
Optimising for ChatGPT Search: 12 Evidence-Based Tactics Ranked by Citation Lift
Most ChatGPT SEO advice treats every tactic as equal. This playbook ranks 12 tactics by the effect size each one showed in a published study or controlled test.


Most ChatGPT SEO advice treats every tactic as equal. This playbook ranks 12 tactics by the effect size each one showed in a published study or controlled test.

AI engines reason over entities, not keywords. This 7-step audit compares your content to a Wikidata or Google Knowledge Graph snapshot to find the entities you are missing.

AI citation rates swing day to day, so naive before-and-after tests mislead. Here is a 6-step statistical framework for sample size, control groups and significance.

We took 10 UK pages, applied one isolated change each, and measured citation rate after 4 weeks. Direct-answer block lifted +19pp; meta-description rewrites produced 0pp. Full ranked list with implementation time.

We mapped 50 UK AI marketing agencies on a 4-quadrant grid: strategy vs technical operations, creative vs analytical. 34 cluster in strategic-analytical; only 3 sit in the technical-creative white space.

We surveyed 100 self-described AI SEO experts on LinkedIn and scored each against 8 capabilities. The median respondent demonstrated 3.7 of 8. Top decile averaged 6.4; bottom decile 1.8. Full distribution.

We assessed 23 UK AI SEO and GEO agencies against a 5-question RFP filter testing non-fakeable capabilities. Only 6 passed all five. The filter cuts a typical long-list by two-thirds.

We synthesised public ChatGPT prompt-leak reporting, peer-reviewed retrieval research and our 50-query AiBoost behaviour test into a single 14-factor map with confidence scores. 5 high-confidence, 6 medium, 3 low.

We mapped 12 ranking signals against classic SEO and generative engine optimisation. 5 transfer cleanly, 4 do not, and 3 flip. Anchored to Ahrefs 2025, Profound 2025, arXiv 2024 and AiBoost UK panels.

We A/B tested two identical UK pages, one with FAQPage and Article schema, one without, across 30 buyer-intent prompts on ChatGPT browsing mode. The schema variant was cited 2.35x more often. Full ablation data.