For ChatGPT and Google's AI to recommend your online store, the sites AI checks before it answers have to talk about you: comparisons, "best stores" lists, industry blogs and media outlets. Your own website is just 4.8% of citations, according to the Mencoro study of 176,332 AI citations in Spain published by the Spanish outlet marketing4ecommerce. Third parties decide the rest, and that is where posts on outlets do their work.
Where AI gets its shopping recommendations
| Source type | Share of citations |
|---|---|
| Websites of other companies in the industry (guides, listings, comparisons) | 72.6% |
| Directories and marketplaces | 11.6% |
| The brand's official website | 4.8% |
| Online press | 4.3% |
Two nuances from the same study. ChatGPT leans more on the press and public bodies, which add up to 11.7% of its citations. And Google's AI relies more on Amazon and social media: 95% of citations to amazon.es come from it.
Why mentions weigh more than direct citations
And in retail the press weighs more than in other industries. In our report on media outlets cited by AI, with 23,466 answers from ChatGPT, Perplexity, AI Overviews and AI Mode in Spain, outlets take 7.7% of citations in retail and ecommerce, almost double the average (4%). The ones that come up most are El País, El Español, OKDiario, La Vanguardia and Time Out.
The press being a small share of citations does not mean it is useless. AI does not just link sources: it also decides which brands to name, and for that it counts how many reliable sites talk about you. In an analysis by Ahrefs of 75,000 brands, visibility in ChatGPT correlates far more with brand mentions across the web (0.664) than with the number of backlinks (0.194).
Plus, a good part of that 72.6% is guides and lists from industry blogs: "the best online camping stores", "where to buy Spanish baby clothes". Many of those sites accept sponsored articles, and a well-chosen post puts you on the page AI is already citing.
How to get AI to recommend your store, step by step
1. See what AI cites for your searches
Ask ChatGPT and Google what your customer would ask ("best online store for…", "where to buy…") and write down the sites they link. The AI visibility checker tells you whether you are mentioned today and which outlets it cites for your industry.
2. Get your product pages ready to be cited
Price, dimensions, shipping, returns and a comparison with similar products. Product structured data with ratings. AI cites the page that answers the question, not the one that only has a buy button.
3. Get mentions on the sites it already cites
Start with the lists and guides that show up in your answers. If one accepts posts, it is the most cost-effective. After that, blogs and topical outlets in your niche (fashion, baby, home, pets) with real traffic. In the 2026 link building report, a post cost €189.82 on average.
4. Work on marketplaces
If you sell on Amazon or another marketplace, take care of your title, photos and reviews there. For Google's AI it is a first-rate source.
5. Measure every month
Repeat the same questions and write down whether you show up, in what position and which source got you there. That way you will know which posts are moving the needle.
Frequently asked questions
Can I pay to show up in ChatGPT's answer?
No. ChatGPT ads run separately and are labeled as sponsored. What you can do is be on the sites AI uses as sources.
Does a sponsored article count for AI?
AI reads the content of the page, whether or not it carries the sponsored label. What matters is that the outlet is a source it cites and that the article answers your customer's question.
How many posts do I need?
It depends on your niche. Start with the three or four sites AI cites most for your questions and measure before expanding. If you would rather we plan it for you, there is our LLM SEO service.
