Getting cited by ChatGPT and Claude.

More and more product research starts with a question typed into ChatGPT, Claude or another assistant, not a search box. “Which linen shirt holds up after washing?” “Is this blender loud?” The assistant answers in a paragraph, and sometimes it names a source.

Generative-engine optimisation is the work of making your pages the source it names. It is not a new trick. Most of it is writing product pages the way a careful shop assistant would talk: plainly, specifically, and without hiding the facts.

How an answer engine reads your page

A search engine ranks pages. An answer engine assembles an answer from pieces of pages, and quotes the pieces it trusts. That changes what a good page looks like.

It prefers sentences that can be lifted out whole and still make sense. It prefers facts stated once, clearly, over facts implied by adjectives. It prefers sources that name things consistently, so it can be sure the product on your page is the same one a review talks about. And it reads structure: headings, lists, tables and structured data all help it find the piece it needs.

None of this replaces classic SEO. A page that is not indexed, fast and linked will not be read at all. Think of it as a floor and a ceiling: search engines are the floor, answer engines are the ceiling.

Six habits of pages that get quoted

1. State facts plainly. Material, dimensions, weight, care, compatibility, warranty, origin. In sentences, with units, not only in a spec table image.
2. Write answer-shaped paragraphs. Open a section with the direct answer in one sentence, then explain. The first sentence is the one most likely to be quoted.
3. Add real questions and answers. Use the questions customers actually ask, taken from support tickets and reviews, each with a short, complete answer.
4. Build entity pages. A page for the brand and a page for each category, saying what they are, who they are for and how they differ. Answer engines use them to understand where a product fits.
5. Use structured data. Product, offer, review and FAQ markup that matches the visible text exactly. Markup that contradicts the page does more harm than none.
6. Keep names consistent. The same product name, brand name and category name on the page, in the feed, in the markup and in every language.

Write the sentence you would want an assistant to quote about you.

A product paragraph, before and after

This is the kind of paragraph most catalogues are full of:

Before: “Discover effortless style with our iconic shirt. Crafted from premium fabrics for all-day comfort, it’s the perfect addition to any wardrobe. Elevate your look this season.”

There is nothing an assistant can quote. No material, no fit, no care, nothing that answers a question.

After: “This shirt is made of 100% European linen, with a relaxed fit and a straight hem designed to be worn untucked. It is machine washable at 30 °C and softens with each wash. It runs true to size; if you are between sizes, choose the smaller one for a closer fit.”

The second version is not less appealing. It is more useful, and every sentence answers a question someone has asked. (The shirt and its details are an illustration, not a real listing.)

Doing it for thousands of products

Writing like this by hand works for ten products. It does not work for a catalogue that changes every week.

In the marketplace system we built, a product studio writes product, category, brand and page copy with SEO and AI-search content, in four languages. It works from the supplier data and the catalogue, not from imagination. Brand and category entity pages are written the same way, so the names match everywhere.

A person still reviews what goes live. The studio’s job is to make the careful version the default, not to publish without anyone looking.

What you can’t control

Nobody decides what an assistant cites. Models change, sources shift and the same question can get different answers on different days. Anyone who promises you a position in ChatGPT is promising something they do not control.

What you can control is whether your pages are worth quoting. Check your key products the simple way: ask the assistants the questions your customers ask, and see whose sentences come back. If they are not yours, the fix is usually on the page.