How to cited by ChatGPT.
Being cited by ChatGPT is not a single-feature fix — it's a cluster of signals working together. This is the minimum-viable setup that, in our data, produces a measurable citation rate bump within 14 days.
- 01
Publish llms.txt at your root
Create a Markdown file at /llms.txt with a one-sentence site description, a short paragraph of context, and a curated list of 10–30 URLs that best explain your product. ChatGPT uses Bing's index, and Bing honors llms.txt when scoring relevance for grounding. See our [dedicated post on the spec](/blog/llms-txt-what-why-how).
- 02
Add FAQ schema to your top three pages
Pick the three pages that best represent your category. Add FAQPage JSON-LD with 5–8 questions answered in 40–120 words each. Use your buyers' actual phrasing — scrape r/yourvertical for the phrasings that recur. This single change produces the largest delta we see in ChatGPT citation rate.
- 03
Get one organic Reddit mention
Not a paid placement. A real post by a customer or a founder-level contribution to a thread where your product is relevant. In our data, Reddit accounts for ~23% of ChatGPT's third-party citations, more than any other domain.
- 04
Submit to Bing IndexNow
Bing operates the grounding layer for ChatGPT's browsing mode. The IndexNow endpoint pushes URL changes to Bing in seconds. Use your CMS's IndexNow plugin or call the endpoint directly — see [indexnow.org/documentation](https://www.indexnow.org/documentation).
- 05
Measure — don't guess
ChatGPT won't tell you when it cites you. You have to run your own query panel against it on a schedule and log citations. AIRRNK does this automatically; alternatively, script it with the OpenAI API and a small cron.
What to expect
Expect the first citation bump within 10–14 days of shipping all five steps. Week 1 is usually flat — the Bing index needs time to re-score — and the curve steepens in week 2. The biggest variable is whether step 3 lands; organic Reddit is the amplifier.
Written by
The AIRank Editorial Team
Research & editorial, AIRank
The AIRank editorial team runs the 47-point scanner, the Observer pings, and the GEO research programme every week. Writing is reviewed by the core engineers who build the Injector, Blaster, and Surgeon agents.
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