AICite
Do ChatGPT and Claude cite you? Find out in 60 seconds.
2 AI engines
ChatGPT + Claude queried in parallel
15 real queries
Generated from your actual content
Specific fixes
Not 'add FAQs' — exact text changes
What is GEO?
Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) is the discipline of optimizing content to be cited by generative search engines — ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews. Unlike classic SEO which targets position #1 on Google, GEO aims to have AI recommend your content when users ask questions in your niche.
In 2026, more than 30% of high-intent search traffic already goes through AI search engines. If your site is invisible there, you're losing an audience you didn't even know you had.
See our GEO glossary for detailed definitions →Complete guide: how to get your site cited by ChatGPT and Claude
These are the 5 fundamental steps of Generative Engine Optimization that AICite evaluates in every audit:
Full step-by-step tutorial →- 1
Explicitly define who you are in the first 200 words
AI engines decide whether to cite you in the first paragraphs of your page. Include a clear definition of your product or service, your category, and your target audience. If the AI doesn't understand what you are in 200 words, it won't cite you.
- 2
Use question-based headers (H2s as questions)
ChatGPT and Claude look for answers to specific questions. Structure your H2s as questions your audience would ask: 'What is X?', 'How does Y work?', 'What's the difference between A and B?'. This aligns your content with real user queries.
- 3
Implement schema.org JSON-LD on every page
FAQPage, SoftwareApplication, Article, and HowTo schemas tell AI crawlers exactly what type of entity you are. Without schema, your site is free-form prose — much harder to classify and cite.
- 4
Ensure your content is SSR/SSG, not client-side rendering
Many AI crawlers don't execute JavaScript. If your content only renders client-side, crawlers see empty HTML. Use server-side rendering or static site generation so content exists in the initial HTML.
- 5
Add competitive positioning in plain text
Explicitly write 'X is an alternative to Y' or 'unlike Z, we offer W'. AI engines don't infer comparisons — they need literal text to include you in comparative responses.
How AICite works
5 steps in 30–60 seconds:
- 1
We read your page
We extract title, headings, schema.org, visible content, and metadata. Exactly what an AI crawler sees.
- 2
We generate 15 plausible queries
An LLM reads your content and produces the questions a real user would ask an AI looking for your niche — a mix of informational, commercial, and long-tail.
- 3
We query AI engines in parallel
We launch all 15 queries simultaneously to ChatGPT (with web search) and Claude (with web search). 30 raw responses in ~20 seconds.
- 4
LLM-judge analyzes citations
Another LLM reviews each response and determines if your site was cited, at what position, in what context, and who was cited instead.
- 5
Agent generates specific fixes
An agent compares your content with cited competitors and proposes actionable changes — exact text to add, missing schema, suggested structure.
Why your site might be invisible
Common reasons we detect when auditing real sites:
- Fragmented content — your home is a hub with short paragraphs per topic. AI prefers pages with in-depth explanations.
- Missing explicit definitions — you use niche terms without defining them. AI can't cite what it doesn't understand.
- No schema.org — missing JSON-LD for FAQPage, Article, SoftwareApplication. Structure helps AI classify your site.
- Client-side rendering — content appears with JavaScript. Many AI crawlers don't execute JS and only see empty HTML.
- No explicit positioning — you don't say 'we're an alternative to X' in plain text. AI doesn't infer comparisons that aren't written.
Real cases detected
staxly.dev — score 10/100
ChatGPT thinks Staxly is a Minecraft proxy. The audit detected a missing disambiguation section — the AI is hallucinating because it lacks clear context about what the product actually is.
linear.app — score 57/100
Claude cites Linear 93% of the time, but ChatGPT only 20%. Brutal asymmetry between engines: a project management unicorn is invisible on the engine most people use.
What's included in an AICite audit report?
Each audit produces a complete, shareable report:
- ✓
Citation score 0-100
Percentage of queries × engines where your site was cited. Score 0 = invisible. Score 100 = cited in every combination. Linear.app scores 57, a brand with real traction; your new site is probably at 0-20.
- ✓
Breakdown by engine (ChatGPT vs Claude)
Specific percentage per AI. Useful to detect cross-engine asymmetry — Linear is cited 93% by Claude but only 20% by ChatGPT. Your site may be invisible on one but known on the other.
- ✓
Literal responses from each engine
For each query, you see the full response generated by ChatGPT and Claude. When they DON'T cite you, you see who they cited instead (your competitors). When they DO cite you, you see the context and position.
- ✓
Between 7 and 15 specific fixes
Categorized by severity (critical, major, minor) and category (content, structure, citability, schema). Each fix includes exact suggested text — not 'add FAQs' but 'add this section with these 3 questions'.
- ✓
Public shareable URL
Each audit generates a URL like /r/abc123. Public, no login required, optimized for Twitter/LinkedIn cards. Ideal for sharing with your team or posting a thread about your findings.
AICite vs other GEO tools
The GEO/AI search visibility category is new. There are several tools; AICite has a specific focus:
| Capability | AICite | Monitoring tools (enterprise) | Classic SEO tools |
|---|---|---|---|
| Real free plan | ✅ 1/day anonymous, public results | ❌ Enterprise demo only | ≈ Limited tier |
| Measures AI search (not Google) | ✅ ChatGPT + Claude + AI Overviews | ✅ Multi-engine | ❌ Google SERP only |
| Generates actionable fixes | ✅ Exact text suggested by agent | ≈ Monitoring only | ≈ Generic recommendations |
| Indie-friendly pricing | ✅ $49-149/mo | ❌ $$$/mo | ≈ $99-499/mo |
| Public URL per audit | ✅ Viral by design | ❌ Private | ❌ Private |
| Hallucination detection | ✅ LLM-judge with sentiment | ≈ Manual | ❌ Not applicable |
Comparison with general categories — specifically Profound, Otterly, Athena on the enterprise side; Ahrefs, Semrush, Surfer for classic SEO.
Direct comparisons with GEO tools
Unlike Otterly.ai which requires an enterprise plan and offers no free tier, AICite lets you run a daily audit without signup and at no cost. Results are public and shareable from the first use.
Profound.app focuses on continuous monitoring of brand mentions in AI search, but doesn't generate actionable fixes with exact suggested text. AICite combines citation detection with an agent that proposes specific content and structure changes to improve your score.
Geoptie offers AI search visibility analysis but with pricing aimed at agencies and large teams. AICite is designed for indie hackers and startups with plans starting at $49/mo, and a real free tier that doesn't require a credit card.
In summary, AICite is the only GEO tool that combines free auditing, AI-generated fixes with exact text, hallucination detection, and public shareable URLs — all in a 60-second flow.
Errors that prevent visibility in AI search engines
Checklist of the most common errors detected when auditing real sites:
Hub-page syndrome
Your home has 10 topics mentioned in short paragraphs. AI prefers dedicated pages with extensive content per topic. Create sub-pages: /topic-1, /topic-2, etc.
Missing explicit definitions
You use niche terms (GEO, MCP, BaaS, ius sanguinis) without defining them. AI can't cite what it doesn't understand. Add a glossary or one-liner definition sections.
Zero schema.org
Without JSON-LD SoftwareApplication, FAQPage, Article, AI treats your site as free-form prose. Schema explicitly marks what type of entity you are.
Client-side rendering without SSR
Your SPA app shows content with JS but AI crawlers only see empty HTML. Solution: server-side rendering or pre-rendering.
No competitive positioning
You don't say 'we're an alternative to X' in plain text. AI doesn't infer comparisons that aren't written. Add 'X vs us' sections or comparison tables.
Missing brand disambiguation
Your brand has an ambiguous name (e.g.: Staxly = Minecraft? dev catalog?). Without a clear 'About' section and schema with sameAs, AI hallucinates. Explicitly define what you are and what you're NOT.
No backlinks or authority signals
New site with no external mentions. AI uses retrieval with authority scoring — you need other sites to link to you. Strategy: build in public, community posts, podcasts, comparisons.
Frequently asked questions
What is GEO (Generative Engine Optimization)?
GEO is the discipline of optimizing web content to be cited by generative search engines like ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews. Unlike classic SEO which targets position #1 on Google, GEO aims to have your content appear when an AI answers user questions. It's the new layer of visibility in AI search.
How does AICite work?
AICite runs 5 steps in 30-60 seconds: (1) reads your URL's content, (2) generates 15 plausible queries a user would ask an AI, (3) queries ChatGPT and Claude in parallel with web search, (4) an LLM-judge analyzes whether your site was cited in each response, and (5) an agent generates specific fixes based on what you have vs what the cited sites have.
Why doesn't my site appear in ChatGPT?
The most common reasons are: (1) your content lacks depth — AI prefers pages with extensive explanations vs hubs with short fragments; (2) missing explicit definitions of key niche terms; (3) no structure — missing JSON-LD schema, visible FAQ, direct answer snippets; (4) content rendered with JavaScript that AI crawlers don't read; (5) new site without backlinks to validate your authority.
Which AI engines does AICite query?
We currently query ChatGPT (GPT-4o with web search) and Claude (Sonnet 4.6 with web search). Perplexity is implemented but disabled until its minimum $50 USD credit is justified. Google AI Overviews and Gemini are on the roadmap.
Is it safe to audit URLs I don't own?
Yes, AICite only accesses public content from the URL — the same HTML any visitor or crawler would see. It doesn't log in, submit forms, or consume private APIs. Auditing a competitor's homepage or a well-known brand is completely legal and is in fact a common use case.
How much does each audit cost?
Each full audit consumes approximately $1.50-3.00 USD in compute (15 queries × 2 AI engines = 30 calls, plus the LLM-judge and fix generation). The Free plan covers 1 audit per IP per day as a marketing tool. Paid plans Indie ($49/mo) and Pro ($149/mo) cover continuous URL tracking with weekly re-audits.
Is AICite free?
Yes, AICite has a permanent Free plan that allows 1 anonymous audit per IP per day, with public shareable results. No credit card or signup required. Paid plans (Indie $49/mo, Pro $149/mo) are for continuous URL tracking with weekly re-audits, competitor comparison, and email digests.
What's included in an AICite audit report?
Each report includes: (1) a citation score 0-100 measuring how many times you were cited vs total queries × engines; (2) breakdown by engine — ChatGPT and Claude separately, with specific percentages; (3) literal response from each engine per query with mention highlights; (4) between 7 and 15 specific fixes categorized (critical/major/minor) with exact suggested text; (5) public shareable URL so you can send the report via Twitter, email, or Slack.
Is AICite the same as Profound, Otterly, or Athena?
It shares the general category (GEO/AI search visibility) but AICite differs in: (1) real Free plan with public shareable results — the rest are enterprise-only or require signup; (2) focus on actionable FIXES, not just mention monitoring; (3) indie-friendly pricing $49/mo vs enterprise $$$/mo; (4) viral by design (public URL per audit). See comparison table below.
Does AICite have an API?
The Pro plan ($149/mo) includes API access to integrate audits into your own workflow — useful for agencies auditing multiple clients or teams wanting to audit pre-deploy in CI/CD. The API exposes the same endpoints as the web app: POST /api/audit to queue, GET /api/audit/[id] for status and results. Full documentation upon activating the Pro plan.
Who created AICite?
AICite was created by Hector Londoño (heloqui on GitHub) as an indie project in 2026. A solo developer building in public; the complete AI pipeline code, product spec, implementation plans, and self-audit snapshots live in the aicite repository. Explicit commitment: build in public, cost transparency, open evolution.
Ready to audit your site?
Free · 60 seconds · Public and shareable results.
Back to form ↑