---
title: "How to Get Your Brand Cited in ChatGPT and Perplexity"
author: "Performetic Ekibi"
url: "https://www.performetic.com/en/blog/geo-guide-chatgpt-perplexity"
published: "2026-07-15T08:00:00.000Z"
updated: "2026-10-05T00:36:35.290Z"
---

# How to Get Your Brand Cited in ChatGPT and Perplexity

> GEO (generative engine optimization) is the practice of shaping content so AI search tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google AI Overviews cite it as a source. It builds on solid classic SEO, then adds answer-first copy, tables, sourced statistics, clear authorship, a robots.txt that allows AI search bots and consistent third-party brand presence.

## What is GEO and how does it get your brand into AI answers?

GEO (generative engine optimization) is the practice of shaping your content so AI-powered search experiences such as ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini and Google AI Overviews cite it as a source. It doesn't replace classic SEO, it sits on top of it: be crawlable and rankable first, then offer clear, sourced answers an AI system can easily quote.

The term took off with "GEO: Generative Engine Optimization", a paper by researchers from Princeton and other institutions that was accepted to KDD 2024. The authors report that GEO methods can boost visibility in generative engine responses by up to 40%, and that effectiveness varies by domain.

## How do AI search engines choose their sources?

Each engine works differently, but two patterns stand out.

**Google AI Overviews and AI Mode:** Google states plainly that there are no additional requirements or special optimizations needed to appear in these features. To be eligible, a page must be indexed and eligible to be shown in Google Search with a snippet. Google also says you don't need new machine-readable files, AI text files or special schema.org markup. On Google, GEO largely means good SEO.

**ChatGPT search and Perplexity:** these engines crawl the web with their own bots and synthesise answers from several sources. The first requirement is simply that the relevant bot can reach your site. Beyond that, pages that contain a direct, concise answer to the question, one that still makes sense when lifted out of context, are easier to cite.

The experiments in the GEO paper point the same way. Citing sources, adding credible quotations and adding statistics were among the best performing methods, while classic keyword stuffing didn't perform well. The paper also found these methods especially helpful for sites that rank lower in traditional search results.

## What steps help you appear in AI answers?

1. **Lead with the answer.** Open each page with a question-style heading followed immediately by a 40 to 60 word direct answer. Expand on the details afterwards.
2. **Write headings as real questions.** Prefer "Does guest checkout increase conversion?" over "Benefits".
3. **Use tables and lists.** Present comparisons, steps and thresholds as tables or numbered lists; they're easy to quote piece by piece.
4. **Source your statistics.** Every number should trace back to a verifiable source shown on the page. Unsourced figures erode trust.
5. **Make authorship and expertise visible.** Author name, area of expertise, publish and update dates and company details all align with the E-E-A-T approach in Google's helpful content guidance.
6. **Add structured data.** Article, Organization, BreadcrumbList and, where appropriate, FAQPage markup make your structure explicit to machines. Google says it isn't required for its AI features, but it can help other engines interpret the page.
7. **Set a deliberate bot policy.** Allow search bots and make a separate decision about training bots (see below).
8. **Exist beyond your own site.** Build a consistent brand story across industry publications, comparison sites, forums and review platforms, since AI answers often reflect what many sources agree on.

## How do you let AI bots in with robots.txt?

The key distinction is between **search bots** and **training bots**. According to OpenAI's documentation, OAI-SearchBot is used to surface websites in ChatGPT's search features, while GPTBot crawls content that may be used to train generative AI foundation models. The two are controlled independently, so you can stay visible in ChatGPT search while opting out of training. ChatGPT-User is triggered by user actions, so robots.txt rules may not apply to it.

On the Perplexity side, PerplexityBot is designed to surface and link websites in Perplexity's search results and respects robots.txt. Perplexity-User visits pages in response to a user's question and generally ignores robots.txt rules.

For Google, the Google-Extended product token controls whether content may be used to train future Gemini models, and Google says it doesn't affect inclusion or ranking in Google Search.

| Bot | Owner | Purpose | Suggestion for brands seeking visibility |
|---|---|---|---|
| OAI-SearchBot | OpenAI | ChatGPT search results | Allow |
| GPTBot | OpenAI | Model training | Your business decision |
| PerplexityBot | Perplexity | Perplexity search results | Allow |
| Googlebot | Google | Google Search and AI features | Allow |
| Google-Extended | Google | Gemini training and grounding | Your business decision, no effect on Search |

An example robots.txt setup:

```
User-agent: OAI-SearchBot
Allow: /

User-agent: PerplexityBot
Allow: /

User-agent: GPTBot
Disallow: /
```

This is only an example; whether to block training bots depends on your brand and content strategy.

## Do you need an llms.txt file?

llms.txt is a Markdown file proposed by Jeremy Howard in September 2024. It lives at the root of your site and gives AI tools a summary of the site plus a curated list of key pages. The format is simple: an H1 title, a short blockquote summary and H2 sections of annotated links. It's cheap to create and is spreading, especially among documentation sites. But remember that Google says no such file is needed for its AI features, so treat llms.txt as a low-cost complement, not a guarantee.

## How do you measure AI visibility?

1. Pick 20 to 50 realistic prompts related to your brand (for example, "Can you recommend an ecommerce agency in Istanbul?").
2. Run them in ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google AI Mode at regular intervals.
3. Answers vary between runs, so run each prompt several times and judge results on averages.
4. Log whether your brand is mentioned, whether your site is linked as a source and which competitors appear.
5. In analytics, track referral traffic from sources like chatgpt.com and perplexity.ai as its own segment.

Performetic's own site is built on these same principles: every post opens with a direct answer, lists its sources and carries structured data. If you'd like to apply this approach to your brand, take a look at our [SEO service](/en/services/seo).

## Key takeaways

- GEO builds on classic SEO, and Google says no extra optimization is needed for its AI features.
- Direct answers, question-style headings, tables and sourced statistics make your content easier to cite.
- In the GEO paper, adding citations, quotations and statistics were among the most effective methods; keyword stuffing was not.
- Allow search bots (OAI-SearchBot, PerplexityBot) and decide separately about training bots.
- Measure visibility with regular, repeated prompt tests and referral traffic.

## FAQ

### What is the difference between GEO and SEO?

SEO aims to rank your pages in search results, while GEO aims to have your content used as a source in AI-generated answers. GEO doesn't replace SEO, because being crawlable and rankable is the prerequisite. It adds direct answers, tables, sourced statistics and consistent brand presence on third-party sites.

### If I block GPTBot, will I disappear from ChatGPT search?

No. According to OpenAI's documentation, GPTBot is used for model training and OAI-SearchBot for ChatGPT search results, and the two are controlled independently. If you block GPTBot but allow OAI-SearchBot, your content won't be used for training but can still appear in ChatGPT search results.

### Do Google AI Overviews need special optimization?

According to Google, no. To be eligible for AI Overviews or AI Mode, a page needs to be indexed and eligible to appear in Google Search with a snippet. Google says you don't need new machine-readable files, AI text files or special schema markup to appear in these features.

### How do you track visibility in AI answers?

Build a list of realistic prompts related to your brand and run them regularly in ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google AI Mode. Because answers change between runs, repeat each prompt several times. Record brand mentions, source links and competitors, and track referral traffic from these platforms in your analytics.

## Sources

- [Aggarwal et al., GEO: Generative Engine Optimization (arXiv 2311.09735)](https://arxiv.org/abs/2311.09735)
- [Google Search Central: AI features and your website](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/ai-features)
- [OpenAI: Overview of OpenAI Crawlers](https://developers.openai.com/api/docs/bots)
- [Perplexity: Perplexity Crawlers](https://docs.perplexity.ai/guides/bots)
- [llmstxt.org: The /llms.txt file](https://llmstxt.org/)