Here's the number that should change how you think about AI advertising: brands cited in AI Overviews see 91% higher paid CTR compared to those that aren't.
You know AI search is crushing traditional CTRs. You know the platforms. But knowing the landscape doesn't fix your numbers. This post is about what you actually do.
Why Citation Matters More Than Ranking
Traditional SEO: rank higher, get more clicks. AI search doesn't work that way. There's no "position 1." AI synthesizes answers from multiple sources, cites 2-7 domains per response, and often answers questions without requiring any clicks at all.
The new game: get cited.
Seer Interactive's data across 3,119 queries:
- •Cited in AI Overview: -49% organic CTR, -54% paid CTR decline
- •Not cited in AI Overview: -65% organic CTR, -78% paid CTR decline
Being cited doesn't eliminate the CTR drop — but it cuts your losses nearly in half. And for paid specifically, the 91% CTR advantage of cited brands vs. non-cited brands is massive.
What Is GEO?
Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) is the practice of optimizing your content to get cited in AI-generated responses.
- •SEO optimizes for ranking on a page of links
- •GEO optimizes for being referenced in synthesized answers
The goal isn't to rank #1. It's to be one of the 2-7 sources the AI chooses to cite when constructing its response.
How AI Platforms Choose Citations
- •ChatGPT: Wikipedia dominates (7.8% of citations). Prefers encyclopedic, factual content. Commercial domains get 80%+ of citations.
- •Perplexity: Reddit leads (6.6% of citations). Does live searches, so freshness matters more. Always shows sources.
- •Google AI Overviews: More distributed across sources. Reddit is #1 (2.2%), but spreads citations more evenly.
All platforms favor clear, well-structured content, authoritative sources with strong backlink profiles, content that directly answers questions, accurate structured data, and technically sound sites.
The GEO Playbook for PPC Marketers
1. Audit Your AI Visibility
Before optimizing, know where you stand. Manual checks: Search your brand + category on Perplexity, ask ChatGPT variations of "[your category] recommendations", check Google AI Overviews for your target keywords.
Tools like Otterly.AI, Profound, and Promptmonitor track brand mentions across AI platforms.
2. Make Your Content Citable
AI systems need to extract clear, quotable statements. Write like you're creating reference material.
Structure for extraction:
- •Lead with definitions and clear statements
- •Use headers that match question patterns
- •Include TL;DR summaries at the top
- •Put key facts in standalone sentences
3. Build Topic Authority
AI systems don't just cite individual pages — they assess whether your entire site is authoritative on a topic.
Create content clusters: Publish 10-20 related articles around your core topics, interlink them, cover beginner to advanced angles, and update cornerstone pieces regularly. The broader your semantic footprint, the more queries where you might get cited.
4. Get Mentioned on Sources AI Already Trusts
AI platforms cite sources they encounter repeatedly. High-value targets include Wikipedia, Reddit discussions, industry publications, G2/Capterra review platforms, Quora and Stack Exchange.
One analysis found 25-35% response rates when offering compensation for content updates that include your brand.
5. Technical Foundations
AI crawlers need to access your content. Don't block AI crawlers in robots.txt. Use server-side rendering. Ensure fast load times and clean HTML structure with semantic headers.
Implement structured data: Schema markup (Product, Organization, FAQ, HowTo), complete meta descriptions, author bios with credentials.
6. Connect GEO to Your Paid Strategy
- •Align landing pages with citation-worthy content: Include educational content that could get cited.
- •Use citation data to inform keyword strategy: If you're getting cited for certain topics, bid more aggressively on related terms.
- •Track the correlation: Compare CTR trends for keywords where you're cited vs. not cited.
Measuring Success
Traditional SEO metrics don't capture AI visibility. Track:
- •Citation rate: How often you appear in AI responses for target queries
- •Share of voice: Your citations vs. competitor citations
- •AI referral traffic: Sessions from ChatGPT, Perplexity, etc. (check GA4 referrers)
- •Brand search correlation: Does branded search increase after citation improvements?
- •Paid CTR by citation status: Compare CTR for keywords where you're cited vs. not
Platform-Specific Notes
- •Google AI Overviews: Your existing campaigns are automatically eligible. Better citation = better ad performance in the same SERP.
- •Microsoft Copilot: Ads run through Microsoft Advertising. Citation improves context for paid placements.
- •Perplexity: Paused ads, but Merchant Program is open. Getting cited positions you for when ads reopen.
- •ChatGPT: No ads yet. Citation builds the foundation for when advertising launches (likely 2026).
The Bottom Line
AI search is reshaping discovery. CTRs are falling across the board. But the data is clear: brands that get cited lose less.
For PPC marketers, GEO isn't a replacement for your paid strategy — it's the foundation that makes paid work better in the AI era. Citation improves paid CTR. Authority improves ad relevance. Visibility in organic AI responses creates awareness that lifts paid performance.
The brands investing in GEO now will have a 12-24 month head start when AI search becomes the default. The game has changed. Ranking isn't enough. You need to get cited.
