How to get cited by ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity

Why being cited by AI engines matters now

When someone asks ChatGPT 'who is the best AI receptionist for small businesses' or Perplexity 'what does a GEO agency do,' the engine generates an answer and sometimes names the business it drew from. If your page is the source, you get a mention that no ad budget can buy. That is the prize GEO is after.

Step 1: Write content that answers the exact question

AI engines quote content that answers directly. Not content that teases the answer across five paragraphs, but content where the first one or two sentences contain the full answer. Write your key service and FAQ pages with the answer in the opening, then the supporting detail after. Think: if someone screenshot just the first paragraph, would it be a complete, useful answer? It should be.

Step 2: Add schema markup

• Service schema: tells engines what you offer, who for, and where
• FAQPage schema: marks up Q&A content so engines can extract it directly
• BreadcrumbList schema: gives engines context on your site structure
• Organization schema: signals your name, location, and what you do

Step 3: Create an llms.txt file

An llms.txt file (at yourdomain.com/llms.txt) is a plain-text document that maps your business for AI systems: who you are, what you do, which pages have what answers, and what you want AI engines to know about you. It is the AI equivalent of a sitemap. Most business sites do not have one yet, which means having one is a real advantage.

Step 4: Allow AI crawlers in robots.txt

Several popular AI crawlers are blocked by default on older or templated sites. Check your robots.txt and make sure GPTBot, ClaudeBot, PerplexityBot, Google-Extended, and Anthropic-AI are explicitly allowed. Blocking them means those engines cannot read your content, no matter how good it is.