How To Win Mentions & Citations In Answer Engines

AI-driven search is reshaping the way businesses are discovered online. Traditional SEO strategies, focused on keywords and rankings, are no longer enough. Today, success means being cited by AI systems, whether ChatGPT, Bing Chat, Claude, or Perplexity – as a trusted source of information.

For small and medium businesses, understanding Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO) and how to secure AI mentions and citations is essential to stay visible in this new search landscape.

1. AI & SEO Must Work Together

We’re now operating in a dual-search world. On one hand, we still have legacy search engines like Google and Bing; on the other, generative AI engines respond to long, multi-intent prompts.

While a typical Google search may be 3-4 words, AI queries often contain 20+ words. This shift means businesses must optimise for both concise keyword-based queries and detailed, conversational prompts. Ignoring either channel risks falling behind in online visibility.

2. Mentions, Citations & AI Visibility

In AI-driven results, traditional ranking positions no longer exist. You’re either cited or you’re invisible.

Mentions are references to your brand, products, or expertise across blogs, news, social media, and forums.
Citations are authoritative references that AI engines trust, using your content as a source in their generated answers.

Tracking your visibility now means monitoring mentions, citations, and crawl activity rather than only keyword rankings or traffic metrics. Being consistently cited by AI is the modern equivalent of “ranking first.”

3. How To Become A Trusted AI Source

To appear in AI-generated answers, businesses must combine visibility and authority:

Mentions: Build brand awareness through PR, partnerships, and social engagement.
Citations: Publish trustworthy, referenceable content that AI systems can confidently use.

By achieving both, your business moves from simply being “known” to being an authoritative source AI relies on.

4. Scale Your Content For AI Discovery

AI engines prioritise volume, consistency, and freshness. A handful of articles per quarter won’t cut it. Every piece of content should be repurposed across multiple formats and platforms:

Turn blogs into social posts, short videos, or carousel graphics.
Update content regularly to maintain freshness and relevance.
Use modular content strategies so one strong article can generate multiple touchpoints.

This approach ensures your content is visible, consumable, and accessible across today’s fragmented AI-powered web.

5. Personalisation & Multi-Intent Prompts

AI search queries are often unique and multi-intent. Users rarely repeat the same exact question.

To succeed:

Create flexible personas reflecting how real people ask questions.
Ensure content addresses multiple intents in a single interaction.
Anticipate the different ways users may phrase questions and structure your content to provide clear, concise, and actionable answers.

This helps your business meet users wherever they are in their journey and increases the likelihood of AI citations.

6. Measuring Success in AI Search

Tracking AI visibility requires a different mindset than traditional SEO:

Monitor brand mentions and citations across AI platforms.
Analyse crawl patterns and how frequently your content is sourced.
Focus on authority and trust rather than keyword rankings alone.

By adopting this approach, businesses can ensure they are not just seen, but used as a reference by AI-driven search engines.

Maximising AI visibility isn’t optional, it’s becoming essential for any business that wants to remain discoverable online.

By combining mentions, citations, scalable content, and multi-intent strategies, your business can secure a strong presence in AI-driven search results while complementing traditional SEO efforts.