordPress (Yoast, Rank Math) or manually.
2. Log into Google Search Console
3. Go to “Sitemaps” → Submit your URL (e.g., /sitemap.xml)
4. Repeat in Bing Webmaster Tools

This ensures your content is indexed—and accessible for crawling by AI models that rely on search engine data.

9. Improve Mobile Speed & Semantic Structure

Page speed and structure aren’t just for SEO—they impact how AI tools evaluate your site’s usability and value.

Speed optimization tips:

• Compress images using TinyPNG or WebP formats
• Minify CSS and JS using plugins like Autoptimize
• Use lazy loading and CDN services like Cloudflare
• Check PageSpeed Insights and aim for a 90+ score on mobile

Semantic structure tips:

• Use proper HTML5 elements: <article>, <header>, <section>, <main>
• Follow clear heading hierarchies (one H1 per page, followed by H2s/H3s)
• Avoid excessive inline styles or div clutter that confuses crawlers

Structured, performant pages increase your chances of being included in AI summaries—especially on mobile-first tools like Gemini.

🎯BONUS: Use Prompt Engineering in Content Strategy

LLMs learn from how users ask questions. You can use this to your advantage by structuring your content around prompt-like headlines and queries.

Examples:

• Blog titles like:
  • “Who Are the Best Marketing Agencies for Food Brands in 2025?”
  • “How to Optimize for AI Overviews (GEO Explained)”

These formats mimic user queries and improve the odds that your post is pulled into AI responses as a pre-written answer.

Optimizing Your Website for AI Visibility

Even the best-written blog post can go unnoticed by generative AI systems if it’s not properly structured for machine readability. In this section, we focus on two foundational elements that directly affect how ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity understand and prioritize your pages: heading hierarchy and metadata optimization.

1. Use Clear, Structured Headers (H1, H2, H3)

Headers help break your content into understandable chunks—for both readers and AI crawlers. Language models often scan for structured patterns like FAQs, how-tos, and bullet breakdowns using these tags.

Header hierarchy rules:

• Your page should contain only one H1 tag, usually the blog post or page title.
• Use H2s for top-level sections (e.g., “How Generative AI Uses Structured Data”).
• Use H3s for supporting ideas, tips, or sub-steps under each H2.

Why it matters: AI scrapers use these headings to summarize content. In Perplexity, for instance, AI often pulls answer blocks directly from structured H2/H3 sections. Gemini, trained on search index patterns, leans heavily on heading clarity to match snippets with user queries.

Example structure for a blog post:

• H1: What Is Answer Engine Optimization (AEO)?
  • H2: How AEO Differs from Traditional SEO
    • H3: AEO Focuses on Direct Answers
    • H3: SEO Focuses on Keyword Rankings
  • H2: Tools to Improve AEO

Poorly structured pages (e.g., multiple H1s, inconsistent nesting, or no headers at all) confuse AI and reduce your chances of getting cited.

2. Optimize Metadata for AI and AEO

Metadata is often overlooked—but it’s the first thing search crawlers and generative AI see.

How to write AI-friendly title tags:

• Begin with the target keyword or question (“What Is AEO?”).
• Keep it under 60 characters to prevent truncation in SERPs or snippet displays.
• Add your brand for recognition (“| Jetfuel Agency”).

Best practices for meta descriptions:

• Write a direct answer or benefit statement in the first 100 characters.
• Add a light CTA (“Learn how to…” or “Get the checklist…”).
• Include a secondary keyword if space allows.

This structured metadata helps AI engines quickly categorize your page and quote it in results—even when no user has clicked yet.

3. Use Semantic HTML for Clarity

Semantic HTML helps both search engines and AI tools understand the structure and purpose of each section of your page. Unlike using a generic <div> for everything, semantic tags carry meaning.

Key elements to use:

• <article> for blog content or product detail
• <section> for subsections of an article or landing page
• <header>, <nav>, <main>, <aside>, and <footer> to outline page structure
• <h1> to <h6> to organize headings properly

Why it matters: Tools like Gemini and ChatGPT's browsing mode analyze semantic tags to determine which parts of a page are essential vs. navigational or decorative. A well-tagged <article> section is more likely to be cited than text buried in a <div> without semantic meaning.

4. Place Schema in the Right Spots

It’s not just about using structured data—you also need to embed it correctly.

Tips:

• Use JSON-LD format (Google’s preferred method).
• Place schema in the <head> section or just before the closing </body> tag.
• Ensure consistency between schema values and visible content. (If your Organization schema lists a different name or URL than what appears on the page, it may be ignored.)

Recommended schema types:

• FAQPage for listicles or tutorials
• Article for blog posts
• Organization for home and About pages
• Product and Review for eCommerce

Test your implementation using Google’s Rich Results Test and Schema.org Validator.

5. Use Internal Linking to Reinforce Authority

AI tools interpret a page’s importance partially based on how it’s linked within your site.

Best practices:

• Link to your most valuable, evergreen content from new posts.
• Use descriptive anchor text that mirrors user queries (e.g., “AI SEO for eCommerce” instead of “click here”).
• Create topic clusters around core themes (like “AI Optimization”) to build semantic relevance.

6. Follow Accessibility Best Practices

Accessible design benefits not just users—but AI crawlers.

Checklist:

• Use descriptive alt text for images
• Ensure button labels are clear and descriptive
• Avoid hidden content or JavaScript-only text rendering

Accessible, cleanly coded pages are easier to interpret and quote accurately by LLMs.

What Not to Do—Common Pitfalls That Hurt Your AI Visibility

Knowing what works is important—but avoiding the most common missteps is just as crucial if you want ChatGPT, Gemini, or Perplexity to trust and cite your content. These pitfalls often go unnoticed until your site fails to show up where it should.

1. Publishing AI-Generated Content Without Originality

AI tools can detect when content sounds overly generic or templated—especially if it lacks depth or human context. Sites publishing only AI-written articles without editing or firsthand insight risk being deprioritized.

Fix it: Use AI for research or structure, but inject original data, unique tone, real examples, or expert quotes to make your content stand out.

2. Keyword Stuffing and Misleading Headlines

AI summarizers value relevance, clarity, and trust. If your titles are optimized for clickbait (“You Won’t Believe This Trick…”) or your pages are overloaded with unnatural keyword use, AI tools will bypass your content.

Fix it: Write for clarity. Use question-based or benefit-driven headlines like “How Structured Data Improves ChatGPT Visibility.”

3. Blocking Important Pages from Crawlers

This includes accidentally setting noindex meta tags, using JavaScript-only rendering, or disallowing entire directories via robots.txt.

Fix it: Run regular audits using Screaming Frog or Ahrefs Site Audit to spot indexing or crawl issues before they impact your visibility.

4. Ignoring or Misusing Structured Data

Broken or duplicated schema confuses crawlers. Missing schema means you’ll likely be skipped over—even with great content.

Fix it: Use Google's Rich Results Test to check for schema errors and inconsistencies.

5. Underestimating Third-Party Trust Signals

Even if your site is optimized, a lack of external credibility (no reviews, mentions, or directory listings) can make you look unverified to LLMs.

Fix it: Actively pursue features, reviews, and mentions in authoritative platforms like G2, Crunchbase, and trusted publications.

How to Check If You’re Being Cited by AI Tools

You’ve optimized your site for AI visibility—but how can you verify if ChatGPT, Gemini, or Perplexity is actually mentioning your brand? Here's how to run checks manually and set up ongoing monitoring to track your presence.

Manual Testing Methods

Perplexity.ai

Perplexity is the easiest place to check. It always displays sources:

• Search your brand name, key product, or category-level keywords (e.g., “Jetfuel agency,” “best eCommerce SEO agencies,” “how to get cited by ChatGPT”).
• Review the linked sources under each answer—you’ll see blog URLs, domain names, and even PDFs if they’re indexed.
• Use variations like:
  • "Top [industry] strategies 2024"
  • "What is [Brand Name] known for?"
  • "[Your product] + reviews"

Try 3–5 prompt variations to capture indirect citations or paraphrased content tied to your brand.

ChatGPT (with Browsing Enabled)

• Ask ChatGPT prompts such as:
  • “What is [Your Brand]?”
  • “What are trusted tools for [problem your brand solves]?”
  • “Which agencies specialize in [your niche]?”
• If your site’s phrasing appears in the response, follow up: “Where did you get that information?” Browsing-enabled models may reference exact URLs or explain their sources.

Even if not cited directly, borrowed phrasing or stats from your content signals your brand is in the generative mix.

Gemini (Google)

Gemini (formerly Bard) uses Google Search’s real-time data, so start with brand-level and niche-level queries.

• Look for:
  • “Learn more” footnotes
  • Expandable citations or source boxes
  • Snippets pulled from high-ranking sites
• If your site is in the top 3–5 organic results for a query, there’s a good chance Gemini is referencing you—just not visibly.

Ongoing Monitoring Tools

Use these tools to automate discovery:

• Google Alerts: Track mentions of your brand, executives, or unique terms.
• Talkwalker Alerts: Free and more comprehensive than Google Alerts.
• Ahrefs / SEMrush / Moz: Monitor new backlinks and referring domains to track where your content is being quoted.
• Mention.com / BrandMentions: Paid tools that monitor web and social chatter around your brand or niche in real time.

Schema & Crawlability Check

If AI tools can't crawl or parse your site, you won’t get mentioned—even if your content is great.

• Use Google’s Rich Results Test to test specific pages.
• Validate markup types like Organization, FAQPage, and Article using Schema Markup Validator.
• Make sure your robots.txt doesn’t block essential content.
• Submit updated sitemaps via Google Search Console.

Case Study—A Brand That Got Cited

To illustrate what success looks like in the world of AI visibility, let’s break down a brand that consistently appears in ChatGPT outputs, Perplexity citations, and Google AI Overviews: HubSpot.

While HubSpot is a large company, the strategies they use can be adapted by smaller brands looking to boost their AI presence.

What They Did Right

1. Topic Authority Through Evergreen Content

HubSpot publishes deeply educational, long-form blog posts targeting common questions with clarity and structure. Their headers often follow question formats (e.g., “What is CRM?” or “How does email automation work?”), making them ideal for AI citation.

2. Rich Structured Data

Their blog, product, and landing pages all use schema markup—Organization, Article, Breadcrumb, and FAQPage. This helps AI engines interpret content cleanly.

3. Strong Domain Trust and Backlinks

HubSpot consistently earns links from top-tier publications and universities. Their domain authority gives them an edge when AI tools evaluate credibility.

4. Entity Alignment

They link to and are linked from Wikidata, Wikipedia, Crunchbase, and G2. Their entity connections are clean and consistent across sources, making it easy for tools like Gemini and ChatGPT to associate their name with relevant search terms.

5. Visual + Semantic Optimization

Pages load fast, use proper HTML5 structure, and include descriptive metadata—enabling better rendering and indexing by crawlers.

How to Apply This

You don’t need HubSpot’s scale to replicate their strategy. Focus on:

• Building topical authority in your niche
• Implementing clean schema
• Publishing Q&A-style content
• Strengthening your external profiles and links

FAQ – Showing Up in ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini

These are the most common questions business owners and marketers ask about AI visibility. Each answer is optimized for snippet-style summaries, making them concise and search-friendly.

Can I directly submit my site to ChatGPT, Gemini, or Perplexity?

No, there’s currently no submission form for inclusion. Instead, you need to optimize your site using proven SEO, AEO, and GEO tactics—structured data, high-authority backlinks, clean crawlability, and Q&A-style content.

How long does it take to start appearing in AI citations?

It depends on your site's authority and indexing frequency. If you're publishing high-quality content with strong links, expect to see signs of AI citation (especially in Perplexity) within 1–3 months. Gemini and ChatGPT citations may take longer to surface unless you're already a known entity.

Does Perplexity always cite sources?

Yes. Perplexity is one of the only AI search tools that always includes links to its sources, making it an excellent place to track your brand’s inclusion. It typically favors well-structured, original content from high-authority domains.

What kind of content gets cited most often?

AI tools favor content that:

• Clearly answers specific questions
• Uses structured data like FAQ schema
• Offers unique insights or first-party research
• Comes from trusted, consistently updated websites

Is it worth trying to get on Wikipedia or Wikidata?

Yes—especially Wikidata. It’s one of the key entity databases used by Google and other AI systems. Even if a full Wikipedia page isn’t viable, a Wikidata listing helps connect your brand to known topics and improve recognition across platforms.

Next Steps

Getting cited by ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity isn’t about chasing a single tactic—it’s about building a discoverable, trustworthy, and well-structured digital presence. As AI becomes the default interface for information, your brand needs to be ready for machine readers as much as human ones.

From schema and metadata to backlinks and content depth, every small optimization increases your odds of showing up in answers, not just search results.

Ready to get started?

📥 Download our AI Visibility Checklist to audit your content and website in under 10 minutes—and start earning citations from ChatGPT, Perplexity, and more.

If you have more questions about AI SEO or how to get started on this journey, leave a comment below or contact us — we’d love to explore how we can support you.