A new study shows that product content accounts for up to 70% of citations in AI search results. Here’s what that could mean for your SEO strategy.

Highlights

• New research shows product content is the most cited in AI search results.
• The type of content cited varies depending on the stage of the buyer journey.
• B2B and B2C searches follow different citation trends.

A recent study analyzing 768,000 citations across AI search engines found that product-related content is the most frequently cited—making up between 46% to 70% of all sources.

The research, conducted over 12 weeks by XFunnel, highlights how marketers should shape their content strategies in response to the rise of AI-powered search.

It examined which types of content are most often referenced by tools like ChatGPT, Google’s AI Overviews, and Perplexity when responding to user queries.

Here are the key takeaways from the study.

Product Content Visible Across Queries

The study reveals that AI search platforms tend to favor product-focused content. Pages that include product specifications, comparisons, “best of” lists, and vendor information consistently received the highest number of citations.

According to the research:

“This preference appears consistent with how AI engines handle factual or technical questions, using official pages that offer reliable specifications, FAQs, or how-to guides.”

Other types of content were cited far less frequently by AI search platforms:

• News and research articles: 5–16% of citations
• Affiliate content: typically under 10%
• User reviews (forums, Q&A sites): 3–10%
• Blog content: only 3–6%
• PR materials: rarely cited, usually under 2%

Citation Patterns Vary by Funnel Stage

AI platforms reference different types of content depending on the buyer’s stage in the journey:

• Top of funnel (unbranded searches): Product content led with 56% of citations, while news and research followed at 13–15%. This suggests that even early-stage content benefits from product focus, challenging the traditional idea that this stage should be mostly educational.
• Middle of funnel (branded searches): Product content dropped to 46%, while user reviews and affiliate content each rose to around 14%. This indicates AI platforms incorporate more outside opinions for comparison-based queries.
• Bottom of funnel (decision stage): Product content dominated with over 70% of citations. All other types of content fell below 10%, showing a strong preference for direct, product-specific information when users are ready to make a purchase.

B2B vs. B2C Citation Differences

The study uncovered notable differences in how AI search engines handle business vs. consumer queries:

• B2B queries: Product pages—especially from official company websites—dominated, making up nearly 56% of citations. Affiliate content followed at 13%, with user reviews at 11%.
• B2C queries: Citations were more diverse. Product content dropped to around 35%, while affiliate content (18%), user reviews (15%), and news articles (15%) played a larger role.

This suggests that AI search engines rely more heavily on direct product information for B2B, while B2C queries draw from a broader mix of sources.

What This Means for SEO

For SEO professionals and content creators, this study offers several key takeaways:

• Include detailed product information, even in awareness-stage content, to boost your chances of being cited by AI tools.
• Blogs, PR content, and educational pieces are cited less often—consider updating these formats to include more actionable or product-relevant information.
• Review your content strategy to ensure you have strong product-focused content across all stages of the funnel.
• B2B marketers should focus on clear, detailed product pages hosted on their own websites.
• B2C marketers should also work on building high-quality third-party reviews and affiliate content.

The study sums it up:

“These observations suggest that large language models prioritize trustworthy, in-depth pages, especially for technical or final-stage information… factually robust, authoritative content remains at the heart of AI-generated citations.”

As AI reshapes how people search online, marketers who align their content strategies with these insights will be better positioned for visibility and success.