The quick version:
New data shows Google’s AI cites retailer sources about 4% of the time, while ChatGPT cites them around 36%.
Google leans on what people say about products, while ChatGPT leans on retailer and brand content directly.
The split changes where brands should focus their AI-visibility work.
The data
A clear divide showed up in citation behavior this month. When answering shopping questions, Google’s AI cites retailer sources only about 4% of the time, leaning instead on reviews, forums, and third-party chatter.
ChatGPT cites retailers roughly 36% of the time, pulling brand and product pages directly. That is a 9x difference in how two major AI engines treat the same source type.
Why it matters
It means there is no single “AI SEO” that works everywhere. To show up in Google’s AI answers, you need other people talking about you: reviews, mentions, and community discussion.
To show up in ChatGPT, your own clean, detailed product and brand pages carry more weight. Same goal, different playbook.
What to do
Audit both. Build genuine third-party presence for Google’s AI, since it rewards what others say about you, and tighten your own product and brand content for ChatGPT, which reads it directly. Marketers on X are calling this “optimizing for each engine,” and the data backs it up.
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