When somebody searches for solutions, they are not going through search results anymore. Instead they are asking Perplexity, Claude, Llama or ChatGPT.
These tools are giving complete answers with sources encapsulated right into it.
AI searches are not ranking pages. They are released into the wild, read everything, scrapping from different sources, pick which sources get credited and then join answers straightaway.
They “trust” third-party content way more than a carefully optimized marketing site. A mention in TechCrunch or a detailed review on Capterra carries more weight than your perfectly optimized landing page.
Each AI engine has its own groove too and these are constantly evolving.
Right now ChatGPT prioritizes different sources than Perplexity. Gemini pulls from yet another set. There’s no universal strategy here.
In order to make your content noticed by AI you will have to begin writing quality content that will be cited by other people.
Also your content needs to be formatted in a way that AI can justify using. That means:
- Direct answers to specific questions (no triviality, no marketing stuff)
- Clear composition that is effortless for AI to extract and quote
- Claims supported by data or real examples
Get mentioned in places AI already trusts.
Guest posts on industry blogs. Case studies on review sites. These are not “good to have” any longer, they are how AI discovers you.
Test across various AI platforms.
Search for your product category in Perplexity, then ChatGPT, then Gemini. See who gets cited. Understand why. Then reverse-engineer what is working for them.
Conclusion
Conventional SEO still matters for now. But each day, more searches end up with an AI answer instead of a click on a blue link.
The ones who triumph will be the ones AI trusts enough to recommend.