How do I get ChatGPT to cite my website?

Mentioned, recommended, cited

Three different outcomes, and this page is about the last one. Mentioned: your name appears in the answer. Recommended: you’re suggested as an option. Cited: one of your URLs is listed as a source (glossary). OpenAI says responses that use web search may include citations, and that search results and citations can be incomplete, outdated or incorrect (OpenAI Help, “Searching the web with ChatGPT”, read 15 Oct 2026).

A citation needs two things: your page was retrieved for the query, and it holds a sentence that supports a claim in the answer. If you aren’t retrieved at all, start with How to show up in ChatGPT search. This page assumes you are, and asks why the link goes to someone else.

Write sentences that can be lifted

An assistant cites the page that states the claim it’s making, in a form it can repeat. Most marketing copy fails that test because each sentence leans on the one before it.

Four rules cover most of it:

1. One claim per sentence, with the subject named (not “it” or “we”).
2. The answer first, the context after.
3. Numbers with their unit, source and date.
4. A heading above each claim that says what it is, so the link can point to it.

Bing gives the same advice for its AI answers: clear headings, tables and FAQ sections, claims backed by evidence, and content kept current (Bing Webmaster Blog, “Introducing AI Performance in Bing Webmaster Tools”, 10 Feb 2026, read 15 Oct 2026).

Example: one block, before and after

An invented example for an invoicing tool:

Before:
H2: Why teams love us
We make invoicing effortless, so you can focus on what matters.

After:
H2: How long does matching an invoice take?
Acme matches a PDF invoice to purchase orders in about 30 seconds.
Across 2,140 invoices processed in September 2026, 94% matched with no
manual step (Acme's own logs). Invoices in other currencies take longer.

The second version answers a question someone actually asks, names the product, and gives a number with its source and date. It also states a limit, which makes the claim more believable and more quotable.

Publish what only you can say

Google’s guide for its AI features separates commodity content (it gives “7 Tips for First-Time Homebuyers” as an example) from first-hand content that adds what others can’t (Google Search Central, “Optimizing your website for generative AI features on Google Search”, updated 10 Jul 2026, read 15 Oct 2026). Assistants have to cite someone for a number, and if the number exists only on your page, that someone is you.

What you can publish that nobody else has:

• your own measurements, with dates and sample sizes;
• exact prices, limits and supported platforms;
• comparisons with competitors’ facts checked on their own pages, dated;
• what didn’t work, with numbers.

Keep each fact the same on every page, in llms.txt and in your schema. Two versions of one price give the assistant a reason to quote neither; ChatGPT says wrong things about my company covers that cleanup. When a fact changes, send the URL through IndexNow: Bing says it helps AI answers reference the current version of a page.

Count your citations

• Bing Webmaster Tools, AI Performance: total citations, cited pages and the grounding queries behind them, for Copilot, Bing’s AI summaries and select partners (Bing, 10 Feb 2026).
• Google Search Console: the generative AI performance report for AI Overviews and AI Mode.
• ChatGPT: ask your fixed questions logged out with Search on and save the cited URLs with a date; the protocol is on How to check if ChatGPT recommends you. Visits from ChatGPT carry a chatgpt.com referrer or utm_source=chatgpt.com when they carry anything at all.

Where Katman fits, and what it can’t do

Katman MCP runs inside your AI coding tool. katman_lint_content checks that a page’s first sentences answer on their own, that numbers have a source and that no placeholder is left. katman_page_brief plans the page around one question, and katman_visibility_run records, for each answer from ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity and Grok, whether you were named, recommended first or cited, on your own OpenRouter key. Katman Pro is $99 a month for up to 3 sites, with fix prompts and page briefs uncapped. Or have us do it: Growth writes 30 pages a month for you. See what the MCP does.

It can’t invent data you don’t have, it doesn’t edit your site by itself, and nobody can promise an assistant will cite you. The method behind the briefs is on the Katman method.

Written by the Katman team, Rnify Limited. OpenAI, Google, Bing and Ahrefs pages checked 15 October 2026.