Platforms · 12 engines
Every AI engine cites differently. Optimise per engine.
There is no single "AI search" to rank in. ChatGPT retrieves through the Bing index, Perplexity runs its own crawler and shows every source, Google AI Overviews are grounded in Gemini, Bing Copilot shares the index that also feeds ChatGPT Search. The structural foundation is shared — clean answers, schema, entity signals — but the last 20% is platform-specific. Below: how each of the 12 engines retrieves and cites, and the deep optimization guide for each one we cover.
How the 12 engines retrieve and cite
| Engine | Vendor | How it retrieves | Sources shown | Optimization guide |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT | OpenAI | Bing index + live web browsing | Sometimes shown | Read guide → |
| Google AI Overviews | Gemini grounding over Google Search | Cited inline, 1–3 | Read guide → | |
| Perplexity | Perplexity | Own crawler + web index | Always visible | Read guide → |
| Gemini / AI Mode | Google Search grounding | Shown on grounding | Read guide → | |
| Bing Copilot | Microsoft | Bing index (also feeds ChatGPT Search) | Cited inline | Read guide → |
| Claude | Anthropic | Partner index + web browsing | Cited on browse | Guide coming |
| DeepSeek | DeepSeek | Web search on supported tiers | Limited | Guide coming |
| Grok | xAI | Real-time X + web | Inline on search | Guide coming |
| Meta AI | Meta | Bing/Google partnership | Rare | Guide coming |
| Mistral Le Chat | Mistral | Web search on Pro | Shown on search | Guide coming |
| You.com | You.com | Own index, ranked sources | Always ranked | Guide coming |
| Phind | Phind | Web + code index (dev-focused) | Cited inline | Guide coming |
We publish a deep guide only where we have run real optimization work on the engine — five today, more shipping through the quarter. We would rather leave a row honest than fill it with a thin page.
Platform optimization guides
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