Multi-Platform GEO Strategy

Why Platform-Specific Optimization Matters

Not all AI platforms work the same way. ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, and Google Gemini have fundamentally different citation preferences, data sources, and ranking signals.

A one-size-fits-all approach leaves visibility on the table. This module teaches you how to optimize for each platform's unique characteristics.

The Four Major Platforms

Platform 1: ChatGPT (OpenAI)

How ChatGPT Works

Data Sources:

• Parametric knowledge (training data through April 2024)
• Web browsing (when enabled via GPT-4 with web search)
• User-provided context

Citation Behavior:

• Wikipedia dominates: 47.9% of citations in research studies
• Prefers authoritative, well-known domains
• Favors comprehensive, encyclopedia-style content
• Strong bias toward academic and institutional sources

ChatGPT Optimization Strategy

1. Build Wikipedia Presence

Wikipedia is ChatGPT's most-cited source by far. To get mentioned:

For Established Brands:

• Create or improve your Wikipedia page
• Follow Wikipedia's notability guidelines
• Cite reliable secondary sources
• Maintain neutral point of view
• Update regularly with verifiable facts

For Newer Brands:

• Get mentioned in existing Wikipedia articles
• Contribute to industry-related pages
• Build third-party coverage first (Wikipedia requires independent sources)
• Reference your tools/products in "See Also" sections

2. Target High-Authority Domains

Get cited by sources ChatGPT trusts:

• Major news outlets (NYT, WSJ, TechCrunch)
• Academic journals and .edu sites
• Government resources (.gov)
• Industry publications and trade journals
• Established tech blogs (Ars Technica, The Verge)

3. Create Encyclopedia-Style Content

ChatGPT favors comprehensive, neutral content:

• Objective tone (avoid hype and marketing speak)
• Comprehensive topic coverage
• Historical context and background
• Clear definitions and explanations
• Cited sources and references

Example Structure:

# Email Marketing

## Definition
Email marketing is a form of direct marketing that uses email to promote...

## History
Email marketing began in 1978 when Gary Thuerk sent the first commercial email...

## Types of Email Marketing
1. Promotional emails
2. Transactional emails
3. Lifecycle emails

## Best Practices
...

## See Also
- Digital marketing
- Marketing automation
- CRM

## References
[1] Smith, J. (2024). "Email Marketing Trends"...

4. Optimize for Conversational Queries

Users ask ChatGPT in natural language:

• "What's the best email marketing tool for small businesses?"
• "How does Mailchimp compare to HubSpot?"
• "Why do emails go to spam?"

Structure content to answer these directly.

5. Allow GPTBot Crawler

User-agent: GPTBot
Allow: /

User-agent: ChatGPT-User
Allow: /

Measuring ChatGPT Success

Test with queries like:

• "What is [your product category]?"
• "Best tools for [your use case]"
• "How to [solve problem your product addresses]"
• "[Your brand name] vs [competitor]"

Track:

• Mention rate (% of relevant queries citing you)
• Citation position (primary vs. alternative recommendation)
• Context (positive, neutral, negative)

Platform 2: Perplexity

How Perplexity Works

Data Sources:

• Real-time web search (primary)
• Multiple search indices
• Reddit integration (strong preference)
• Recent content emphasis

Citation Behavior:

• Cites 5-10 sources per response (more than ChatGPT)
• Heavy Reddit presence
• Favors recent content (2024-2025)
• Includes discussion and community perspectives
• Shows citations inline with snippets

Perplexity Optimization Strategy

1. Leverage Reddit Strategically

Perplexity heavily cites Reddit:

Ethical Reddit Participation:

• Join relevant subreddits in your industry
• Provide genuine value (no spam)
• Answer questions thoughtfully
• Share expertise without self-promotion
• Build karma and credibility
• Occasionally mention your product when truly relevant

Target Subreddits:

• r/marketing, r/SEO, r/entrepreneur (for marketing tools)
• r/webdev, r/programming (for developer tools)
• Industry-specific subreddits

Example Approach:

User Question (Reddit): "What's the best way to track AI mentions of my brand?"

Your Answer: "I've been researching GEO tools and found a few approaches:
1. Manual testing (time-consuming but free)
2. Tools like [Tool A], [Tool B], or [Your Tool] (disclosure: I work on [Your Tool])
3. DIY scripts using AI APIs

For manual testing, I'd recommend [process]. For automation, [detailed comparison].

Happy to answer questions about any of these approaches."

2. Prioritize Freshness

Perplexity strongly prefers recent content:

Freshness Tactics:

• Publish new content frequently
• Update existing articles with "Updated 2025" in titles
• Add current statistics and case studies
• Reference recent events and trends
• Use dates in content ("As of January 2025...")
• Display "Last Modified" date prominently

3. Create Comparison and Discussion Content

Perplexity excels at comparison queries:

• "Mailchimp vs. HubSpot: Which is better?"
• "Best project management tools for remote teams"
• "Shopify alternatives comparison"

Comparison Content Format:

# Mailchimp vs. HubSpot vs. ActiveCampaign (2025)

## Quick Comparison Table
| Feature | Mailchimp | HubSpot | ActiveCampaign |
|---------|-----------|---------|----------------|
| Price | $13/mo | $15/mo | $29/mo |
| ...

## Detailed Breakdown

### Email Automation
**Mailchimp**: Basic automation with...
**HubSpot**: Advanced workflows including...
**ActiveCampaign**: Most sophisticated automation featuring...

### Best For
- **Mailchimp**: Small businesses just starting with email
- **HubSpot**: Companies wanting all-in-one CRM + marketing
- **ActiveCampaign**: Advanced users needing complex automation

4. Participate in Community Discussions

Beyond Reddit:

• Hacker News (news.ycombinator.com)
• ProductHunt discussions
• Quora answers
• Industry forums
• LinkedIn comment threads

5. Allow PerplexityBot

User-agent: PerplexityBot
Allow: /

Measuring Perplexity Success

Test with:

• Comparison queries: "[Product A] vs [Product B]"
• Recent trend queries: "Best [category] 2025"
• Discussion-style: "What do people think about [topic]?"

Platform 3: Google Gemini / AI Overviews

How Google Gemini Works

Data Sources:

• Google Search index (primary)
• Web crawl data
• Knowledge Graph
• User search behavior signals

Citation Behavior:

• Strong overlap with traditional SEO signals
• Favors sites with high Domain Authority
• Schema markup important
• E-E-A-T signals critical
• Prefers structured, well-formatted content

Google Gemini Optimization Strategy

1. Maintain Strong SEO Fundamentals

Google AI Overviews correlate with strong SEO:

• Backlink profile: Build high-quality backlinks
• Domain Authority: Increase site-wide authority
• Technical SEO: Fast, mobile-friendly, HTTPS
• Content quality: Comprehensive, well-researched
• User signals: Low bounce rate, high engagement

2. Implement Comprehensive Schema Markup

Schema is critical for Google AI:

Priority Schemas:

• Article (for blog posts)
• FAQPage (for Q&A content)
• HowTo (for guides)
• Product (for product pages)
• Organization (site-wide)
• BreadcrumbList (for navigation)
• Review and Rating (when applicable)

3. Optimize for Featured Snippets

AI Overviews often pull from featured snippet content:

Snippet Optimization:

• Direct answers to questions
• Clear, concise paragraphs (40-60 words)
• Bulleted or numbered lists
• Tables for comparisons
• Use question-based H2s

4. Create Structured, Scannable Content

Google AI prefers:

• Clear heading hierarchy (H1 > H2 > H3)
• Short paragraphs
• Bullet points and lists
• Tables for data
• Images with alt text
• Bold key terms

5. Build E-E-A-T Signals

Google emphasizes Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness:

• Author bylines with credentials
• Updated "last modified" dates
• Cited sources and references
• About page and contact info
• Privacy policy and terms
• Social proof (reviews, testimonials)

Measuring Google AI Success

Tools:

• Google Search Console (track impressions in AI Overviews)
• Monitor SERP features (featured snippets, People Also Ask)
• Test queries in Google's AI mode

Track:

• Appearance rate in AI Overviews
• Position in traditional search (correlates with AI visibility)
• Featured snippet ownership
• Click-through rate from AI Overviews

Platform 4: Claude (Anthropic)

How Claude Works

Data Sources:

• Parametric knowledge (training data through early 2024)
• Web search (when tools enabled)
• User-provided context

Citation Behavior:

• Favors well-structured, clearly written content
• Strong emphasis on accuracy and credibility
• Prefers nuanced, balanced perspectives
• Values depth over breadth in specialized topics
• Careful about making claims without strong evidence

Claude Optimization Strategy

1. Emphasize Clarity and Structure

Claude responds well to:

• Clear hierarchical organization
• Logical flow of information
• Well-defined concepts
• Explicit relationships between ideas
• Comprehensive but focused content

2. Demonstrate Expertise and Nuance

Claude appreciates:

• Balanced perspectives (not one-sided)
• Acknowledgment of limitations
• Nuanced discussion of trade-offs
• Technical accuracy
• Evidence-based claims

3. Provide Depth on Specialized Topics

Claude excels at complex queries:

• In-depth technical content
• Detailed how-to guides
• Comprehensive explainers
• Multi-faceted analysis
• Industry-specific insights

4. Use Credible Citations

Link to authoritative sources:

• Research papers
• Industry reports
• Expert analysis
• Primary data sources
• Established publications

5. Allow ClaudeBot

User-agent: ClaudeBot
Allow: /

User-agent: Claude-Web
Allow: /

Measuring Claude Success

Test with:

• Complex, nuanced queries
• Technical how-to questions
• In-depth analysis requests
• Multi-part questions requiring synthesis

Multi-Platform Content Strategy

Create Content for Multiple Platforms

Base Content (works everywhere):

• High-quality, well-researched
• Clear structure and hierarchy
• Cited sources
• E-E-A-T signals
• Mobile-friendly, fast-loading

ChatGPT Layer:

• Wikipedia-style comprehensiveness
• Neutral, objective tone
• Historical context
• Academic/authoritative citations

Perplexity Layer:

• Current data (2025)
• Discussion and community perspectives
• Comparison tables
• Reddit-style practical advice

Google Layer:

• Schema markup
• Featured snippet optimization
• Strong SEO fundamentals
• Structured Q&A format

Claude Layer:

• Nuanced analysis
• Technical depth
• Balanced perspectives
• Clear logical structure

Example: Multi-Platform Article

Topic: "Email Marketing Automation Guide"

ChatGPT Optimization:

• Comprehensive history of email automation
• Definitions and terminology
• Academic references
• Objective comparison of approaches

Perplexity Optimization:

• "Updated January 2025" in title
• Current statistics from 2025 reports
• Community recommendations
• "What Redditors say about email automation"

Google Optimization:

• HowTo schema markup
• Featured snippet-optimized intro
• Table comparing automation platforms
• FAQ section with schema

Claude Optimization:

• Detailed technical implementation guide
• Nuanced discussion of when automation helps vs. hurts
• Trade-offs of different approaches
• In-depth troubleshooting section

Cross-Platform Citation Tracking

Tools for Multi-Platform Monitoring

Citedify (shameless plug):

• Tracks ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, Google AI
• Monitors mention rate, position, sentiment
• Automated testing across platforms
• Competitive analysis

Alternatives:

• Otterly.AI
• Frase AI Visibility
• Geoptie
• Manual testing (time-consuming)

Testing Methodology

Monthly audit:

1. Define 20-30 test queries relevant to your brand
2. Test each query across all platforms
3. Record: mention rate, position, sentiment, citations
4. Track changes over time
5. Correlate with optimization efforts

Query types to test:

• Brand queries: "[Your Brand]"
• Category queries: "best [category] tools"
• Problem queries: "how to [problem you solve]"
• Comparison queries: "[You] vs [Competitor]"
• Discovery queries: "tools for [use case]"

The Bottom Line

Different platforms, different strategies:

• ChatGPT: Build Wikipedia presence, target high-authority domains, create encyclopedia-style content
• Perplexity: Engage on Reddit, prioritize freshness, create comparison content
• Google Gemini: Maintain SEO fundamentals, implement schema, optimize for snippets
• Claude: Emphasize structure and depth, provide nuanced analysis, demonstrate expertise

Don't pick just one—optimize for all platforms using layered strategies. The brands dominating AI visibility in 2025 are those that understand each platform's unique preferences and optimize accordingly.

Next up: Learn advanced GEO tactics like citation gap analysis and authority building.