Why this matters now
The numbers that should change your content strategy today.
90%
B2B buyers click through to sources cited in AI Overviews — vs 8% for general users
13%
Of all US desktop queries now trigger an AI Overview — up 102% since January 2025
34.5%
Drop in click-through for top organic result when an AI Overview appears above it
92%
Of AI Overview citations come from top-10 ranking domains. Domain authority still matters.
The four pillars
How to become the cited source.
Pillar 1
Own the questions your buyers are asking AI
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The first step is not to optimise existing content. It is to find out what questions your buyers are actually asking AI engines — and which ones you have zero presence in.
1
Go to Perplexity and ChatGPT right now
Ask: "What is the best [your category] for [your ICP]?" and "How do I solve [the problem you solve]?" Note who gets cited.
2
Generate your buyer question list
Use Claude to generate 30 questions a buyer in your ICP would ask AI before they ever visit a vendor's website.
Buyer question discovery
We sell [product] to [ICP: title, company type, stage]. Our category is [name]. Generate 30 specific questions that a [buyer title] at a [company type] would ask an AI search engine when: (1) first learning about this category, (2) evaluating whether they need a solution, (3) comparing vendors. Make the questions conversational — how a real person would phrase them to Perplexity or ChatGPT, not a Google search.
Pillar 2
Structure your content for AI to cite it
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What AI does not cite
Long intros with no direct answer
Opinion without evidence
Promotional or sales-y tone
Walls of text with no structure
Opinion without evidence
Promotional or sales-y tone
Walls of text with no structure
What AI does cite
Direct answer in the first sentence
Specific data and named examples
Clear H2s matching natural questions
Definitions and comparisons
Specific data and named examples
Clear H2s matching natural questions
Definitions and comparisons
Pillar 3
Publish original data only you have
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Original proprietary data is the highest-value AEO asset. AI engines cite unique data because it is — by definition — the only source for that finding. You likely already have it in your product, your CRM, or your customer surveys.
100 survey responses creates a publishable dataset. A well-structured 800-word article with 5 specific findings can become your most-cited piece within a quarter.
Original data prompt
We have access to this data from our product / CRM / customer base: [describe what you have]. What are 5 specific findings we could extract and publish that: (1) no competitor could publish because they don't have this data, (2) directly answer a question our buyers ask AI engines, (3) would be cited by journalists or analysts writing about our category?
Pillar 4
Build authority signals AI trusts
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92% of AI Overview citations come from domains already ranking in the top 10 organically. AEO does not replace domain authority — it requires it.
✓ Third-party publications citing your data or quoting your founders
✓ Being mentioned in analyst reports — even one Gartner mention significantly increases AI citation probability
✓ High-authority backlinks to your specific AEO content pages
✓ Publishing 10+ pieces on a narrow topic before expanding — own the depth before the breadth
✓ A hub page that defines and owns your category in 1,500+ words
✓ Updating highest-performing content with current data every quarter
✓ Being mentioned in analyst reports — even one Gartner mention significantly increases AI citation probability
✓ High-authority backlinks to your specific AEO content pages
✓ Publishing 10+ pieces on a narrow topic before expanding — own the depth before the breadth
✓ A hub page that defines and owns your category in 1,500+ words
✓ Updating highest-performing content with current data every quarter