--- title: "Which content formats get cited by AI? · Avouch" description: "Which content formats get cited by AI? Compare the evidence for lists, clear answers and tables, then choose a useful format for your next page." url: https://avouchedfor.com/insights/which-content-formats-get-cited-by-ai markdown_url: https://avouchedfor.com/insights/which-content-formats-get-cited-by-ai.md --- # Which content formats get cited by AI? Choose a format that helps your buyer, instead of making every page another list. **Steen Stones** · Reviewed 8 Oct 2026 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. Choose a format that answers the reader’s question Swipe across to read all columns. | Reader’s task | Useful format | Evidence to include | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------ | -------------------------------------------------- | | [Get the main answer quickly](https://www.semrush.com/blog/content-optimization-ai-search-study/) | Short opening summary | The central takeaway, with its scope kept clear. | | [Resolve a specific follow-up question](https://www.semrush.com/blog/content-optimization-ai-search-study/) | Question-and-answer section | A direct answer where that helps the reader. | | [Compare options](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/specialty/ecommerce/write-high-quality-reviews) | Comparison table or review | Benefits and drawbacks based on original research. | | [Understand a recommendation](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/specialty/ecommerce/write-high-quality-reviews) | 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. Cecilia Meis, Semrush Content structure and AI search [Read original from Cecilia Meis, Semrush (opens in a new tab)](https://www.semrush.com/blog/content-optimization-ai-search-study/) ## 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. ## Read next AI search optimisation: what it is and what works [Read the guide ](https://avouchedfor.com/insights/ai-search-optimisation) ## Common questions ### Are FAQs worth adding? Add question-and-answer sections where a direct answer helps the reader. That is Semrush's advice, rather than adding questions for the sake of a format. ### Should I copy the format of a cited competitor? Treat it as a format to investigate. Ahrefs found different page types being cited for different questions, so one category does not give you a universal plan. ### Do reviews need original evidence? Google advises showing your own experience and using original research to explain benefits and drawbacks. Give a reason, backed by evidence, when you call something the best. ## Sources 1. [ahrefs.com, Do Self-Promotional “Best” Lists Boost ChatGPT Visibility? Study of 26,283 Source URLs (opens in a new tab)](https://ahrefs.com/blog/best-lists-research/), checked 8 October 2026 2. [semrush.com, How We Built a Content Optimization Tool for AI Search Study (opens in a new tab)](https://www.semrush.com/blog/content-optimization-ai-search-study/), checked 8 October 2026 3. [nectivdigital.com, New Data Study: ChatGPT Citations Are 2.3x More Likely To Include A Table Than Google Search, Nectiv (opens in a new tab)](https://nectivdigital.com/blog/new-data-study-chatgpt-citations-are-2-3x-more-likely-to-include-a-table-than-google-search), checked 8 October 2026 4. [developers.google.com, How To Write Reviews, Google Search Central, Documentation, Google for Developers (opens in a new tab)](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/specialty/ecommerce/write-high-quality-reviews), checked 8 October 2026 5. [developers.google.com, Google's Guide to Optimizing for Generative AI Features on Google Search, Google Search Central, Documentation, Google for Developers (opens in a new tab)](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/ai-optimization-guide), checked 8 October 2026 AI can't recommend what it doesn't know. [Check if AI recommends you](https://avouchedfor.com/assessment) Start free. No commitment.