You just discovered your competitor is showing up in ChatGPT answers for your target prompts, but you’re nowhere to be found? You have been staring at a long list of websites cited by LLMs but are unsure what to do next? There’s an easy way to take action with Peec AI. You just need to know where to look.
The websites and URLs AI models cite as sources are where you need to get mentioned. A Reddit thread requires a completely different approach than a CNN article or a Wikipedia page.
Here's how to figure out which sources matter most and what to do about each one.
Step-by-Step Framework
Step 1: Identify the Categories
Head over to Sources in your Peec AI sidebar to see the top sources (websites) used in recently analysed chats. Most of them will fall into these categories:
User Generated Content (UGC) & Social Media: Sites like reddit, YouTube, Quora, Pinterest, or TikTok. Also reviews sites like G2, Capterra, PeerSpot, or OMR Reviews. On these websites, the relevant content comes from the community members.
Editorial: News outlets, magazines, and blogs. Sites that usually feature long-form content from a single author or a team of writers and editors.
Corporate & Commercial: Websites that present a brand or sell products and services.
Reference: Websites like Wikipedia, Crunchbase, IMDB, or directories.
Institutional: Academic and government institutions, often using .gov and .edu domains.
Competitors: We will tackle this one in an upcoming article.
Your own website: The dream scenario! That’s a big GEO win if you spot your own website used as a source.
Step 2: Apply the Right Tactic per Source
Now that you know the categories, here's how to approach each one.
UGC and Social Media
For each website, you need to make one fundamental decision. Is this a community where you can directly contribute or will you need the help of influencers?
Let’s look at a few typical UGC and social media sites that regularly pop up as sources:
Reddit: Some subreddits don't mind companies engaging directly by answering questions or addressing misinformation. However, most do! Any self-promotion will likely get you banned.
Companies with larger user bases like Notion or Raycast have even created their own subreddits to build community (and content) around their products.
LinkedIn: CEO-led content performs well here, whether regular posts, newsletters, or LinkedIn Pulse articles (long-form content published directly on LinkedIn). For example, Maximilian Fleitmann, founder of design agency magier, attributes many booked demo calls to sharing founder content through his regular LinkedIn posts.
Even better: encourage your whole team to build personal brands, which will grow your company's overall visibility.
YouTube: Unless you already have an established process to produce high quality video content, working with influencers is probably your best route. Also consider smaller influencers with strong engagement and relevant to your industry - they're often more affordable than larger creators but can still reach highly engaged audiences.
TikTok and Instagram: These platforms are even more community-focused than YouTube. If you're not familiar with current formats and trends, consider hiring someone experienced with these platforms or working with influencers who can authentically review or discuss your product or brand. Getting the vibe wrong can hurt more than help.
You can also use social listening tools to catch when users mention your brand organically. That allows you to amplify voices of happy users or address misinformation quickly.
Editorial
If LLMs are citing news outlets like CNN, BBC, or The Guardian as sources, digital PR is your best bet. You can handle this in-house or via an agency. The goal is building relationships with journalists and pitching them targeted stories to earn mentions, interviews, or guest pieces.
Our tip: keep an updated brand kit ready with high-res logos, founder photos, and product screenshots - journalists work fast and appreciate when you make their job easier.
Corporate and Commercial
This depends on your relationship with the company. If you use their product, offer to be featured in a case study. If not, see if they feature partners in their content. Companies like Zapier regularly publish guides and listicles featuring other tools that integrate with their platform.
For commercial sites, look into retail media options or better affiliate terms to get more visible placements.
Reference
Back when I was an SEO, I used to say, “it depends” a lot. Finally, I get to say it again!
There are many directories and database-style websites with industry-specific listings. Are you missing from a directory or is crucial information outdated? Many offer a form to update your listing.
Some work similarly to UGC sites. On Wikipedia, Crunchbase, IMDB, and many others you can directly make edits. But beware: moderators and users dislike brands engaging in blatant self-promotion.
Institutional
There is no playbook for academic and governmental sites (often on.edu and .gov domains). You will need some creativity. And this will not be a quick win!
For university websites, look for opportunities like commenting on their blogs, sponsoring scholarships, or collaborating with professors. Common approaches include data sharing, joint research, thesis supervision, or offering guest lectures.
Government sites sometimes have partnership opportunities too, but each situation is unique.
Step 3: Monitor your sources over time
You've identified your top sources and taken action. Now monitor the results in Peec AI. But give it time. Most tactics take weeks or months to show results, except for direct contributions like directory updates.
Here's what to track:
New source pickups: When new content gets created (like a Wikipedia entry or news article), check if AI models start citing it as a source.
Visibility changes: For sources where you've invested effort, check whether your brand appears more frequently in AI answers.
Sentiment shifts: Track whether mentions of your brand in these sources become more positive over time.
What success looks like: You'll know your efforts are working when you see your brand mentioned more often in AI answers for your target keywords, or when new sources you've influenced start appearing in Peec AI's source lists.
How long to wait: Different tactics have different timelines. Some like directory updates can show results quickly, while others like editorial outreach and community building are longer-term investments.
Start small but smart, then scale
Pick one focus area first: Choose your top-performing source type for a single prompt tag in Peec AI. Monitor that tag closely as you work on those specific sources.
Go for quick wins: Start with directories and UGC platforms where you can contribute directly. You might even see improvements within 24 hours.
Coordinate with your team: The source outreach tactics we've discussed overlap with PR, social media, and partnerships. Look into how you can engage other teams to work together towards your GEO goals.
A quick reminder: keep it ethical
While working on UGC and social media, avoid the temptation to create fake accounts or artificially influence discussions. As someone with an SEO background, I know how appealing these shortcuts are. They might work short-term but carry serious risks. Keep your marketing practices ethical when working on AI visibility.
What's next?
Once you've classified your sources, identify which ones drive visibility - and which are missing. Your goal is getting mentioned organically across high-trust sources. Start with easy wins like updating directory listings, then move to longer-term efforts like editorial outreach or building community and UGC presence.