If on-page optimization is about controlling your own message, off-page optimization is about influencing the conversation around you.
And in AEO, that conversation matters more than ever.
Why citations matter more than links
In traditional SEO, you chased backlinks. In AEO, you want mentions – especially in the pages that answer engines like ChatGPT or Perplexity end up summarizing.
Here’s the reality:
- When a user asks: “What’s the best tool for [task]?”
- The AI engine pulls info from a small number of pages.
- It prefers sources that agree (i.e. multiple pages recommending the same product).
The more you’re mentioned across different reputable sources, the more likely the model is to trust and include you in its answer.
And this is true even if those sources don’t link to you.
LLMs don’t care as much about hyperlinks. They care about relevance, repetition, and readability.
Citation > Rank
Let’s say you ask Perplexity:
“What are the best virtual event platforms for large teams?”
It scans 3–5 articles or threads:
- One from Zapier
- One from a niche blog
- One Reddit thread
- One video transcript
If 3 of those sources mention the same tool (e.g. Hopin), Hopin will likely show up in the generated answer – regardless of where their own site ranks on Google.
This is why being in the citations matters more than ranking #1.
Where you want to be cited
| Surface | Why It Matters |
|---|---|
| One of the most frequently cited UGC platforms by LLMs | |
| YouTube | Video descriptions and transcripts often appear in citations |
| Affiliate Blogs | These dominate head-term queries like “Best software for X” |
| Niche Forums | LLMs love structured conversations in trusted communities |
| Topical News Sites | Adds freshness, authority, and trust |
| LinkedIn Pulse | Great for B2B echoing / consensus building |
How to earn more citations
1. Get mentioned on roundup posts
- Reach out to sites with “Best [tools/products]” pages
- Offer an affiliate deal, quote, case study, or product demo
- Prioritize pages already showing up in Perplexity, Bing, or Gemini answers
2. Show up on Reddit organically
- Search for threads where your tool would help
- Reply as a real person (not a fake account), disclosing who you are
- Focus on usefulness, not promotion
Many of the most impactful citations come from simple, helpful comments.
3. Seed useful YouTube content
- Create videos that show your product solving a real problem
- Include detailed descriptions and chapters with keywords/questions
- Bonus: Upload transcripts and ensure the audio is clean for speech-to-text
4. Create multi-surface consensus
- Post a high-quality answer on your blog
- Echo the same answer on LinkedIn or Medium
- Mention the same facts in a Reddit reply
This builds what LLMs interpret as consensus: “multiple sites are saying the same thing.”
5. Earn mentions on Help Docs & Developer Sites
- If you’re a dev tool, get included in integration guides, GitHub discussions, or comparison charts
- LLMs often cite help docs when people ask: “Which tool supports [feature]?”
Don’t forget: freshness & formatting still matter
- The most recent content often ranks higher in citations
- Easy-to-parse formatting (tables, clean headings, direct quotes) makes content more likely to be picked up
- Even Reddit comments with simple bullet points can be cited over full articles
Watch out for spam traps
Trying to game Reddit or fake consensus with burner accounts is a fast path to being ignored – or worse, penalized.
Instead:
- Be real
- Be helpful
- Let others voluntarily echo you through affiliate programs, support, or actual experience
In AEO, trust is a ranking signal – but it’s built sideways, not top-down.
In the next section, we’ll talk about how to actually track all this. What gets measured, gets optimized. Move on to Tracking Visibility, Citations, and Conversions.
AEO & GEO Handbook 2026 by People, business, and AI systems clarity coach Mike Moisio