Roundups and "best of" lists are the pages AI quotes most for buying questions
When a shopper asks "what's the best beard oil for dry skin", AI assistants go looking for pages that already answer that question. Editorial roundups, buying guides and comparison articles do exactly that, so they get pulled into answers again and again.
Research shared by Ahrefs in 2026 found lists, "best X" pages, comparisons and reviews are among the formats ChatGPT cites most. These pages are also hard to get onto, which is why they carry so much weight. A brand named on several respected roundups looks like a safe recommendation.
- Look for roundups that name your rivals but not you.
- Pitch the writer honestly, explaining why your product suits their readers.
- Favour recently updated lists, since AI tends to prefer fresh pages.
Review sites and directories help AI confirm a product is real and liked
Review sites and niche directories give AI assistants something roundups can't: lots of independent opinions in one place. When many real customers say similar things about a product, an assistant has more confidence repeating it.
The honest way in is to get listed, claim your free profile and ask real customers to leave reviews. Writing reviews yourself, paying for them or swapping them is against these platforms' rules, and getting caught can remove your listing and damage trust in your store.
Reddit, Quora and forums matter because AI reads real conversations
AI assistants quote Reddit threads, Quora answers and niche forums often, because they show what real people think in plain words. Google AI Overviews in particular lean on Reddit and Quora, according to Ahrefs' research shared in 2026.
When gaming brand SteelSeries looked at where AI got its answers in its category, its agency NoGood reported to The Drum in June 2026 that it was a few review sites and Reddit threads. The team added useful posts to those threads rather than brand promotion. Form builder Tally also credited years of honest forum and Reddit answers when ChatGPT became its top referral source in 2025, its blog said in April 2026.
The rule is simple: post as yourself, say who you are and answer the question properly. Posing as a customer or asking friends to post fake recommendations breaks Reddit's rules and can get your brand banned from the threads that matter most.
Retailers and marketplaces show AI where a product can be bought
For product questions, AI assistants often quote big retailers and marketplaces. These pages carry prices, stock, specs and customer reviews in a tidy, consistent layout that is easy for an assistant to read and trust.
If a well-known retailer in your niche stocks your product, that listing can become one more credible place naming your brand. Asking relevant shops to stock you is a legitimate way to be seen there. Keep the product facts on those listings the same as on your own store, so AI gets one consistent story.
Your own product and blog pages get quoted when they answer clearly
Brand pages do get quoted, mostly when they answer a specific question better than anyone else. Period care brand Viv told Modern Retail in January 2025 that many shoppers ChatGPT sent to its blog went on to buy. Its detailed article on tampon safety went up as soon as a study made news.
Pages that tend to be quoted put the key facts first, name things exactly (product, materials, sizes, who it suits) and use clear question-and-answer sections. AI also needs to be able to read your store, so check that robots.txt and any firewall settings don't block Googlebot, OAI-SearchBot or PerplexityBot.
Each AI assistant trusts a different mix of sites
Winning on one assistant doesn't mean winning on all of them. Ahrefs' research shared in 2026 found Google AI Overviews lean on YouTube, Reddit and Quora, ChatGPT leans more on publishers and news sites, and Perplexity leans on niche and regional sites.
That means the list of sites worth your time depends on where your shoppers ask. A store that only chases big publishers may still be missing from Google's AI answers, which pull heavily from video and forum content.
- Google AI Overviews: YouTube, Reddit, Quora.
- ChatGPT: publishers and news outlets.
- Perplexity: niche and regional sites.
How to find the exact sites AI quotes for your store's questions
Start by writing down 10 to 20 real questions shoppers ask about products like yours, especially specific ones such as "unscented beard oil for sensitive skin" and "best", "versus" and "alternative" questions. Ask each one in ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google, and note every source they link. Ask more than once, because answers change from run to run.
After a few rounds, the same handful of sites will keep appearing. Those are the pages that shape recommendations in your niche. Sort them into roundups, review sites, forums, retailers and brand pages, then mark which ones name your rivals but not you. That short list is your to-do list. If you'd rather not do this by hand each week, GEO's Sites AI trusts tab counts these sources across your buying questions for you.
Key takeaways
- AI assistants mostly quote roundups, review sites, Reddit and forums, retailers and brand pages when recommending products.
- They favour clear, fresh pages and brands that many credible sites agree on.
- Each assistant leans on different sources, so check ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google separately.
- You can find the exact sites quoted for your questions by asking the assistants and recording their sources.
- Earn mentions honestly: pitch writers, get listed, collect real reviews and post on forums as yourself.
Questions people ask
Can I pay to be recommended inside a ChatGPT answer?
No. ChatGPT now shows ads on some plans, but OpenAI's help centre says ads sit below the answer, are labelled, and advertisers can't shape or rank its responses. The recommendation itself has to be earned from what AI can read about your products.
Are Google's AI answers the same?
Not quite. Google's Ads Help says ads can appear above, below or within AI Overviews, and this is available in countries including Australia and New Zealand. The organic sources Google's AI quotes are still separate from those paid slots.
Do I need my own site to rank on Google first?
It helps. Most pages AI assistants cite already rank well in normal search, so basic SEO is still the foundation. Clear, specific product pages and guides give AI something worth quoting.
Should I post on Reddit to get AI to notice my store?
Only as yourself, saying you run the brand, and only where you can genuinely answer the question. Posing as a customer or arranging fake recommendations breaks Reddit's rules and can get you banned. A few honest, helpful replies a week are worth more than many promotional ones.
How long until new mentions show up in AI answers?
There is no fixed timeline. AI answers change week to week, and new mentions usually take weeks to months to show up. Track the same questions over time and watch the trend rather than one result.
Sources
- The Drum: How SteelSeries claimed the top AI search spot (opens in a new tab)
- Modern Retail: Brands are seeing an influx of traffic from ChatGPT and Google Gemini (opens in a new tab)
- Tally blog: The road from $4M to $5M ARR (opens in a new tab)
- OpenAI Help Center: Ads in ChatGPT (opens in a new tab)
- Google Ads Help: Ads in AI Overviews (opens in a new tab)
Every number in this article comes from one of these pages. Written by the GEO team with help from AI, and checked against our facts sheet and these sources before publishing. Nothing here is a promise of results.
