How to Rank on Perplexity: Strategies You Need to Implement Now
Perplexity is one of the fastest-growing AI platforms, and many users are now using it to get answers instead of traditional search. This shift is changing how brand visibility works. Brands must now prioritize strategies for getting cited by AI tools like Perplexity to maintain visibility.
This need to adapt is how Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) evolved from traditional SEO, and you need to learn the best GEO techniques to rank on Perplexity.
Unlike traditional search, Perplexity does not just rank pages based on keyword match. It retrieves all relevant information from different sources and summarizes it. It then answers the user's query using summarized information with citation links to its sources.
One of the primary goals of GEO is to get your website cited as a credible source in these AI answers. A researcher found that Perplexity's ranking behavior appeared to prioritize these specific factors in citing its sources:
- Semantic clarity. Content should comprehensively explain the topic. Properly research what users may ask in their query and try to directly answer this through professional insights and industry-specific terms.
- Content freshness. Pages that are regularly updated, preferably within the last two years or even shorter, are more likely to be visible. Perplexity is particularly known to cite fresher sources. Publish and update content frequently to avoid rapid visibility declines. Clicks and historic engagement signals feed performance models.
- User engagement. Clicks and user interactions can affect visibility, along with how users are engaging with your content in forums and social media platforms. Early engagement, or how many clicks you get immediately after publishing, might also affect your rank.
- Topic clusters. A series of related articles regarding a topic shows your authority on the subject, and interlinking these pages in a cluster might help your rank better.
7 Tips on How to Get Cited by Perplexity
If you want your content to rank on Perplexity, you can use the citation factors listed above as a guiding rubric. Follow these seven tips to build a solid foundation in writing AI-friendly content.
- Begin each section with straightforward answers before an explanation.
- H2 subheadings should be written like real queries from users, preferably in question-style format.
- Support your claims with citations from credible and updated sources.
- Present content in numbered lists or bullet points so that AI tools can easily parse information
- Include professional insights and industry analysis reports with industry-specific terminology.
- Build topic clusters around your priority topics with well-connected articles.
- Regularly update your data on annual reports and other facts.
By following these tips, you get to produce readable and scannable content that meets the context of user queries. However, optimizing your content is not enough to rank on AI tools, especially on Perplexity.
Analytics platform Profound found that, more than any other AI tool, Perplexity values brand websites and social platforms. They analyzed over 27 million citations from Perplexity, ChatGPT, Gemini, and other platforms, and found that Perplexity's citation links come from:
- Brand websites (56%)
- Earned media (19%)
- Social platforms (19%)
- Institutional sources (5%)
Perplexity appears to rank sites with brand authority, recent engagement, and media placements. Because of this, you need to implement a GEO strategy that is closely coupled with SEO and PR plans.
Partner with Scoompy to Get a Tailored GEO Strategy
With the evolution of AI platforms, SEO alone is no longer enough to reach users. If you're outsourcing SEO to a team without integration with GEO and PR, you might be losing opportunities to boost your visibility in AI platforms.
Platforms like Perplexity require topic clusters that are connected with media placements and social engagement, and Scoompy Inc can render all these services with our full-range digital marketing team. Contact us today to get your tailored GEO strategy.