Which content formats get cited by AI?
Choose a format that helps your buyer, instead of making every page another list.
Steen Stones · Reviewed
Comparison lists feature strongly in studies of buying questions, alongside useful product and service pages. Clear answers and tables are worth testing where they help the reader. There is no evidence here that one format wins every question.
Swipe across to read all columns.
| Reader’s task | Useful format | Evidence to include |
|---|---|---|
| Get the main answer quickly | Short opening summary | The central takeaway, with its scope kept clear. |
| Resolve a specific follow-up question | Question-and-answer section | A direct answer where that helps the reader. |
| Compare options | Comparison table or review | Benefits and drawbacks based on original research. |
| Understand a recommendation | First-hand review with useful visual or audio evidence | Explain why the choice fits the stated purpose. |
Do all your articles need to be lists?
Lists are an option, not the whole plan. Ahrefs found them prominent across 750 early-stage buying prompts, which tells us about those questions rather than every use of AI.
The type of page varied with the question: software and agency searches often cited landing pages, whilst product searches rarely did. There was another pattern when a company's own site was the first recommendation. An internal landing page appeared more often than its homepage or best list.
A comparison needs to explain the choices, not just number them. Google advises giving benefits and drawbacks from your own research, with first-hand evidence for saying something is best.
How should you structure an answer?
Give the answer near the top, then work through what the reader needs to know. Semrush recommends a short opening summary, with question-and-answer sections where they help.
Semrush used 11,882 prompts from July 15 to August 6, 2025, comparing AI-cited pages with related Google results. It scored the visible text, without testing page layout or schema code.
Use headings, lists, tables or charts to organise the explanation. Choose what makes the page easier to follow, rather than trying to fit every format into it.
Semrush senior editor Cecilia Meis explains why that matters.
Clarity and structure are not SEO shortcuts. They simply make information easier for both people and AI systems to interpret.
Will a table make AI cite your page?
A table is worth testing, but it does not promise more citations. Nectiv compared tables in ChatGPT citations and Google results for software and technology topics. The information inside tables, and their use in comparisons, could explain the pattern.
Use a table when there is something worth comparing. Nectiv's research supports testing the format, without proving that a new structure can make weak information perform better.
When should you add pictures or video?
Use pictures or video to help explain the words. Google recommends relevant visuals for AI search, and evidence of your own experience when you write a review.
Show the experience behind the review, so the reader can see what your judgement rests on. Google's guidance values a first-hand account over a summary that repeats existing information.
How long should the finished page be?
The page should be as long as its reader needs. Google gives no ideal length for AI search, so there is no target to pad or cut towards.
Read the headings in order and check that each section helps someone understand the subject. The structure should carry the explanation without breaking it into disconnected answers.