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Findings from the citation frontier.

Primary research into how generative engines select, trust, and cite sources: drawn from the literature we read and the scans we run. Methods and evidence, in the open. New findings as the science moves.

research log 09 entries · last updated 2026-05-29
field-notes 01

900 million weekly users: the demand already moved

ChatGPT alone reports 900M weekly active users, before counting every other assistant. The question isn't whether buyers ask AI about your category. It's whether you're in the answer.

field-notes 02

AI traffic converts 4.4×, and the visitor is different

Visitors arriving from AI assistants convert several times better than classic organic search. The reason is the visitor, not the volume.

citation-research 03

Why 28% of AI-cited pages have zero Google visibility

The pool of sources generative engines pull from overlaps surprisingly little with the top of Google. Here's what that means for where you invest.

methodology 04

Recency is a ranking signal: the 10-month rule

95% of pages cited in AI answers are under ten months old. Freshness isn't hygiene. It's a primary selection factor.

citation-research 05

How generative engines actually choose what to cite

Extraction, trust, and recency: the three signals that decide whether a model reaches for your page, or someone else's.

field-notes 06

GEO vs SEO: what transfers, and what doesn't

Your SEO investment isn't wasted, but it doesn't automatically carry into the answer. A field guide to the overlap.

primer 07

Generative Engine Optimization (GEO): getting cited in AI answers

What GEO is, how it differs from SEO, and what actually moves whether a generative engine quotes your brand, instead of someone else's.

primer 08

AI search optimization: how to get featured in AI answers

You can't make a model cite you, but you can make your page the easiest, safest, most complete thing for it to reach for. The practical work.

primer 09

The future of search is the answer, not the link

Discovery is moving from a list of links to a single synthesized answer. Adapt now and own the recommendation, or quietly fall out of view.

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