How to Get the AI Citation Everyone Wants hero image
How to Get the AI Citation Everyone Wants hero image

Search traffic is stalling. AI Overviews are doing the talking. Clients are asking why they’re visible in search but not getting clicks.

The answer? Zero-click impressions. You’re being seen but not trusted, so let’s fix that.

What’s an AI Citation, and Why Should You Care?

An AI citation is when your content is referenced or summarised in tools like Google’s AI Overviews or other LLMs. You’re no longer competing just for blue links, you’re competing for the model’s attention.

Example of an AI citation in Google’s AI Overview—notice how the source is linked

If your brand isn’t being cited:

  • You’re not the answer, even if you’re on the page
  • You’re losing trust signals, especially in zero-click SERPs
  • You’re invisible to users, even when you’re ranking

An AI citation means:

  • Your content is structured, clear, and useful
  • Your site is trusted by the model
  • You’re more likely to be clicked when users want to go deeper

1. Keywords are cute. Answers are better.

You don’t win AI citations by stuffing in keywords. You win by answering actual questions, like a human. Start looking for queries that begin with:

  • How…
  • What…
  • Vs…
  • Is it worth…
  • Can you…

Group them by function: explain, compare, decide, recommend. Then build content that does exactly that.

2. Zero-click = You’re Whispering in the Overview

Impressions are up. CTR is down. Traffic? Non-existent. That’s a missed opportunity, not a failure.

Open Google Search Console and audit:

  • Which queries triggered AI Overviews?
  • Who got cited?
  • What structure did they use?
  • What answer could you have given faster?

It’s often a two-paragraph fix. Easy peasy.

An example of ahrefs showing impressions for queries that triggered AI Overviews

3. Keep It Simple. Seriously.

If your content needs effort to extract, AI won’t bother. What works:

  • One clear idea per heading
  • Short paragraphs (2 to 4 lines)
  • Bullets and tables
  • One-question-one-answer FAQs
  • Source names early

The simpler you make it, the harder it is to ignore.

4. Give Every Page a Job

Every piece of content needs a role. If it’s not helping someone decide or understand, it’s just noise. Ask:

  • Is this explaining something?
  • Comparing something?
  • Helping someone make a call?

No role = no chance.

5. UX Isn’t Dead (But Your Layout Might Be)

If the model can’t parse your page, it won’t cite it. Watch out for:

  • Hidden accordion copy
  • Script-heavy layouts
  • Heading soup (non-sequential headings = SEO sin)
  • Poor semantic structure
  • Slow mobile load times (PageSpeed is your friend)

6. PDPs Aren’t Just for Shopping Carts

Product pages can earn AI citations when they act like resources. Include:

  • What it is and who it’s for
  • “Great for…” blurbs
  • Specs in table form
  • FAQs from actual user queries
  • Alt text that means something
Even product pages can earn AI citations when they’re structured like resources like these NZ preserving jars

7. Link Like Your Life Depends on It

Internal links don’t just keep SEO tidy. They train the model. Link:

  • Blogs to hubs
  • PDPs to how-tos
  • FAQs to deep dives
  • Anchor text that matches the keyword, not your brand name

Clean structure isn’t nice to have. It’s how you get seen.

8. Schema or Suffer the Consequences 

Think AI will understand your content on vibes alone? Not likely. Schema Markup is how you spell it out. Without it, you’re just hoping the model figures it out. Use Schema to:

  • Tell the LLM, “Hey, this is an FAQ”
  • Flag your blogs as articles (not aimless rambling)
  • Label your PDPs like a proud parent (product, review, local business)
  • Serve breadcrumbs so it doesn’t get lost

No Schema = No structure = No citation.

9. Authority Isn’t Just On-Site

Even if your content nails structure and intent, off-site signals still matter. LLMs don’t just read your page. They read the web.

What they pick up on:

  • Backlinks from credible sources (not low-tier directories)
  • Brand mentions in articles, blogs, and forums
  • Structured citations on platforms like Wikidata, Crunchbase, and LinkedIn
  • Social proof from shares, comments, and engagement

If no one else is talking about you, AI won’t either. Authority needs to exist beyond your domain.

10. Know What You’re Writing For

To get cited, you’ve got to think like the thing doing the citing: a Large Language Model.

What is an LLM? It’s a machine learning model trained to predict and generate human-like text, including the answers in AI Overviews. How LLMs work is by scanning structured, clear, and trustworthy content. If your copy is vague, rambling, or unclear, it won’t make the cut.

In other words:

  • Use headings it can follow
  • Make your intent obvious
  • Don’t bury the good stuff

This isn’t just about pleasing Google. You’re writing for the model too. Make it easy to choose you.

Make AI Work for You

If your content’s getting impressions but not AI citations, you’re on the radar, but you’re not the source. Don’t make more, just make what you’ve got sharper.

Answer better. Structure smarter. Be useful faster.

Want to get cited? Talk to us.

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