---
title: "AI Search Platforms — how ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini & Copilot cite | Answerly Agency"
description: "Every AI search engine retrieves and cites differently. How ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Perplexity, Gemini, Bing Copilot, Claude and 6 more pick sources — and the per-platform optimization guides that win citations on each."
url: https://answerly.agency/platforms/
lang: en
---

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 →](/blog/how-to-get-cited-by-chatgpt/) |
| Google AI Overviews | Google | Gemini grounding over Google Search | Cited inline, 1–3 | [Read guide →](/blog/google-ai-overviews-2026/) |
| Perplexity | Perplexity | Own crawler + web index | Always visible | [Read guide →](/blog/perplexity-citations-tactics/) |
| Gemini / AI Mode | Google | Google Search grounding | Shown on grounding | [Read guide →](/blog/gemini-ai-mode-optimization/) |
| Bing Copilot | Microsoft | Bing index (also feeds ChatGPT Search) | Cited inline | [Read guide →](/blog/bing-copilot-optimization/) |
| 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

-   [OpenAI
    
    ### ChatGPT optimization
    
    How ChatGPT retrieves and cites, the ranking factors that matter, and the tactics that win placement.
    
    Read the ChatGPT guide →](/blog/how-to-get-cited-by-chatgpt/)

-   [Google
    
    ### Google AI Overviews optimization
    
    How Google AI Overviews retrieves and cites, the ranking factors that matter, and the tactics that win placement.
    
    Read the Google AI Overviews guide →](/blog/google-ai-overviews-2026/)

-   [Perplexity
    
    ### Perplexity optimization
    
    How Perplexity retrieves and cites, the ranking factors that matter, and the tactics that win placement.
    
    Read the Perplexity guide →](/blog/perplexity-citations-tactics/)

-   [Google
    
    ### Gemini / AI Mode optimization
    
    How Gemini / AI Mode retrieves and cites, the ranking factors that matter, and the tactics that win placement.
    
    Read the Gemini / AI Mode guide →](/blog/gemini-ai-mode-optimization/)

-   [Microsoft
    
    ### Bing Copilot optimization
    
    How Bing Copilot retrieves and cites, the ranking factors that matter, and the tactics that win placement.
    
    Read the Bing Copilot guide →](/blog/bing-copilot-optimization/)

## Not sure which engine your buyers actually use?

The free AI Visibility Audit checks your presence across all of them and emails a 0–100 score in under a minute.

[Run the free audit](/ai-visibility-audit/)