No AI engine publishes the recipe for its citations. What we do know is that they rely on clear, consistent sources that are widely confirmed across the web. Here are seven common-sense levers that we apply and measure.
1. Answer questions directly
A page that puts a question in its title and answers it in the first lines is easier to cite than a long promotional text. Think of your customers’ real questions, in their own words.
2. Give verifiable facts
Precise figures, names, addresses, conditions, dates. AIs cite what is sharp and concrete. Avoid vague superlatives.
3. Structure your pages
Clear heading hierarchy, lists, tables, questions and answers. A well-structured page is readable for humans and machines alike.
4. Add structured data
schema.org markup describes your organisation, products, reviews and FAQs. It is an explicit way of telling a machine what each element on the page is.
5. Let AI crawlers in
Check your robots.txt file and your firewall rules: some configurations block AI crawlers without the site owner knowing. A site an AI cannot read cannot be cited.
6. Publish an llms.txt file
This file at the root of the site presents your important pages in a few lines for language models. Adoption is still uneven, but it costs little and clarifies your offer.
7. Be mentioned elsewhere
AIs cross-check sources. A consistent presence in serious directories, media, comparisons and on your Google listing strengthens the trust placed in your brand.