{"id":377,"date":"2025-07-18T17:50:34","date_gmt":"2025-07-18T17:50:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zoltrunakiver.com\/?p=377"},"modified":"2025-07-21T14:30:03","modified_gmt":"2025-07-21T14:30:03","slug":"how-to-get-cited-in-chatgpt-and-win-the-new-search-game","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zoltrunakiver.com\/index.php\/2025\/07\/18\/how-to-get-cited-in-chatgpt-and-win-the-new-search-game\/","title":{"rendered":"How to get cited in ChatGPT+ (and win the new search game)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>Hello and welcome to <strong>The GTM Newsletter by GTMnow <\/strong>\u2013 read by 50,000+ to scale their companies and careers. GTMnow shares insight around the go-to-market strategies responsible for explosive company growth. GTMnow highlights the strategies, along with the stories from the top 1% of GTM executives, VCs, and founders behind these strategies and companies.<\/em><\/p>\n<div>\n<hr \/>\n<\/div>\n<p>Search has changed. It\u2019s no longer just about ranking on page one because there no longer is just \u201cpage one.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Your buyers are asking ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, and Gemini what tools to use and who to trust.<\/p>\n<p>And those tools are replying with direct summaries that don\u2019t contain links. If you\u2019re not being cited by the model, you might be missing out on the buyer journey.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s like trying to win search traffic in 2008 without indexing your website.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s where <strong>Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) <\/strong>comes in. This edition covers:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>How GEO works (and how it\u2019s different from SEO).<\/li>\n<li>How to get cited by ChatGPT and others.<\/li>\n<li>Advice to make your content more \u201cpickable\u201d by AI.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>A special thanks to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/hailey-friedman-44897734\/\">Hailey Friedman<\/a> from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.growthmarketingpro.com\/\">Growth Marketing Pro<\/a> for her contributions, whose work on this front is a goldmine.<\/p>\n<div class=\"captioned-image-container\">\n<figure>\n<div class=\"image2-inset\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"sizing-normal aligncenter lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" alt=\"\" width=\"900\" height=\"160\" data-src=\"https:\/\/zoltrunakiver.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/31fa238d-3c50-42f0-81d6-8c3ab243a8ee_900x160.jpg\"><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<hr \/>\n<\/div>\n<h2>Why GEO may matter more than SEO in the next 12 months<\/h2>\n<p>AI usage continues to surge. Traffic to AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity nearly doubled in the last year \u2013 from 30.5B to 55.2B visits.<\/p>\n<div class=\"captioned-image-container\">\n<figure>\n<div class=\"image2-inset\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"sizing-normal aligncenter lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" alt=\"\" width=\"1080\" height=\"700\" data-src=\"https:\/\/zoltrunakiver.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/24420047-ddc5-4983-af9c-c35ea7d865fc_1080x700.png\"><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>Buyers are turning to AI with serious intent: What tools should I buy? What vendors should I trust?<\/p>\n<p>These tools don\u2019t just serve up 10 blue links, they summarize and serve what they trust.<\/p>\n<p>That means if your content isn\u2019t being pulled into AI answers, you\u2019re invisible.<\/p>\n<h2>SEO vs. GEO: A new way to think about visibility<\/h2>\n<p>SEO and GEO are not the same game. One is about ranking. The other is about being summarized and cited. If SEO was about being <em>found<\/em> on Google, GEO is about being <em>trusted<\/em> by ChatGPT (and other AI engines).<\/p>\n<div class=\"captioned-image-container\">\n<figure>\n<div class=\"image2-inset\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"sizing-normal aligncenter lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" alt=\"\" width=\"1080\" height=\"700\" data-src=\"https:\/\/zoltrunakiver.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/93176037-6981-4aa0-a963-2078383a374b_1080x700.png\"><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<h2>The sources that get you cited in AI results<\/h2>\n<p>LLMs pull from a specific set of sources. Use this as a guide.<\/p>\n<div class=\"captioned-image-container\">\n<figure>\n<div class=\"image2-inset\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"sizing-normal aligncenter lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" alt=\"\" width=\"1080\" height=\"700\" data-src=\"https:\/\/zoltrunakiver.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/b3b1869e-db43-42f7-8eb7-38415926b8cc_1080x700.png\"><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>Your domain authority is now distributed.<\/p>\n<h2>4 GEO tactics that will get you cited in AI answers<\/h2>\n<h3>1. Optimize your core pages for AI prompts<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Use natural-language headlines (your H1s) to match buyer queries: (e.g. what\u2019s the best [category] for [persona]?\u201d<\/li>\n<li>Include FAQs, bullet takeaways, and long-tail context to increase coverage of conversational prompts and improve scannability for both LLMs and users.<\/li>\n<li>Include author name, credentials and LinkedIn link to boost credibility.<\/li>\n<li>Implement schema (Article, FAQ, Person, Organization) to help AI models and search engines interpret your content structure and metadata correctly.<\/li>\n<li>Add a llms.txt file to your site root (like robots.txt, but for AI) to signal what content LLMs should crawl, index, and associate with your brand.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>2. Rank in \u201cbest of\u201d listicles and comparison posts<\/h3>\n<p>Since LLMs frequently cite these, you could:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Create your own or contribute to others.<\/li>\n<li>Pitch niche blogs, software communities, or review publishers.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>3. Build authority beyond your website<\/h3>\n<p>LLMs don\u2019t just rely on your site, they triangulate your reputation.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Reddit: <\/strong>High-karma comments mentioning your brand.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Wikipedia<\/strong>: If eligible, create a page with citations.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Backlinks:<\/strong> Prioritize high-authority, relevant links over volume.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>4. Monitor what the models are saying<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Use <a href=\"https:\/\/www.athenahq.ai\/articles\/generative-engine-optimization-tools\/\">a generative search monitoring tool<\/a> to track prompts like: \u201cBest [category] tools\u201d or \u201c[you] vs [competitor].\u201d<\/li>\n<li>Compare how different models (ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity) cite you.<\/li>\n<li>Spot gaps and optimize accordingly.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>How to track GEO ROI (yes, it\u2019s measurable)<\/h2>\n<p>The great news about GEO is that it\u2019s measurable. Here\u2019s how to do so:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Prompt visibility<\/strong>: Use a gen-AI search monitoring tool to see if you show up in ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Traffic sources: <\/strong>Use GA4 or your CRM to track traffic from LLM tools like Perplexity.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Revenue impact:<\/strong> Monitor leads\/deals tied to LLM-sourced visits.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Prompt-to-lead funnel:<\/strong> How many AI prompts \u2192 clicks \u2192 conversions.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>If you\u2019re short on time, start with a 1-page GEO plan<\/h2>\n<p>Another way to think about this is a \u201cMinimum Viable GEO Plan\u201d:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Pick one high-intent query (e.g. \u201cbest AI email tools for sales teams\u201d).<\/li>\n<li>Optimize a single page: FAQs, author bios, schema, and clear prompt-style header.<\/li>\n<li>Add a llms.txt file.<\/li>\n<li>Track prompt visibility in a generative search monitoring tool.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Get listed in one listicle or high-ranking relevant Reddit thread.<\/p>\n<h2>Where GEO is headed<\/h2>\n<p>We\u2019re in the GEO era and it\u2019s only increasing.<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>AI is becoming the homepage.<\/strong> Your homepage may no longer be the first touchpoint \u2013 AI summaries are.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Paid search is being replaced.<\/strong> Google\u2019s AI Overviews are pushing ads and organic results below the fold.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Content is the new distribution strategy.<\/strong> GEO turns high-quality, structured content into top-of-funnel surface area.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><strong>GTM teams need a new skillset.<\/strong> Just like SEO changed marketing in the 2010s, GEO will reshape go-to-market in the 2020s.<\/p>\n<h2>GEO doesn\u2019t replace SEO, it builds on it.<\/h2>\n<p>If you\u2019re now wondering whether SEO is still worth investing in, the answer is yes. But, it\u2019s no longer enough.<\/p>\n<p>The question isn\u2019t \u201cshould we stop doing SEO?\u201d it\u2019s \u201care we adapting it for the way people discover today?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The most effective thing you can do is integrate both. Think of it like an extension of SEO.<\/p>\n<p>For more on the future of search\/GEO, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=-DxxxvMrI7M&amp;t=55s\">check out the The GTMnow Podcast bonus episode<\/a> with the CEO of Yext. It\u2019s a short 21-minute listen on the digital search revolution.<\/p>\n<div>\n<hr \/>\n<\/div>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/sharing\/share-offsite\/?url=https:\/\/gtmnow.com\/how-to-get-cited-in-chatgpt-and-win-the-new-search-game\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Share on LinkedIn <\/a>\u00a0| <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?url==https:\/\/gtmnow.com\/how-to-get-cited-in-chatgpt-and-win-the-new-search-game\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Share on X<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><em> Tag @GTMnow so we can see your takeaways and help amplify them.<\/em><\/p>\n<div>\n<hr \/>\n<\/div>\n<h4><strong><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" alt=\"\ud83d\udc42\" class=\"wp-smiley lazyload\" style=\"height: 1em;max-height: 1em\" data-src=\"https:\/\/s.w.org\/images\/core\/emoji\/15.1.0\/72x72\/1f442.png\"> More for your eardrums<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/gtmnow.com\/gtmnow-podcast-bonus-optimize-for-ai-mike-walrath\/\">GTM 155: The Next Digital Revolution: You Optimized for Humans, Now You Have to Optimize for AI<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This short episode explores one of the most important shifts happening in go-to-market right now: the move from optimizing for humans to optimizing for AI.<\/p>\n<p>Mike Walrath, CEO of Yext and former founder of Right Media (acquired by Yahoo for $850M), shares why this change is as big (or bigger) than the first wave of digital transformation.<\/p>\n<p>You\u2019ll learn how AI agents are changing how customers discover businesses, why your structured data now matters more than your homepage, and what you can do to stay ahead.<\/p>\n<p>Listen on <a href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/ca\/podcast\/the-gtm-podcast\/id1369291464\">Apple<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/2SA1dgQ2Yc5t4V5GcBLnD2\">Spotify<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@GTM_now\">YouTube<\/a>, or wherever you get your podcasts by searching \u201cThe GTM Podcast.\u201d<\/p>\n<div>\n<hr \/>\n<\/div>\n<h4><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" alt=\"\ud83d\ude80\" class=\"wp-smiley lazyload\" style=\"height: 1em;max-height: 1em\" data-src=\"https:\/\/s.w.org\/images\/core\/emoji\/15.1.0\/72x72\/1f680.png\"><strong> Startup to watch<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.goiris.ai\/blog\/iris-your-ai-analyst-for-data-driven-decisions\">Iris <\/a><\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.goiris.ai\/blog\/iris-your-ai-analyst-for-data-driven-decisions\">just launched the first AI analyst<\/a> that delivers fast, accurate answers to real business questions (without the bottlenecks of SQL, dashboards, or data teams). It\u2019s like having a top-tier analyst embedded in every function: marketing, ops, recruiting, strategy.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/davidprosser\/2025\/06\/02\/how-innovation-will-create-the-warehouses-of-the-future\/\">LuminX<\/a><\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/davidprosser\/2025\/06\/02\/how-innovation-will-create-the-warehouses-of-the-future\/\"> \u2013 announced a $5.5M Seed round to bring the power of Vision Language Models (VLMs) to industrial operations<\/a>. Their technology runs on affordable, portable devices that can be deployed anywhere on the factory floor \u2014 enabling teams to \u201csee and understand\u201d their workflows in real time. The goal: automate manual tasks, reduce costly errors, and unlock smarter, more efficient operations at the edge.<\/p>\n<div>\n<hr \/>\n<\/div>\n<h4><strong><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" alt=\"\ud83d\udc40\" class=\"wp-smiley lazyload\" style=\"height: 1em;max-height: 1em\" data-src=\"https:\/\/s.w.org\/images\/core\/emoji\/15.1.0\/72x72\/1f440.png\"> More for your eyeballs<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.zoominfo.com\/offers\/gtm-intelligence-report-2025\">ZoomInfo\u2019s new GTM Intelligence Report shows AI adoption has surged 893% since 2022<\/a> \u2014 but most companies still aren\u2019t seeing real results. Why? Only 19% say their data is AI-ready. Without clean, structured data, the promise of AI falls flat.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/2025\/07\/17\/lovable-becomes-a-unicorn-with-200m-series-a-just-8-months-after-launch\/\">Lovable becomes a unicorn with a $200M Series A, just 8 months after launch<\/a><strong>. <\/strong>Stockholm-based Lovable, an AI startup helping users build websites and apps using natural language, has raised a $200M Series A led by Accel at a $1.8B valuation. Often compared to tools like Cursor, Lovable turns large language models into intuitive no-code builders. In just eight months, the company has skyrocketed to over 2.3 million active users \u2014 making it one of Europe\u2019s fastest-growing AI startups.<\/p>\n<div>\n<hr \/>\n<\/div>\n<h4><strong><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" alt=\"\ud83d\udd25\" class=\"wp-smiley lazyload\" style=\"height: 1em;max-height: 1em\" data-src=\"https:\/\/s.w.org\/images\/core\/emoji\/15.1.0\/72x72\/1f525.png\"> Hottest GTM jobs of the week<\/strong><\/h4>\n<ol>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/jobs.lever.co\/owner\/5be22349-701e-461b-9c67-ca82a20cb863\">Inbound Account Executive<\/a> at Owner <em>(Remote \u2013 North America)<\/em><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/ats.rippling.com\/closinglock\/jobs\/ee2c87d8-b8e1-4285-ae3e-ccf186e93078\">Digital Customer Success Manager<\/a> at Closinglock <em>(Austin, TX)<\/em><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/jobs.ashbyhq.com\/stotles.com\/a84f0f12-4024-4d9d-8585-301b7b57ab45\">Business Development Team Lead<\/a> at Stotles <em>(London, UK)<\/em><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/jobs.ashbyhq.com\/Pocus\/b3c420c9-3620-4d23-a5b6-97ab9635ded3\">Growth \u2013 Community, Ecosystem &amp; Events<\/a> at Pocus <em>(Hybrid \u2013 SF \/ NY)<\/em><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/jobs.ashbyhq.com\/atlan\/a5122f4a-5340-43b8-8bb7-c94a18a1fa65\">AI-Era SEO &amp; Content Discoverability Lead<\/a> at Atlan <em>(Remote \u2013 US)<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>See more top GTM jobs on the <a href=\"https:\/\/jobs.gtmfund.com\/jobs\">GTMfund Job Board<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><em>If you\u2019re looking to scale your sales and marketing teams with top talent, we couldn\u2019t recommend our partner <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pursuitsalessolutions.com\/gtm\">Pursuit<\/a> more. We work closely together to be able to provide the top go-to-market talent for companies on a non-retainer basis.<\/em><\/p>\n<div>\n<hr \/>\n<\/div>\n<h4><strong><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" alt=\"\ud83d\uddd3\" class=\"wp-smiley lazyload\" style=\"height: 1em;max-height: 1em\" data-src=\"https:\/\/s.w.org\/images\/core\/emoji\/15.1.0\/72x72\/1f5d3.png\"> GTM industry events<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p><em>Upcoming go-to-market events you won\u2019t want to miss:<\/em><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.inbound.com\/\">INBOUND 2025<\/a>: September 3-5, 2025 <em>(San Francisco, CA)<\/em><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/attendgtm.com\/\">Pavilion GTM Summit<\/a>: September 23-25, 2025 <em>(Washington, DC)<\/em><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/dreamforce\/\">Dreamforce<\/a>: October 14-16, 2025 <em>(San Francisco, CA)<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"button-wrapper\" style=\"text-align: center\" data-component-name=\"ButtonCreateButton\"><a class=\"button primary\" href=\"https:\/\/thegtmnewsletter.substack.com\/subscribe?\">Subscribe now<\/a><\/p>\n<div>\n<hr \/>\n<\/div>\n<h6 style=\"text-align: center\">This newsletter was written and edited by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/sophiebuonassisi\/\">Sophie Buonassisi<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/maxaltschuler\/\">Max Altschuler<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/paulsirving\/\">Paul Irving<\/a> and the <a href=\"https:\/\/gtmnow.com\/\">GTMnow<\/a> team (not AI!).<\/h6>\n<p>The post <a href=\"https:\/\/gtmnow.com\/how-to-get-cited-in-chatgpt-and-win-the-new-search-game\/\">How to get cited in ChatGPT+ (and win the new search game)<\/a> appeared first on <a href=\"https:\/\/gtmnow.com\">GTMnow<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Hello and welcome to The GTM Newsletter by GTMnow \u2013 read by 50,000+ to scale their companies and careers. GTMnow shares insight around the go-to-market strategies responsible for explosive company growth. GTMnow highlights the strategies, along with the stories from the top 1% of GTM executives, VCs, and founders behind these strategies and companies. Search [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":379,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[19],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/zoltrunakiver.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/377"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/zoltrunakiver.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/zoltrunakiver.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zoltrunakiver.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zoltrunakiver.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=377"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/zoltrunakiver.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/377\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":384,"href":"https:\/\/zoltrunakiver.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/377\/revisions\/384"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zoltrunakiver.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/379"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/zoltrunakiver.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=377"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zoltrunakiver.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=377"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zoltrunakiver.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=377"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}