How to Get Cited in ChatGPT — What Actually Works
ChatGPT indexes from Bing, not Google. It processes 2.5 billion prompts daily. Here's how to get your business into ChatGPT's answers, based on real data.
ChatGPT indexes exclusively from Bing, not Google. To get cited, you need Bing visibility, strong brand mentions across the web (0.664 correlation), YouTube presence (0.737 correlation), and structured content with specific data that ChatGPT can extract as answers.
The key fact most people miss
ChatGPT uses Bing as its search index, not Google. If your site isn't indexed in Bing, ChatGPT literally cannot find you. Most SEO agencies only optimise for Google — this is the single biggest gap in AI search optimisation.
Action: Submit to Bing today
- Go to Bing Webmaster Tools (bing.com/webmasters)
- Add your site and submit your sitemap
- Implement IndexNow — this gives you near-instant Bing indexing whenever you publish new content
- Create a Bing Places listing for your business
What drives ChatGPT citations
Ahrefs' study of 75,000 brands found these correlation factors with AI mentions:
| Factor | Correlation | What this means |
|---|---|---|
| YouTube mentions | 0.737 | Strongest single factor. YouTube videos about your brand matter more than backlinks. |
| Brand web mentions | 0.664 | Being mentioned on other websites (not just linked to). |
| Branded anchor text | 0.527 | Links with your brand name in the text. |
| Brand search volume | 0.392 | People searching for your brand by name. |
| Backlinks | 0.218 | Far weaker than brand mentions. |
Translation: Brand building is 3x more important than link building for ChatGPT visibility.
ChatGPT citation patterns
- 44.2% of all ChatGPT citations come from the first 30% of a page — front-load your key information
- 76.4% of cited pages were updated within 30 days — keep content fresh
- 71% of cited pages use schema markup
- 99.3% of ecommerce responses mention brands, averaging 5.84 brands per response
- ChatGPT accounts for 87.4% of all AI referral traffic
Step-by-step: Getting into ChatGPT
1. Get indexed in Bing
Submit sitemap to Bing Webmaster Tools. Implement IndexNow. Create Bing Places listing.
2. Build brand mentions
Get mentioned (not just linked) on industry publications, directories, review platforms, LinkedIn, and YouTube. Consistency matters — same brand name and description everywhere.
3. Create YouTube content
Even 5-10 videos about your expertise builds signal. YouTube transcripts are read by AI models. Include your brand name and key services in spoken content.
4. Structure content for extraction
Answer capsules after every heading. Comparison tables. FAQ blocks. Specific numbers and data. Put your most important content in the first 30% of the page.
5. Allow GPTBot and OAI-SearchBot
In your robots.txt, explicitly allow GPTBot (for training), OAI-SearchBot (for search results), and ChatGPT-User (for Custom GPT requests).
6. Build entity consistency
Same brand description on your website, Google Business Profile, LinkedIn, Crunchbase, Trustpilot, and industry directories. When multiple sources agree on what you are, ChatGPT gains confidence.
What to do next
Oliver Mackman
AI Search Analyst, SEOCompare
Oliver leads SEOCompare's editorial and comparison research. With over a decade in digital marketing, he oversees agency evaluation, tool testing, and AI search data analysis.
Last reviewed: 7 April 2026
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