What Actually Gets Picked Up in Generative Search

Heidi Schwende
Jul 1
2 min read

So let’s talk about the thing everyone’s chasing right now: ranking in AI search.

It’s no longer about just page-one results. Now we’ve got Google’s AI Overviews scraping answers, ChatGPT pulling in citations, Perplexity surfacing sources — and zero-click is the new normal.

But while brands are busy obsessing over visibility, most haven’t stopped to ask:What actually gets picked up in generative search?

Here’s the short answer:AI engines don’t “rank” like traditional search. They select. And what they select comes down to credibility, structure, and clarity. Here's how that breaks down:

1. Clear, structured answers beat fluffy content every time.

Generative engines are built to summarize. That means they scan for content that gets to the point — fast.

Bullet points, numbered lists, FAQs? Gold.
Long-winded intros and generic filler? Useless.
Use of clear subheadings (with actual keywords)? A huge plus.

If your content rambles or buries the value, the bots won’t bother.

2. First-party experience matters.

Generative engines are leaning hard into content that signals first-hand expertise. That means:

Specific examples
Unique insights
Real data
Actual opinions

If you’re rewriting someone else’s listicle or publishing regurgitated SEO fluff, you’re invisible.

3. Structured data helps — but isn’t the whole game.

Yes, schema markup still matters. But in AI search, it’s less about markup for traditional SERPs and more about formatting your content so language models can parse it easily.

Think less technical SEO, more “Can an AI read this and understand it quickly?”

4. Entity recognition is huge.

LLMs don’t just look at keywords — they look at entities. Brands, products, people, locations.

You want your name, your offers, and your authority tied to those entities in a way that reinforces relevance. This is where internal linking, citations, and consistency across platforms start to stack up.

5. High engagement signals still win.

This part hasn’t changed: if your page keeps people engaged, it gets picked up more. Whether that’s through time on site, scroll depth, or low bounce rates — engagement matters.

AI engines may not use it directly, but the platforms feeding them (like Google) do. And what Google sees, AI eats.

6. Your brand reputation is part of the signal.

Mentions in credible places (Forbes, reviews, awards, industry blogs) help reinforce trust.

LLMs pull from multiple sources to build a profile of your brand. If that profile looks sketchy, inconsistent, or nonexistent — you’re not getting quoted in an AI summary anytime soon.

Bottom line?

If you want to show up in AI search, don’t just write for users or search engines.Write for machines that summarize content at scale.

Strip out the fluff. Get to the point. Show real expertise. Use clean formatting. And make sure your brand looks legit everywhere it’s mentioned.

Because AI search isn’t the future. It’s already here — and the way it surfaces content is nothing like what we were doing 5 years ago.

Want help auditing your site for generative visibility? I can dig in and tell you where you're being ignored — and how to fix it. Just say the word.