To get recommended by ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google AI Overviews, there is no single optimisation that covers all three. ChatGPT picks you based on the data it learned and your brand authority, so the work is slow and reputation-driven. Perplexity searches the web in real time and rewards fresh, structured, easy-to-cite pages. Google AI Overviews leans on your Merchant Center feed, product schema and classic SEO signals. Treat AI as one channel and you lose two out of three.
This article breaks the three engines apart. You will see where each one sources its information, what it rewards, what you change on your side, how fast results come and how to verify whether you appear. At the end there is a three-column comparison table and a first step you can take this week.
Why one tactic does not cover all three engines
The question many store owners ask wrongly is "how do I appear in AI?". There is no "the AI" in the singular. There are three systems with different architectures, and the architectural difference dictates your strategy.
The work splits into two categories that do not replace each other. The first is earning training-data presence: slow, driven by authority, brand, reviews and mentions across the web. That is how you play ChatGPT. The second is being retrievable now: fast, driven by structure, schema and feed. That is how you play Perplexity and Google AI Overviews. Invest only in the first and you are invisible in the engines that search live. Invest only in the second and you never enter answers based on what the model already learned.
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Frequently asked questions
How do I appear in ChatGPT recommendations?
ChatGPT recommends you, by default, based on what it learned during training and your brand reputation across the web. Build presence on third-party sources: reviews on recognised platforms, comparison articles, best-of lists, editorial mentions. ChatGPT's shopping feature builds recommendations from reviews gathered across the web, not from a feed you submit. It is authority work over months, not a technical setting. When ChatGPT browses live, your page structure starts to matter too.
How does Perplexity cite me?
Perplexity searches the web in real time and cites sources directly in its answer, so it is the fastest of the three engines to influence. Put at the top of your important pages an extractable 2-3 sentence answer to the buyer's question. Structure content with clear headings, lists and tables, and add concrete sourced data, because Perplexity cites what it can verify. Keep pages updated, freshness counts. A good page published today can be cited within days.
What is Google AI Overviews?
Google AI Overviews is the AI carousel that appears above classic results when someone asks a complex purchase question. It leans on Google's commercial infrastructure: the Merchant Center feed, on-site product schema, the Shopping Graph and classic SEO signals. Unlike classic Google Shopping, there is no auction to lift you, visibility comes from data quality, not budget. What you already do well for Shopping and SEO partly transfers here.
Why can't I use the same optimisation for all three AI engines?
Because they have different architectures. ChatGPT relies by default on training data and reputation, so the work is slow and authority-driven. Perplexity searches live and rewards structure and freshness, so the work is fast and technical. Google AI Overviews relies on feed and schema. The work splits into earning training-data presence (slow, authority) and being retrievable now (fast, structure). One does not replace the other, you need both if you want to appear in all three.
How long until I appear in an AI engine after optimising?
It depends on the engine. Perplexity is fastest, days to weeks, because it retrieves pages live. Google AI Overviews takes weeks, as long as feed reprocessing and indexing take. ChatGPT is slowest, months, because it depends on accumulated authority and mentions on third-party sources. If you need fast results, start with page structure for Perplexity. If you play long-term, invest in brand authority for ChatGPT.
How do I check if I appear in ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google AI?
Run the same test in all three. Ask a natural buyer question, such as what are the best products in my category for a typical customer, in ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google. In ChatGPT check both with and without browsing mode. In Perplexity see if you are among the cited sources. On Google check if you appear in the AI carousel up top. Three tests, five minutes, and you have the exact map of where you are invisible.
Appearing in one AI engine but missing from the other two?
The three engines pick you by different rules, and a quick test rarely shows the full picture. The AI-ready catalog audit tests your presence across ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google AI Overviews and tells you exactly what to fix on each engine and in what order.
Adela Mincea
Performance Marketer · Fondatoare DAFE Digital · Formator ANC
Adela is a Performance Marketer with 10+ years of paid media across Europe, the US and Asia. She founded DAFE Digital in 2023 after agency roles in London and Hong Kong, in-house work inside client organisations, and independent consulting across 27+ industries.
