If you want to know how to rank in ChatGPT search, you need to understand something critical first: ChatGPT isn’t a traditional search engine.
It’s an LLM that scrapes results from Google and Bing, processes them through a query fan-out system, and then decides which sources to cite based on relevance, authority, and structure. This means your traditional SEO playbook still matters, but it’s not enough anymore.
After analyzing millions of prompts and working with clients across industries, I’ve developed a four-phase framework that consistently gets brands cited in ChatGPT search results. This isn’t theory, it’s what’s working right now in 2025.
Let me break it down for you.
Phase 1: Master Traditional SEO First
Here’s the uncomfortable truth: if you’re not ranking in Google, you won’t rank in ChatGPT.
ChatGPT pulls its answers from traditional search engines. So before you dive into chatgpt seo optimization, you need to nail the basics. This is what I call entity establishment, and it’s the foundation everything else builds on.
Build Your Entity Base
Start with the obvious: create profiles on major directories. For local businesses, that means Yelp and Google Business Profile. For B2B companies, you need a solid Crunchbase listing. These signals help LLMs understand who you are as a brand when they’re scraping different search engines.
Think of it this way, when ChatGPT searches for answers, it’s looking across multiple sources to verify legitimacy. The more established your entity is, the more confident the LLM becomes in citing you.
Implement Schema Markup Correctly
Schema markup is your secret weapon. It’s HTML code that gives search crawlers and LLM crawlers more context about your content.
Take Webflow as an example. They use organization schema markup across their entire site. When you view their schema, you’ll see:
- The organization name and URL
- Social platform URLs (LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube)
- Wikipedia entry (one of the strongest cited sources in ChatGPT)
- Founder information
- Clear business description
This isn’t just for search engines. It’s helping ChatGPT understand exactly what your business does and why it should trust you.
Different schema types serve different purposes. Article schema for blog posts. Event schema for webinars. FAQ schema for question-based content. Each one gives LLMs more context to work with.
Build Topical Authority
If you’re a lawyer who isn’t answering the questions people are searching for, you won’t get cited. Period.
It’s all about relevance. Search engines are what get scraped to provide answers to queries. So you need to:
- Get your pages indexed in Google and Bing
- Set up proper sitemaps
- Create meta tags based on keyword research
- Target queries people are actually searching for
ChatGPT currently sees about 5 billion searches per month. That’s massive growth, but it’s still only about 1% of Google’s traffic. The point? Don’t abandon traditional SEO. These two channels work together, not against each other.
Phase 2: Optimize For Answer Engine Optimization
Once you’ve built topical authority through traditional SEO, it’s time to get strategic about how to rank in chatgpt search 2026 and beyond. This is where answer engine optimization (AEO) comes into play.
Understand Query Fan-Out
LLM-driven search engines like Perplexity and ChatGPT don’t just echo your exact input. They expand it.
Let’s say someone searches for “CRM for SaaS company 50 to 100 employees.” The LLM rewrites and expands that query behind the scenes, searching for variations like:
- “Best CRM for SaaS companies 50 to 150 employees”
- “CRM software for mid-size SaaS companies”
- “Top CRM tools for SaaS businesses 2025”
It’s searching for semantic variations and related queries simultaneously, then finding the most relevant output based on all those searches combined.
This is why you need to think conversationally. Traditional SEO is sequential—people search “CRM for SaaS companies.” But in ChatGPT, they ask full questions with specific context.
Create Answer-First Architecture
Your content structure needs to change. AI citations demand a higher bar for content formatting:
- One H1 tag per page (the main topic)
- Clear H2 subtopics
- H3s that support each H2
- Direct answers in the first sentence of each section
FAQ sections are gold here. You have the question as an H2, then a quick, direct answer immediately below. This is exactly what LLMs are looking for when they’re scanning for citations.
Listicles also perform incredibly well. They’re easier for LLMs to parse and prioritize. The structured format makes it simple for AI to extract the specific information it needs.
Add Verification Layers
LLMs love citing original data. If you can include:
- Case studies from your own work
- Original research and statistics
- Real customer results and numbers
You dramatically increase your chances of getting cited. This is similar to the principles I cover in my guide on generative engine optimization, it’s all about giving AI the trust signals it needs.
Phase 3: Build Your Share of Model
This is where most brands have a massive opportunity. After the October 2024 ChatGPT update, average brand mentions dropped from 7 to 3.5, and average brand visibility fell significantly.
ChatGPT is becoming more competitive. The top brands are capturing most of the search market share. But here’s the good news: the blueprint to compete is clearer than ever.
Get Listed in High-Authority Sources
Let me show you exactly how this works.
When someone searches “B2B leads database” in ChatGPT, it pulls citations from multiple sources. Looking at which brands get recommended reveals the pattern:
Companies like Apollo appear because of their strong SEO efforts—they rank well organically. But they also appear in multiple listicle articles from high-authority sites.
This is what I call the multi-step brand touchpoint strategy:
- Rank organically for your target keywords
- Get mentioned in authoritative listicle content
- Build presence on Reddit and forums
- Create consistent brand signals across sources
When ChatGPT sees your brand mentioned across multiple high-authority sources, it builds confidence in citing you.
Master Reddit Marketing
Reddit has become absolutely critical. Wikipedia still dominates at 78% of citation distribution, but Reddit is second and growing fast.
Since Google’s partnership with Reddit, we’ve seen insane month-over-month organic traffic growth for the platform. Google is using Reddit data to train AI models and populate AI Overviews.
I’ve been using this trend for clients. Here’s a real case study from the solar industry:
I created a guest post listicle that ranked #6 in Google within 24 hours. Then I created a Reddit post targeting the exact bottom-of-funnel query the client needed. The post got high engagement and upvotes.
Result? Within 1-2 days, they appeared in Perplexity. Within a week, they showed up in ChatGPT search results.
This multi-channel approach SEO + listicle mentions + Reddit presence is exactly what how to rank in ai search engines is all about.
If you’re serious about Reddit marketing, I offer specialized Reddit marketing consulting to help brands execute this strategy properly.
Focus on Domain Authority
Creating listicles on low domain authority sites won’t move the needle. You need to reach out to highly authoritative sites in your industry and get your brand mentioned there.
There are dozens, sometimes hundreds of B2B listicle pages. The difference is domain authority and how authoritative the site is that’s mentioning you. That’s what builds trust with LLMs.
Phase 4: Nail the Human Layer
The final phase is something most people overlook: sentiment analysis.
Why Sentiment Matters
You can get cited in AI Overviews and ChatGPT search results negatively. People could be talking about your brand, but warning others not to work with you. That’s not the visibility you want.
Sentiment plays a huge role. My advice? Provide good services, good products, and don’t build a negative reputation. It sounds simple, but it’s critical.
Brand health matters more than ever. You don’t want your only traffic source coming from traditional SEO. Diversify across platforms—social media, email, Reddit, partnerships.
Understanding the difference between LLM SEO vs traditional SEO is crucial here. Traditional SEO is still important, but you need to think bigger.
Track Your Results
You need to measure what’s working. Set up proper tracking to monitor AI traffic sources. I’ve written a detailed guide on how to track AI traffic in GA4 that walks through the exact implementation.
Without tracking, you’re flying blind. You need to know:
- Which queries are driving ChatGPT traffic
- Which content is getting cited most
- How sentiment is trending around your brand
- Where your multi-channel touchpoints are working
The Bottom Line
How to rank in ChatGPT search isn’t about gaming the system. It’s about building a comprehensive presence that gives LLMs the confidence to cite you.
Start with traditional SEO. You can’t skip this foundation. Then layer in answer-first content structure optimized for how LLMs actually process information. Build your share of model through strategic listicle placements and Reddit presence. And protect it all with strong brand sentiment.
The brands winning in ChatGPT search right now aren’t doing one thing well, they’re executing across all four phases. Similar to what I teach about ranking on Perplexity, it’s a multi-channel game.
ChatGPT is one of the fastest-growing search channels. But remember: someone might find your brand in ChatGPT, then search for you in Google. These channels work together.
If you want help implementing this four-phase framework for your brand, book a free discovery call with me. I’ll show you exactly where the opportunities are and how to capitalize on them.
The AI search revolution is here. The question is: will your brand be cited or ignored?
