The Top 3 ChatGPT Ranking Factors You Can Start Optimizing For Today

Trying to get your business cited in ChatGPT is a challenge, especially when there isn’t much confirmed about how ChatGPT’s algorithm works. 

So, all you can do is speculate about what gets ChatGPT to turn out the answers it does.

And I’ve got speculations.

Nothing is known definitely about how ChatGPT pulls answers and chooses citations, but there are some indicators that likely factor into how ChatGPT pulls answers.

Let’s go over the top three you can start focusing on today:

1. Topical authority

I think one of the biggest potential ChatGPT ranking factors is topical relevance. ChatGPT’s goal is always to pull relevant answers for users — it wants to provide the most helpful summation of information.

Not only does it want to provide the most relevant and helpful information, but it wants to pull it from authoritative sources that are reputable. So, that means that, building your topical authority is key to showing you’re authoritative in the space.

So, how can you build topical authority?

The best way to build topical authority is through content clustering. Content clustering involves taking a core topic and building content surrounding that core topic.

So, for example, let’s say you own a butchery and want to create content surrounding your area of expertise. 

You may start with the core topic of “How to Break Down and Cut Meat,” but want to break that down further. You then may branch into topics like how to break down specific cuts of meat (lamb, pork, beef, etc.), how to make different cuts, or common issues with breaking down meat.

Okay, so you make all this related content — how does that impact your performance in ChatGPT?

At the core of it, ChatGPT operates on something called query fan-out. It means that when someone conducts a query on the platform, ChatGPT doesn’t just search for information about that query — it’s looking for information on related topics too. 

Think of it like this: If someone searches “How do I break down lamb,” you now have an entire group of content that can provide information including how to break it down, cuts you can make, and barriers people might run into with cutting the meat.

So, by creating this content, you’re helping increase the chance you’ll get cited in search results.

All of this to say, building topical authority is a key component to ranking in ChatGPT and earning citations.

2. Content structure

Another factor that influences your ability to rank in ChatGPT is your content structure. If you want to get cited in search results, your content needs to be easy to read for AI crawlers (and humans).

As I mentioned before, AI wants to provide the most helpful information and responses to people. But, in order to retrieve that information, it needs to be easy for AI crawlers to extract that information.

That’s why it’s crucial to structure your content for success. That means doing things like:

• Using headings and subheadings to organize your content
• Leveraging user-friendly elements like bulleted and numbered lists
• Providing quick and succinct answers to questions
• Leveraging features like FAQs, lists, and more

3. Content freshness

Another key ranking factor for ChatGPT is content freshness. Just like ChatGPT wants to deliver helpful information, it also wants to deliver the latest information. That means it’s going to try citing sources that have the most recent information.

So, if you have a lot of outdated information on your website, you’ll want to give it a refresh. Make sure the information is accurate. Add any new data or ideas that have recently come out. Overall, just make sure your content is refreshed and provides the most helpful information.

Start optimizing for ChatGPT today

If you want to stay ahead in 2026 with AI search, you need to start optimizing for ChatGPT. By optimizing for these top three ChatGPT ranking factors, you can help your business have a better chance of reaching people that search through the platform.

Need help optimizing for these factors, and more? Connect with us today to see how our AI search services can help you reach people wherever they search!