Perplexity for businesses: how it picks sources and how to get in

Perplexity searches the web live for almost every question and shows the sources it used right next to the answer. To appear there, your website needs to be reachable for Perplexity's crawler and your pages need to give a clear answer that is easy to quote. Mentions on other trusted sites help a great deal too.

What makes Perplexity different

Perplexity behaves more like a search engine with a summary on top. You ask a question, Perplexity looks up a number of pages, reads them and writes an answer with numbered references. Click a number and you land on the source.

For businesses that has two consequences. First, current information on your website counts straight away: you do not have to wait for a new model. Second, you can see exactly who gets cited. That tells you which sites Perplexity trusts on your topic.

How Perplexity chooses its sources

Perplexity does not publish exactly how it selects sources. Based on what we see in answers, these factors usually play a role:

• the page closely matches the question
• the answer is stated clearly and briefly, not buried in a long text
• the site is technically accessible and quick to read
• the source is mentioned elsewhere or appears trustworthy
• the information is up to date

An example. Someone asks: "Which physiotherapist in Amersfoort helps with running injuries?" A practice with a dedicated page on running injuries, explaining in the first paragraph what they do and for whom, stands a better chance than a practice that only mentions "sports physiotherapy" on its homepage.

Step 1: allow PerplexityBot

Perplexity currently uses PerplexityBot to index pages. There is also an agent that fetches pages when a user asks for them. Check your robots.txt to make sure you are not blocking them. Also check that your hosting, CDN or security plugin is not stopping bots. Our article on allowing AI crawlers in robots.txt explains how to check this.

Step 2: write pages that give an answer

Perplexity likes to quote sentences that answer a question directly. So start a page with the answer and add the explanation after it. Use clear subheadings that resemble the questions people ask.

A few practical tips:

1. Create a separate page for each service or product.
2. Say what you do and where in the first sentence.
3. Include concrete details such as price ranges, delivery times or service area.
4. Add an FAQ with short answers.

For how to set up a good FAQ, read an FAQ page AI likes to cite.

Step 3: see which sources Perplexity already uses

This is Perplexity's big advantage. Ask the questions your customers ask and write down which sites appear in the source list. Often these are industry directories, comparison sites, local news sites, Reddit threads or YouTube videos.

A heating installer in Zwolle might notice that a regional comparison site and a forum keep coming back for questions about heat pumps. If he is not on them, he knows where to start.

Step 4: get mentioned on those sources

Try to get onto the sites Perplexity already cites. Think of a listing in an industry directory, a piece in the local paper or an honest contribution to a discussion. No fake accounts or promotional posts: that backfires and can hurt your reputation. Read more in mentions on other sites.

Step 5: keep your information current

Because Perplexity searches live, it also picks up outdated information. If your address, opening hours or offering has changed, update it everywhere: on your website, your Google Business Profile and in directories. Add a "last updated" date to important pages.

Measuring Perplexity

Perplexity's answers vary, just like those of other AI assistants. So measure with a fixed set of questions and repeat that every week. Note whether you are mentioned, in which position, and whether your own site shows up among the sources.

Rather not track this yourself? With GEO tracking we measure every week how often Perplexity, ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude mention your business, including the sources they rely on.