8 ways to optimize your content to get cited by LLMs and AIO

Four months ago, I was talking with a buddy who runs a premium sleepwear brand, She said something that hit me: “We rank on the first page of Google for dozens of keywords, but when I check ChatGPT, we’re not showing up at all. Instead, my competitors are the ones getting cited.”

To see for myself, I ran the same search in ChatGPT. Sure enough, they didn’t show up. The competitors were front and center, with their names highlighted as trusted sources. For obvious reasons, this was worrying.

Not only was their website losing visibility, but it was happening at the exact moment when people were looking for answers. The reason was simple: The content was written to rank in Google, but it wasn’t structured in a way that AI systems could easily cite.

1. How many readers clicked away without ever finding his site?

2. How many new competitors gained awareness because they were cited instead?
   

This moment shows how quickly search is changing.

Before: ranking on page one of Google was enough. You optimized for blue links, fought for position, and that visibility drove traffic.

Now: AI systems like ChatGPT, Claude AI, Perplexity, and Google’s AI Overviews are answering questions directly. They act like research assistants, deciding in real time who to quote and who to ignore.

As Meshia, the Founder of CBM Agency, puts it:

This is their rise, but what’s their source of truth? It’s often not the rankings you’ve worked hard for, but whether your content is clear, credible, complete, and fresh enough to be cited.

That’s why I believe citability is the new visibility. As marketers, it’s now our job to make sure AI systems are pulling the right information from us and not leaving us invisible while they promote someone else.

In this article, I’ll share 8 practical strategies I use to make content stand out as AI-ready and highly citable.

1. Structure your content like a “teacher”

If your content is hard to follow, readers will lose interest, and AI models won’t know how to use it. Before you publish anything, get clear on how your ideas flow from start to finish.

• Are you breaking things down step by step?

• Are you using clear headings and questions?

• Or are you leaving readers with a wall of text?

Your structure shapes everything, from how search engines process your article to whether AI tools decide you’re worth citing.

For instance, let’s say you’re writing about coffee and energy. If you simply title a section “Caffeine and Energy,” it feels vague. Readers may not know what they’ll learn, and AI may skip over it. But if you ask, “Does caffeine really boost energy levels?” you set up a direct question-and-answer path both humans and machines can use.

What’s the bottom line? When you write with clear steps, questions, and answers, you make your content easier to read, easier to trust, and easier for AI to reuse.

As Ann Handley, author of “Everybody Writes,” says:

Pro Tip: Always add schema markup. It acts like a guide for your article, helping both search engines and AI models understand exactly where to pull answers.

2. Give direct answers up front (don’t bury the lead)

Most content fails to get cited by LLMs for one simple reason: The answer is hidden too far down the page. It’s not that the information isn’t good; it’s just that the clarity comes too late. Readers and AI models don’t want to dig through long paragraphs to find what they need. They want the conclusion first, then the explanation.

The reality is simple: the closer your answer is to the top, the higher the chance it gets picked up, quoted, and reused.

Typical answer patterns (and what gets picked up most often)

When ChatGPT, Perplexity, or Google’s AI Overviews scan a page, they aren’t looking for flowery introductions. They’re scanning for fast, self-contained statements.

• One-sentence confirmations (e.g., “Yes, caffeine can temporarily increase alertness.”)

• Clear definitions (e.g., “Cold emailing is the practice of sending unsolicited emails to new contacts with a specific purpose.”)
  

Compact summaries that fit neatly into a single quote. If your page doesn’t offer one of these upfront, the model moves on.

So, what does that actually look like when writing?

• Opening Line: Give the answer right away. Don’t hedge. Don’t delay.

• Follow-Up: Add context, research, or examples that prove your point.

• Wrap-Up: Use a TL;DR or Quick Answer box that reinforces the main takeaway in 1–2 sentences.

This is about building a clear entry point that works for both humans and machines.

Why most answers get ignored (and it’s not about quality)

The biggest myth about AI citations is that the most detailed content wins.

Spoiler alert: It doesn’t.

A model won’t quote your 500-word breakdown if you never gave it a single line that it can lift. LLMs choose the clearest answer, not the longest. If your content hides the point, another writer who stated it plainly will win the citation. That’s why “front-loading clarity” is less about style and more about positioning. It’s where you place the answer and not how you write

3. Go beyond facts (add context and nuance)

The easiest way to get ignored by AI models? Just listing facts without explaining them. Facts alone are everywhere. Any website can publish numbers, dates, or definitions. What makes your content stand out and become citable is depth.

AI systems like ChatGPT or Google AIOs want more than a statement. They want to know why it matters and how it works.

Turn basic facts into meaningful insights

Publishing data isn’t enough. Context and examples make it useful for readers and machines alike. Ask yourself for every fact: Why does this matter? How does it connect to the bigger picture?

Include:

• Examples that show the fact in action.

• Analogies that make complex ideas easy to grasp.

• Use cases that answer the “how” and “when” questions.
  

Anticipate the questions that follow

Readers and AI models rarely stop at one question. If you explain “how caffeine affects energy,” they might wonder, “Which type of coffee is best?” or “Does timing matter?” Address these follow-ups directly in your content.

Pro Tip: Use comparisons and pros/cons lists.

For example: “Here’s how caffeine compares to green tea for energy: …” Lists like this get cited often because people ask AI models to compare options, making your content more visible and trustworthy.

4. Ground your content in credible data

Not all data is created equal. Publishing numbers without backing them up won’t impress AI models or readers. LLMs prefer content that’s supported by reputable sources. Unsupported statements lower your chance of being cited, especially when competitors provide solid evidence.

The most important thing is to make your content verifiable, trustworthy, and structured.

Turn data into credible insights

Any fact can be claimed, but credible data earns trust and AI citations.

Here’s what I do to make content more credible:

• Reference recent research, surveys, or statistics that relate directly to the topic.

• Cite trustworthy sources like universities, government reports, or respected publications.

• Avoid vague statements like “studies show” without linking to the actual source.

Pro Tip: Use structured formats like tables, charts, or graphs. For example:

Instead of saying “60% of people prefer X,” I show a comparison table with multiple options. Structured data is easier for AI to extract and cite, and it makes your content far more actionable for readers.

5. Mix formats (text, visuals, and data assets)

Text alone is no longer enough. AI systems now understand content in multiple forms, like images, diagrams, and data tables. The more formats your content has, the more useful it becomes for both readers and machines.

I’ve seen many pages with great writing go unnoticed simply because they lacked visuals or structured data. Adding other formats makes it AI-ready and highly citable.

Turn simple text into multimodal content

Here’s how I make content more versatile and machine-friendly:

• Add infographics, flowcharts, and diagrams to explain key points visually.

• Use descriptive alt text for each visual so AI can “read” and understand it.

• Summarize visuals with supporting text, ensuring every chart or graphic has context.

Pro Tip: Offer downloadable resources like PDFs, templates, or datasets. For example, if someone asks, “Where can I find a content audit template?” Having a ready-to-download file increases the chance your content gets cited.

Mixing formats is like giving your content a megaphone. It reaches humans more clearly and signals to AI systems that your page is complete, credible, and ready to answer questions.

6. Keep your content fresh (without starting over)

Content can live for years online, but AI systems favor pages that feel current and well-maintained. Old statistics, broken links, or outdated examples can make your content less trustworthy, even if it once ranked well. I’ve seen pages with great writing lose visibility simply because they hadn’t been updated in months.

Keeping your content fresh is about showing readers and AI that your page is reliable and cared for, not just for SEO

Simple steps to keep pages current

Here’s how I maintain freshness without rewriting everything:

• Add a “last updated” date to every article so both readers and AI know it’s current.

• Schedule quarterly refreshes to check stats, screenshots, and links.

• Replace old studies or references with newer research and examples.

Pro Tip: Add a revision log at the end of long guides.

Here’s a great example that was added at the end of an article:

Credit: Bloomfire.com

This small touch signals attention to detail, reliability, and recency, all factors that increase the chance your content will be cited or featured.

7. Write for semantics, not just keywords (old SEO tactics won’t cut it)

Keyword stuffing might have worked a few years ago, but LLMs see right through it. They scan for repeated phrases and evaluate the meaning and relationships between concepts.

Akeem Osungbade, the CEO of Oxgital Ltd, sees this constantly.

“Writers often come to me frustrated because their content isn’t gaining traction. My first question is always: ‘Have you checked if your article fully explains the topic and not just repeats keywords?’”

I’ve also noticed a lot of marketers still focus on cramming one keyword over and over. And what’s the result? Articles that are shallow and incomplete rarely get cited. Writing for semantics changes that. It turns your content into a topic authority instead of a list of repeated words.

How I make content semantically strong

Here’s the approach I follow:

• Cover related entities. For example, when writing about caffeine, I include terms like adenosine, dopamine, circadian rhythm, and their connections.

• Use natural, conversational phrasing. It reads well for humans and signals context to AI.

• Layer your content with different intents: definitions, step-by-step instructions, and implications.

Pro Tip: Before publishing, I run content through an entity coverage tool like Clearscope. Filling semantic gaps makes your article more comprehensive and increases its likelihood of being cited by AI systems.

8. Show real expertise and experience

I can remember Brian Dean’s tweet back in 2020.

It says:

That hits hard because it’s true.

We’re drowning in surface-level content that is everywhere. And people and AI are getting increasingly adept at spotting it. If you want to cut through the noise, you need to show real experience. Not just opinions, but proof that you’ve actually done the thing you’re talking about.

Live experience is different. It’s specific. It’s confident without trying too hard. And most importantly… It’s trustworthy.

If you’ve been in the trenches, show it. Don’t bury your expertise behind generic phrasing. Make it undeniable. That’s how you stand out and stay relevant.

Highlight credentials and context

Start with your author bio. Show why you should be the one writing this content:

• Professional background or role

• Specific projects you’ve led

• Years of direct experience in the field
  

Even a short sentence like, “I’ve spent 6 years running paid ads for B2B SaaS startups in the HRTech industry,” makes a huge difference.

Make it practical and not theoretical

It’s one thing to give advice. It’s another to show what you’ve actually done.

• Share a case study from your own work

• Add a screenshot of the results or a tool you use

• Walk readers through an experiment or mistake you learned from

These signals separate your content from generic “how-to” posts.

Turn insights into stories

The most memorable parts of content often come from small, specific details. For example, instead of saying “engagement increased,” say:

“In my own tests with 100 email subscribers, I noticed replies went up when I shortened subject lines to 4 words.”

That kind of personal detail is rare. It shows real work and not recycled knowledge.

That’s how you go from being “just another article” to being a trusted source people and search engines come back to.

Pro tip: Before you hit publish, add at least one piece of firsthand commentary. It could be a short observation, a personal test, or a quick screenshot. These nuggets are often what get cited and shared most.

Will you be using these ways to optimize your content to get cited by LLMs and AIO?

The future of search isn’t just about where you rank. It’s about whether AI systems trust your content enough to cite it. Instead of chasing rankings, you’ll become a go-to source that AI relies on when answering millions of user questions.