In brief: I ask the same buyer question in ChatGPT and in Perplexity, and I keep separate rows. Perplexity’s answers carry citations a reader can open. ChatGPT may answer without searching, and a citation on a search response can still be incomplete, outdated, or wrong. I write down the product, whether ChatGPT searched, and the page attached to the sentence that names the company.
Answer engine optimisation and generative engine optimisation are the names for the wider supply-side work. Where those terms overlap, and the page practices I use for both, are in AEO vs GEO. This page is the check on these two products.
The same question, two records
I take the questions from sales calls and the message map. I keep the wording fixed, and I ask each one in both products.
On each run the company lands once: recommended, cited, mentioned, or absent. A mention is not a recommendation, and a link that only sits in a sources list does not support the sentence.
| Field | What I write down |
|---|---|
| Product | ChatGPT or Perplexity. |
| Search | For ChatGPT, whether search ran. For Perplexity, the mode I used if I changed it. |
| Landing | Recommended, cited, mentioned, or absent. |
| URL | The page attached to the sentence that names the company, or none. |
| Match | Whether that page says the sentence. |
One product is a fair first pass when the only question is whether the name appears at all. I add the second when the cited page differs, or when ChatGPT has answered without a source.
What I look at in ChatGPT
ChatGPT may search the web on its own when it decides the question needs current information, or I can turn Search on from the tools menu.1 I write down which of those happened. An answer with search off can still name a company. That name has no page I can open from the run.
Responses that use web search may include citations. OpenAI says those results and citations can be incomplete, outdated, or incorrect, and that the Sources control, when it is there, lists cited sources and other relevant links.1 I open the citation on the sentence that names the company. I do not treat the rest of the list as proof of that sentence.
Placement is not guaranteed. OpenAI says a site is eligible for ChatGPT search when OAI-SearchBot is allowed to crawl it.1 OAI-SearchBot is the search crawler. GPTBot is the training crawler. The two settings are independent, so a site can allow search and refuse training.2 Opting out of OAI-SearchBot means the site will not be shown in ChatGPT search answers, though it can still appear as a navigational link.2 Blocking GPTBot does not do that job.
ChatGPT-User fetches a page because someone asked. OpenAI says robots.txt may not apply to that fetch, and that this agent is not what decides Search inclusion.2
On a ChatGPT run I stop after three checks:
- Did Search run?
- If it did, which URL is attached to that sentence?
- Does that URL say the sentence?
If Search did not run, I mark the row unsourced and I run the question again with Search on.
What I look at in Perplexity
Perplexity’s getting-started page says each answer links to numbered citations, which a reader can preview or open.3 I open the number next to the company name. If the page does not say that sentence, I record a mismatch.
Pro Search is the longer pass. Its help says every answer includes direct links to the original sources, and that the reader should still check those sources.4 A longer source list does not change the row.
Some citations carry a shield: Government, Academic, or Trusted. The label rates the whole domain, not the page and not the claim. Perplexity says partnerships and payments do not set the label, that a missing label is not a quality verdict, and that the label does not replace reading the source.5 A B2B software site will usually have no shield. The check is still the cited page.
What I change on the site
I use the same pages for both products. If the cited page is the company’s and the sentence is missing or wrong, I fix that page, and I put the sentence in the first short block a person can check. I don’t publish a new page for that prompt. When ChatGPT search had no company page to retrieve, I check that OAI-SearchBot is allowed before I rewrite the paragraph.2
Where the check stops
A name in the answer is the findable check. It does not tell me the product is evaluable, and it does not tell me the next step landed. That split is the agent-led growth guide.
OpenAI says placement is not guaranteed.1 I don’t make a stronger claim for Perplexity. The sheet records what came back.
The fixed project
The Agent-Ready GTM Start is the fixed project for the wider check, including this sheet. If you are unsure whether it fits, Start is the front door.
I am engaged with client work just now, so none of this is a pitch. If you are building growth-stage B2B SaaS and want this kind of work when capacity opens, tell me what you are building. I read every note.
Questions I get asked
Should I test ChatGPT with search off?
I run it once, so I can see what the model says when no page is attached. I don’t use that run as the citation check. The citation check is the run with Search on, because that is the run that may include a source.1
Why did Perplexity cite a page ChatGPT did not?
Perplexity’s answer is built to carry sources. ChatGPT may not have searched, it may have searched and cited a different URL, or the site may be opted out of OAI-SearchBot and left out of ChatGPT search answers.2 I keep both runs on the sheet.
Can I guarantee a brand appears in ChatGPT or Perplexity?
I don’t offer a guaranteed appearance in either product.
Sources
-
OpenAI Help Center, “Searching the web with ChatGPT,” read 12 October 2026. ChatGPT can search for current information, responses that use web search may include citations, and those citations can be incomplete, outdated, or incorrect. Placement is not guaranteed. A site is eligible for inclusion when OAI-SearchBot can crawl it. help.openai.com (opens in new tab) ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5
-
OpenAI, “Overview of OpenAI Crawlers.” OAI-SearchBot surfaces sites in ChatGPT search. Sites opted out of it are not shown in search answers, though they can still appear as navigational links. GPTBot is the training crawler, and the two settings are independent. ChatGPT-User fetches a page on a user action and is not used to decide Search inclusion. developers.openai.com (opens in new tab) ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5
-
Perplexity, “Getting started.” Each answer links to numbered citations a reader can preview or open. perplexity.ai (opens in new tab) ↩
-
Perplexity Help Center, “What is Pro Search?” Every answer includes direct links to the original sources, and Perplexity tells the reader to check those sources. perplexity.ai (opens in new tab) ↩
-
Perplexity Help Center, “Understanding source labels.” Government, Academic, and Trusted rate the domain, not the individual claim. A missing label is not a quality verdict, and a label does not replace reading the source. Partnerships and payments do not set the label. perplexity.ai (opens in new tab) ↩