Understanding how ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity choose what to cite — and what it means for your content strategy.
This report analyzes 25,540 URLs cited by ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and Perplexity AI over a 60-day period. The core finding: each AI platform has fundamentally different citation behavior — requiring platform-specific content strategies.
88–91% of all citations across all three platforms come from just two content types: blog/articles and webpages. Everything else is noise by comparison.
ChatGPT is the only platform meaningfully citing LinkedIn posts (1.1%) and Wikipedia (2.0%). Neither appear significantly on Gemini or Perplexity.
Perplexity actively cites comparison pages and solution-specific pages at scale — uniquely important for buyers close to a purchase decision.
ChatGPT cites academic and research-backed content at 2.2% — more than six times higher than Gemini or Perplexity. Data-backed publishing is a direct lever.
Gemini rarely cites Reddit (0.4%) or Wikipedia (0.1%). Its citation model strongly prioritizes authoritative, structured content from established domains.
A single content strategy cannot achieve visibility across all three platforms. Brands optimizing for one may be structurally invisible on others.
ChatGPT accounts for 64% of all analyzed citations — making it the dominant AI search surface by volume, while Gemini and Perplexity serve distinct audiences.
| Platform | URLs Analyzed | % of Total | Top Citation Type | Top % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gemini | 3,847 | 15.1% | Blog / Article | 52.8% |
| Perplexity | 5,318 | 20.8% | Blog / Article | 54.8% |
| ChatGPT | 16,375 | 64.1% | Webpage | 47.0% |
| Total | 25,540 | 100% | Blog / Article | 46.9% |
Understanding the citation model of each platform is the foundation of any AI visibility strategy.
Gemini shows the strongest preference for brand-owned content. It rarely cites Reddit (0.4%), Wikipedia (0.1%), or community forums. Its citation model prioritizes authoritative, structured content from established domains.
Perplexity is the only platform meaningfully citing comparison pages (0.4%) and solution-specific pages (1.5%). It also has the highest documentation citation rate (1.7%) — making it critical for bottom-of-funnel strategy.
ChatGPT has the most diverse citation behavior — the only LLM meaningfully citing LinkedIn content (1.1%) and Wikipedia (2.0%). It also cites academic and research sources at 2.2%, far higher than Gemini or Perplexity.
"The data makes it clear: you cannot optimize for AI search the way you optimized for Google. Every platform has a different citation model. Brands that treat AI visibility as a single channel are structurally invisible to a significant portion of their buyers."
— Raghu, CEO & Co-Founder, SEMAIVisual breakdown of citation source types across all three platforms, based on 25,540 analyzed URLs.
Platform-specific content levers based on observed citation behavior across 25,540 URLs.
| Platform | Primary Lever | Do This | Avoid This |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gemini | Long-form blogs (1500+ words) | Brand-owned editorial content | Reddit / community sourcing |
| Perplexity | Comparison pages (X vs Y) | BOFU solution & comparison pages | Skip BOFU content entirely |
| ChatGPT | LinkedIn + data-backed blogs | Thought leadership with cited data | Ignore Wikipedia accuracy |
| All Three | Consistent blog publishing | Platform-specific content strategy | One-size-fits-all approach |
Each AI platform cites fundamentally different content types. A single content strategy cannot achieve visibility across ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity.
Brands that win in AI-driven search will be those who understand which content, for which platform, at which stage of the buyer journey.
While over 63% of B2B research now begins on AI platforms, most marketing teams continue to optimize primarily for Google rankings. SEMAI's platform is designed to close this gap — tracking brand visibility across ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, and Claude with LLM search volume data, Weak/Average/Strong cluster classification, and AI-generated content calendars.
Run a free AEO audit and discover which queries your competitors are winning — and what content gaps are costing you pipeline.
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