TL;DR: If you want your site to be cited by Google, ChatGPT, and other AI tools, you need to understand how these systems choose sources and what they consider trustworthy. In this guide, you will learn exactly how large language models discover content, what they look for when selecting citations, and how you can structure your website to increase the odds of being referenced.
Table of Contents
2. How AI systems find and assess information
3. What makes an AI choose one source over another?
4. How to optimise your website to be cited by AI tools
5. Real example: A UK business cited by ChatGPT
7. Can you ask ChatGPT to cite your site?
8. Will Google AI Overviews cite websites?
9. Conclusion: Get Cited by Google, ChatGPT, and Other AI Tools
Why AI citations matter
AI summaries and answers increasingly replace traditional search behaviour. When an AI system quotes or references your content, you gain visibility, authority, and potential traffic. For UK businesses and publishers, this is becoming as important as ranking in organic search. SEO isnt dead, it’s just evolved
How Google & ChatGPT find and assess information
ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, and Google’s AI Overviews all work slightly differently, but they share common principles. They look for content that is:
- Crawlable by search engines
- Accurate, verifiable, and clearly written
- Supported by trusted external sources
- Structured in a way that helps models extract facts
- Updated regularly and free of contradictions
ChatGPT and other models also use a mixture of training data, licensed sources, live search, and retrieval tools. This means your content needs to be both discoverable and easy to interpret.
What makes an AI choose one source over another?
1. Clear, factual statements
AI tools prefer content that states facts in short, self-contained sentences. For example:
Bad:
“The process to renew your UK passport is fairly simple, although it depends on your circumstances.”
Good:
“You can renew your UK passport online using the government service. The current fee is listed on GOV.UK.”
Short factual lines reduce the risk of misinterpretation.
2. Pages with strong topical authority
If you publish consistent content on one subject, AI models treat you as more authoritative. A single one off article rarely gets cited unless it contains a unique fact.
3. Verified claims backed by reputable UK sources
Link to credible organisations such as:
This shows that your statements are rooted in reliable data.
4. Content that matches real search intent
If users search for specific figures, definitions, steps, or requirements, include them in your content. AI models prioritise pages that directly answer user questions.
5. Proper schema markup
Structured data helps AI tools interpret your content.
Prioritise:
- FAQ schema
- HOwTo schema
- Article schema
- Organisation schema
A page with well structured schema is more likely to be quoted.
How to optimise your website to be cited by AI tools
Use factual phrasing that AI can quote directly
Write with clarity. Use short sentences that state one idea at a time. This makes your information easier for LLMs to lift and cite.
Publish evergreen factual content that is regularly updated
Topics that age quickly, such as pricing, legal rules, tax bands, or guidance, must be updated often. LLMs favour pages with precise boundaries such as “updated January 2025”.
Add evidence, sources, and references
Support claims with UK authoritative sources. Use citations naturally within the text.
Write helpful headings that answer questions
Use H2 and H3 headings written as questions, such as:
- How do I get my site cited by ChatGPT
- Does Google AI use website data directly
- Which types of content do AI models prefer
This mirrors how AI tools structure answers.
Improve your website’s E-E-A-T signals
Models often cite sites where trust signals are strong. Include:
- Author bios with credentials
- Transparent business information
- Clear contact details
- Privacy and cookie notices
- A trustworthy about page
See our post on how to build a Wordpress website that includes these details.
Submit your site to Google and monitor indexing
If Google cannot crawl your content, AI models relying on Google data cannot quote you. Use:
- Search Console for indexing
- Sitemap submissions
- Fixing crawl errors
What you dont need to be cited by AI tools
At the moment, you don’t need a LLMS.txt file, or anyone who talks about GEO / AIO / AEO / or AI search as if they are seperate to SEO
Real example: A UK business cited by ChatGPT
QED published a factual guide explaining the Online Safety Act in the UK.
The page is located at weareqed.com/the-online-safety-act-uk-and-how-weve-got-it-so-wrong
The article included clear definitions, short statements, and direct references to UK regulatory sources.
The guide explained the purpose of the Act, the expected obligations for platforms, and the common misunderstandings that affect UK businesses.
Each point was written in simple sentences that contained one idea.
The article avoided vague language and provided specific examples of compliance failures.
ChatGPT cited the page in answers about Online Safety Act requirements in the UK.
The citation occurred because the article contained precise explanations, factual boundaries, and verifiable statements.
The content aligned with common user questions about the Act.
The page demonstrated strong topical focus and clear expertise.
This example shows that AI tools are more likely to cite content when it presents UK legislation in a clear and factual format.
What not to do
Avoid:
- Overlong paragraphs
- Marketing fluff with no facts
- Unsupported claims
- AI generated content with no human review
- Broken citations or outdated figures
LLMs – Google, ChatGPT & other AI tools, recognise vague copy and avoid citing it.
Can you ask ChatGPT to cite your site?
You cannot force an LLM to cite you, but you can increase your chances by:
- Publishing unique facts not available elsewhere
- Using strong schema markup
- Creating data driven content
- Becoming a recognised source in a narrow niche
Models pick factual pages that answer questions neatly. Your goal is to be the clearest source available.
Will Google AI Overviews cite websites?
Google’s AI Overviews include links to webpages when the source supports the answer. You are more likely to be included if your content:
- Clearly answers the query
- Uses authoritative references
- Has strong on page structure
- Is already ranking on page 1 or 2 for the topic
Google still relies heavily on traditional ranking factors.
Conclusion: Get Cited by Google, ChatGPT, and Other AI Tools
If you want Google, ChatGPT, and other AI tools to cite your website, focus on clarity, structure, and evidence. Publish content that states facts plainly, use schema to help models understand your information, and rely on trusted UK sources. AI models reward sites that demonstrate genuine expertise and provide accurate, verifiable guidance.
If you want help structuring your content so it is more likely to be quoted in AI answers, I can help you plan, edit, or rewrite it.
