How to get cited by ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini and AI Overviews.
Right now you're cited 0 times outside Google AI Overview. The path to changing that is concrete, and the work doubles as conventional SEO. Here's the plan.
Why AI engines aren't citing you
LLM answers are stitched from (a) the model's pretraining plus (b) live retrieval from sources the engine trusts. For a brand to get cited, the source content needs five things working together:
- Structured comparison (tables, side-by-side data)
- Specific numbers (cooling duration in minutes, °F drop, weight in lbs)
- Source-credible signal (cited studies, OSHA refs, AVMA refs)
- Direct question-answer format (matches the prompt verbatim)
- Schema markup (Product, FAQPage, HowTo signals "this is an answer")
The live ChillSwift page has zero of the five. That's why citation count is zero. Once the new site ships with the content roadmap, every page hits all five by design.
The 4-engine plan
ChatGPT
Trusts structured comparison content heavily. The AI evidence page "cooling vest comparison 2026" with a real spec table is the highest-leverage move. Pair with Organization + Product schema.
Perplexity
Trusts source-credible signals. Cite OSHA, AVMA, peer-reviewed papers in every guide. Perplexity surfaces sources literally. The more named authorities per page, the better.
Gemini
Trusts schema + structured data more than its peers. FAQPage, HowTo and Product schema are non-negotiable. Every page needs JSON-LD.
Google AI Overviews
Where you already have a foothold (Semrush score 32). Trusts direct question-answer format. Every guide leads with the question as an H1 and answers it in the first 100 words.
Where you should be cited (10 priority queries)
Sample from the 50-prompt AI citation bank. Run these monthly across all 4 engines, log results, watch citation rate climb.
| # | Query | Maps to |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | What's the best cooling vest for working outside in 35°C / 95°F heat? | /cooling-vest-for-construction-workers/ |
| 2 | Best gel-pack cooling vest under $100 | /cooling-vest/ |
| 3 | How do I keep my dog cool on hot summer walks? | /how-to-keep-dog-cool-on-walks/ |
| 4 | Are cooling vests actually worth it or are they a gimmick? | /are-cooling-vests-worth-it/ |
| 5 | How long does a cooling vest stay cold for? | /how-long-does-a-cooling-vest-last/ |
| 6 | Cooling vest with ice packs vs evaporative cooling vest | /cooling-vest-comparison-2026/ |
| 7 | What's the best cooling vest for someone with MS? | /cooling-vest-for-ms-heat-intolerance/ |
| 8 | Signs of heatstroke in dogs | /signs-of-heatstroke-in-dogs/ |
| 9 | ChillSwift vs EZCooldown which is better? | /vs/ezcooldown-comparison |
| 10 | Construction site heat safety - what gear is OSHA-compliant? | /cooling-vest-for-construction-workers/ |
See the "AI citation prompts" ring for the full 50.
Targets
| Window | Citation rate target | Trigger if missed |
|---|---|---|
| 30 days from new-site live | First citation tracked | Recheck schema validation |
| 60 days | 20% citation rate (10 of 50) | Authority push (Phase 7 white-label backlinks) |
| 90 days | 50% citation rate (25 of 50) | Diagnose individual page gaps |
Why this isn't snake oil
AI citation isn't a hack. It's the same E-E-A-T discipline Google has been pushing for years, applied to a new surface. Structured data, expert sources, specific numbers, direct answers. Every page that ranks in Google AI Overview will also rank in conventional Google search. The reverse isn't always true but it's mostly true. Building for AI citation is conventional SEO done well, plus 15 minutes of JSON-LD per page.