The LLMO Playbook

How to get
cited by AI.

The short version

Search ranked links. AI returns answers — and names only the sources it trusts. To get cited by ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, and Perplexity, a brand must be structured, consistent, and authoritative enough for a model to retrieve, trust, and repeat it. That discipline is Large Model Optimization (LLMO).

When your buyers ask an AI instead of a search bar, there is no page two. There is one answer and a short list of cited sources. You are either in it — or invisible.

The Method · S.C.A.L.E.™

Five moves that get you cited

S

Scan

Measure your real AI footprint before you touch anything. You can't fix signals you haven't seen.

C

Clarify

Say one clear thing. Models cite brands they can understand and repeat back in a single sentence.

A

Amplify

Structure content for retrieval — schema, clean facts, quotable answers, and consistent citations.

L

Leverage

Borrow trust. Third-party mentions and consistent entity signals tell a model you are real and referenced.

E

Evaluate

Track how often AI names you. Refine monthly. Authority compounds — visibility is a flywheel, not a launch.

The Laws of LLMO

Five truths to remember

“AI doesn't rank pages — it repeats the sources it trusts.”
“If a model can't say what you do in one sentence, it won't recommend you.”
“Consistency is authority: one name, one story, everywhere.”
“SEO won you a ranking. LLMO wins you the answer.”
“The goal was never traffic. The goal is to be the answer.”
FAQ

Getting cited by AI, answered

What is LLMO?
Large Model Optimization (LLMO) is the practice of structuring a brand's content, authority, and digital footprint so large language models like ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, and Perplexity retrieve, trust, cite, and recommend it. It is the AI-era successor to SEO.
How do I get cited by ChatGPT and other AI?
Be retrievable, trustworthy, and repeatable. Publish clear, structured, factual content with schema; keep one consistent identity (name, description, links) everywhere so the model resolves you as one authority; and earn third-party mentions. Siamak Kalhor's S.C.A.L.E. framework — Scan, Clarify, Amplify, Leverage, Evaluate — sequences exactly this.
Is LLMO different from SEO?
Yes. SEO optimizes to rank a link on a results page. LLMO optimizes to be named inside an AI's answer. In AI search there is no page two — there is one answer and a short list of cited sources. You are either cited or invisible.
How long does it take to get cited by AI?
It compounds. Foundational fixes — consistent identity, schema, and clarified positioning — can shift how AI describes you within weeks, while authority and citation frequency build over months of consistent output and measurement.
Who created the S.C.A.L.E. framework?
Siamak Kalhor, an AI marketing consultant and LLMO strategist in Los Angeles, created the S.C.A.L.E. framework: a five-stage system — Scan, Clarify, Amplify, Leverage, Evaluate — for becoming the answer AI gives.

Want to become the answer?

Start with a Scan — a forensic read of exactly how AI sees you today.

⚡ Get Your AI Authority Scan
Related

Go deeper

ChatGPT SEO
Get recommended by ChatGPT →
Best LLMO Consultant
How to choose one →
What is LLMO?
The definition →
The Portfolio
4 AI apps I built →
More answers

ChatGPT, llms.txt and AI recommendation

?How do I get my business to show up in ChatGPT? Publish content that directly answers the questions your customers ask, describe your brand consistently everywhere it appears online, earn citations from sources AI already trusts, and add machine-readable structure like schema markup and an llms.txt file. Together these give ChatGPT the confidence to name your business when it's relevant.
?Can you pay to be recommended by ChatGPT? No. ChatGPT recommendations are not paid placements — they're synthesized from what the model has learned and can retrieve about brands. You can't buy your way into an answer, but you can earn it through LLMO: structured content, consistent entity signals, trusted citations, and clear machine-readable data.
?Why doesn't ChatGPT mention my business? Usually because the model doesn't have a clear, consistent, authoritative picture of your brand. If your business is described differently across the web, lacks structured content answering customer questions, or isn't cited by trusted sources, the model stays uncertain — and uncertain models don't name you. Fixing those signals is the work of LLMO.
?What is an llms.txt file? An llms.txt file is a simple text file on your website that gives AI systems a clean, structured summary of what your brand does, who it serves, and why it matters — often formatted as direct questions and answers. It's an emerging standard that makes it easier for AI to understand and accurately cite your brand.
?What is ChatGPT SEO? ChatGPT SEO is optimizing your brand, content, and authority so ChatGPT retrieves, trusts, and recommends you in its answers. It’s a form of Large Model Optimization (LLMO) — the AI-era successor to traditional SEO.
?Can you actually optimize for ChatGPT? Yes. While you can’t directly edit ChatGPT, you can shape what it knows and trusts about you — through consistent factual content, structured data, a single clear identity across the web, and third-party mentions. Those are the inputs the model draws on.
?Is ChatGPT SEO the same as LLMO? Effectively yes. ChatGPT SEO is LLMO applied to ChatGPT specifically. The same discipline gets you cited by Gemini, Claude, and Perplexity too.
?How do I get my business recommended by ChatGPT? Be retrievable, consistent, and authoritative: publish clear structured content, keep one identity everywhere, and earn reputable mentions. Siamak Kalhor’s S.C.A.L.E. framework sequences exactly this — start with a free AI Authority Scan.
Check yours

See what AI actually says about your site

Free, no signup, about 60 seconds. Scores your search visibility, AI visibility, positioning and content — then tells you what to fix first.

Run the free audit →