TL;DR — How to optimize your e‑commerce site for AI citations?
If you want your products recommended by ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI, publish short, structured answers to real shopper questions on your own site. Start with category hubs, improved product detail pages, honest comparisons, and copy‑ready schema.
What should we ship this week?
- Create a category hub with a Quick Summary and a comparison table.
- Add a Q&A block and a short How To block on your top 10 PDPs.
- Publish five FAQ articles that mirror real buyer questions.
- Publish one honest comparison and one “Alternatives to the old way” page.
- Refresh author names and modified dates on your top 10 guides.
What content architecture will AI cite?
1) Category hub that answers fast
At the top of each category page, give buyers a one screen decision. Keep it skimmable.
What belongs in a Quick Summary?
- Best for: who this category serves
- Consider instead: when another category is better
- Top pick, budget pick, premium pick, and why
Example for Trainers
Best for: casual runners who want cushioned daily trainers.
Consider instead: stability shoes if you overpronate or race day shoes if you seek maximum responsiveness.
Top pick: Your Model A, light and durable.
Budget pick: Competitor B, softer ride.
Premium pick: Competitor C, responsive midsole.
Comparison table template
| Model | Weight | Stack height | Drop | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Your Model A | 210 g | 36 mm | 8 mm | Daily miles |
| Competitor B | 230 g | 34 mm | 10 mm | Cushion first |
| Competitor C | 205 g | 38 mm | 6 mm | Light tempo |
2) How to upgrade PDPs?
Your PDP should answer the questions shoppers and AI ask most. Keep answers short on the page and link to deeper articles.
What should a PDP include?
- Short verdict at the top, who this is for
- Specs table with numbers buyers compare
- Q&A block with links to full FAQ articles
- Short How To block for setup and common problems
- Links to comparisons and category hub
- Author and modified date visible
What goes in a PDP Q&A block?
- Does Your Model A work for 10 km runs? Short answer, then link to the full article.
- Is Your Model A true to size? Short answer, then link to the full article.
- How does Your Model A compare to Competitor B? Short answer, then link to the comparison.
What should a short "How To" look like?
- What you need
- Step 1, step 2, step 3, one sentence each
- Pro tip and a common mistake
- Link to a full guide
3) How to structure a category-level FAQ
Create a hub for each category and link every question to its own short article. Use BLUF, bottom line up front. Direct answer first, details second, related questions last.
How do we structure an FAQ article?
- H1 is the question, for example: Does Your Model A work for marathon training
- Direct answer in one or two sentences
- Details with a small table or bullet list
- Related questions with three to five internal links
4) How do we write honest comparisons and “Alternatives to” pages?
AI systems prefer pages that state a verdict first, then compare clearly. Make trade offs explicit.
What should a comparison page include?
- Quick verdict: who each option is best for
- Feature table and pricing table
- When to choose us, when to choose them
| Capability | Your Model A | Competitor B | Competitor C |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cushioning feel | Balanced | Plush | Firm responsive |
| Weight | 210 g | 230 g | 205 g |
| Upper fit | True to size | Roomy toe box | Snug performance |
| Best for | Daily miles | Easy recovery | Tempo days |
Alternatives to the old way. Write one page titled "Alternatives to running in worn out trainers." Show risks, costs, and when to upgrade.
5) Example: Compatibility and feature pages for electronics
Create compatibility matrices and codec support tables. These are highly quotable by AI systems.
What could the compatibility matrix show?
| Device | Wired 3.5 mm | USB C digital | Bluetooth pairing | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| iPhone 15 Pro | Adapter needed | Yes | Yes | AAC supported |
| Samsung S24 | Adapter needed | Yes | Yes | aptX Adaptive supported |
| Windows 11 PC | Line in | Yes | Yes | Multipoint supported |
What could the feature table cover?
| Feature | Your Headphones X | Competitor Y | Competitor Z |
|---|---|---|---|
| Noise cancellation | Hybrid ANC | Feedforward | Hybrid ANC |
| Transparency mode | Yes | No | Yes |
| Codecs | SBC, AAC | SBC | SBC, AAC, aptX Adaptive |
| Battery life | 40 hours | 32 hours | 38 hours |
| Quick charge | 5 min gives 4 hours | 10 min gives 3 hours | 5 min gives 3 hours |
Create a short compatibility FAQ article for each high intent device question and link it from the headphones PDP.
Copy ready schema:
Add JSON‑LD to the pages below. Paste as is, then replace the placeholder text.
What does FAQ JSON‑LD look like?
{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "FAQPage",
"mainEntity": [
{
"@type": "Question",
"name": "Is Your Model A true to size",
"acceptedAnswer": {
"@type": "Answer",
"text": "Yes, most buyers choose their regular running shoe size. Wide feet may prefer half size up."
}
},
{
"@type": "Question",
"name": "Does Your Headphones X support multipoint",
"acceptedAnswer": {
"@type": "Answer",
"text": "Yes, Your Headphones X can connect to two devices at the same time."
}
}
]
}What does HowTo JSON‑LD look like?
{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "HowTo",
"name": "Set up Your Headphones X in 3 minutes",
"supply": [
{"@type": "HowToSupply", "name": "USB C cable"}
],
"tool": [
{"@type": "HowToTool", "name": "Your Headphones X"}
],
"step": [
{"@type": "HowToStep", "name": "Charge", "text": "Connect the cable for 30 minutes before first use."},
{"@type": "HowToStep", "name": "Pair", "text": "Hold the power button for three seconds, select the device in Bluetooth settings."},
{"@type": "HowToStep", "name": "Test sound", "text": "Play audio and adjust volume."}
]
}What’s a Product JSON‑LD skeleton?
{
"@context": "https://schema.org/",
"@type": "Product",
"name": "Your Headphones X",
"description": "Hybrid ANC over ear headphones with AAC and aptX Adaptive, 40 hours battery life.",
"sku": "YHX001",
"brand": {"@type": "Brand", "name": "Your Brand"},
"aggregateRating": {
"@type": "AggregateRating",
"ratingValue": "4.6",
"reviewCount": "128"
},
"offers": {
"@type": "Offer",
"priceCurrency": "EUR",
"price": "149.00",
"availability": "https://schema.org/InStock"
}
}How should we interlink pages?
- Category hub links to comparisons and the top PDPs.
- Each PDP links to its comparison, the category hub, and 3 to 5 FAQ articles.
- Each FAQ links back to the PDP and the category hub.
- Headphones compatibility FAQs link to the headphones PDP and a master compatibility page.
Checklist to have clarity:
- Title states a clear question or comparison
- Direct answer or verdict in the first two sentences
- Short paragraphs and tables, one idea per paragraph
- Honest trade offs and when to pick an alternative
- Author and date visible, modified date updated
- Images have captions and alt text that describe actions or outcomes
- No filler phrasing
What's the best way to measure and improve AEO? (Without premium tools)
- Ask ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI your buyer questions. Track if your brand is mentioned and if your pages are quoted.
- In Google Analytics, create a channel group for AI referrals. Compare conversion rate and return behavior.
- In Search Console, watch impressions and CTR for AI Overviews and featured answers. Expand pages that rise and refresh those that stall.
Key metrics: Brand mention frequency, citation rate, ranking inside AI answers, AI referral sessions, conversion from AI sessions.
Refresh cadence: Update dates monthly on your top pages. Add new FAQs from support tickets and search logs.
Pitfalls to avoid:
- Overproducing generic AI written text
- Hiding or blocking AI crawlers in robots.txt without a reason
- Skipping tables for specs, pricing, and compatibility
- Not testing how AI answers evolve after you publish
Next advanced step:
Ship one category hub update, one comparison, one compatibility page, and five linked FAQs this week. Then test in AI and iterate.
Turn this playbook into results in 7 days
We’ll audit your category hubs and PDPs, map your FAQ gaps, and help you ship the first pages AI will actually quote.