Diskusjon i fellesskapet om forskning som viser at 86 % av AI-sitater kommer fra merkevarekontrollerte kilder. Markedsførere deler erfaringer med optimalisering for merkede søk og siteringsstrategier.
Just came across research analyzing 6.8 million AI citations and the findings are blowing my mind:
86% of all AI citations come from sources brands already control or manage
Breakdown:
If this is accurate, it completely changes how I think about AI visibility strategy. We’ve been chasing external mentions and third-party coverage, but the data suggests we should focus on what we already control.
Questions I’m wrestling with:
This feels almost too optimistic. Am I missing something?
The data is real, but the interpretation needs nuance. Let me break it down:
Why brand-controlled sources dominate:
The catch:
This doesn’t mean you can ONLY focus on owned sources. Third-party mentions still:
My interpretation:
Brand-controlled sources are your foundation. Third-party presence is your amplifier. You need both, but the foundation should come first.
This is the nuance I was missing. So the 86% represents WHERE citations come from, but not WHY you get cited in the first place?
Like, you need third-party validation to be considered worth citing, but when you ARE cited, it’s usually from your own sources?
Exactly right.
Think of it this way:
Third-party presence = gets you in the consideration set Brand-controlled sources = provides the actual citation content
A brand with great third-party buzz but a terrible website might get mentioned but poorly cited.
A brand with a perfect website but zero external presence might never get considered.
The winning formula is strong external validation + optimized owned properties for when AI decides to cite you.
The 42% from business listings is what caught my attention.
We’re a local service business. I spent last year obsessing over Google Business Profile, Yelp, industry directories, and local listings.
Results:
When I test AI queries about our service type in our city:
The lesson:
For local businesses, listings ARE AI optimization. Keep them updated, consistent, and complete. AI treats them as verified truth about your business.
Industry variation is real. Here’s what I’ve seen across different verticals:
Retail/eCommerce:
Financial Services:
Healthcare:
Food Service:
Implication:
The 86% holds generally, but WHERE within that 86% depends on your industry. Healthcare should prioritize directory presence. Retail should prioritize product pages.
Let me add the technical angle on HOW to optimize brand-controlled sources for AI:
Website optimization:
Business listings optimization:
What AI crawlers look for:
The 86% is controllable, but only if you treat these properties as AI-first assets.
I want to push back slightly on the optimism here.
The 86% can work against you too.
If your website has outdated info, contradictory claims, or poor structure, AI will faithfully cite that bad information. We had a client whose old pricing page was getting cited because it ranked well - with prices from 2 years ago.
Horror stories I’ve seen:
The takeaway:
Brand-controlled sources being 86% of citations means you have 86% opportunity AND 86% risk. Audit everything AI might cite.
For clients, I frame this as the “citation audit” conversation:
Step 1: Inventory brand-controlled sources
Step 2: Audit each for AI-readiness
Step 3: Test what AI actually cites
Step 4: Optimize priority sources
This is now a standard service offering for us. The opportunity is real.
One more data point to add:
Platform-specific branded search behavior:
| Platform | Brand Mention Rate | Avg Brands/Response | Top Citation Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT | 99.3% (eComm) | 5.84 | Brand websites |
| Google AI Overview | 6.2% | 0.29 | Listings |
| Perplexity | 85.7% | 4.37 | Diverse |
| Google AI Mode | 81.7% | 5.44 | Brand/OEM sites |
Translation:
ChatGPT is extremely brand-friendly for product queries. Google AI Overview is minimalist. Perplexity cites the widest variety of sources.
Your branded search strategy should account for these differences. ChatGPT will cite your website heavily. Google AI Overview needs listing optimization.
Startup perspective:
This is actually great news for resource-constrained teams. Instead of trying to earn hundreds of backlinks or placements, we can focus on making our owned properties excellent.
Our priority order:
We’ve seen measurable AI visibility improvements just from cleaning up our owned properties. No expensive PR campaigns needed.
For tracking what’s actually getting cited, Am I Cited has been helpful. Shows us which specific pages and listings appear in AI answers.
Incredible discussion. Here’s my synthesis:
The 86% is real and actionable, but with caveats:
My action plan:
This is a much more manageable strategy than trying to earn external coverage. Thanks everyone for the insights.
En analyse av 6,8 millioner AI-sitater viste at 86 % kommer fra kilder merkevarer selv kontrollerer: 44 % fra egne nettsider og 42 % fra bedriftsoppføringer. Dette betyr at merkevarer har betydelig innflytelse på sin AI-synlighet gjennom egne eiendommer.
Egne nettsider leder med 44 % av sitatene, etterfulgt av bedriftsoppføringer med 42 %. Omtaler og innhold i sosiale medier bidrar med 8 %, mens forum som Reddit kun står for 2 % av sitatene.
ChatGPT nevner merkevarer i 99,3 % av e-handelsrelaterte svar. Google AI Oversikt nevner kun merkevarer 6,2 % av tiden. Perplexity ligger midt imellom med 85,7 %. Hver plattform har distinkte siteringsmønstre.
Begge er like viktige. Nettsiden din gir detaljerte innhold AI kan sitere, mens bedriftsoppføringer gir konsistent, verifisert informasjon på tvers av plattformer. En helhetlig strategi dekker begge deler.
Overvåk hvilke av dine merkevarekontrollerte kilder som blir sitert i AI-svar. Få innsikt i siteringsmønstre på tvers av ChatGPT, Perplexity og Google AI.
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