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Overview

As enterprises work to understand how AI search engines surface information — and how it compares to traditional organic rankings — seoClarity's Data Science team analyzed the top 1,000 URLs ChatGPT cited in the US over a one-week period.

Using ArcAI Visibility and our extensive Research Grid dataset, the findings reveal which domains ChatGPT depends on and how those URLs compare in organic search.

Key Findings

  • 9 of the top 10 domains — and over 50% of all citations — come from Wikipedia and other general education or news-focused sources.
  • A significant portion of cited URLs have no organic presence. Across the top 1,000 URLs, 25% show zero organic visibility in Google.
  • Across theTop 10 rankings: 39% of ChatGPT’s top cited URLs lack Organic visibility.
  • The higher the citation, the weaker the SEO footprint: Among ChatGPT’s Top 3 cited URLs, 50% have no organic visibility.

 

9 of the Top 10 Cited Domains Are Informational

ChatGPT’s citations are dominated by informational sources.

Across the top 1,000 URLs, citations span 186 unique domains, yet the distribution is highly concentrated: more than 50% of all cited URLs come from Wikipedia, and 9 of the top 10 domains are general education, news, or media sites.

This pattern reflects ChatGPT’s reliance on broad, reference-oriented content rather than commercial or category-specific sources.

 

25% of Top Cited URLs Have Zero Organic Visibility​

Of the top 1,000 URLs ChatGPT cites, 25% have no organic visibility when ranking in any of the top 100 ranking positions—and 84% of these pages come from Education sites. The rest are distributed thinly across Technology, Retail, Finance, Travel, and Healthcare industries.

This concentration highlights how ChatGPT elevates informational and explanatory content even when those pages have no visibility in traditional search.

We will continue tracking this visibility and updating these figures as we gather more data.

 

Organic Visibility Within Top 10 Rankings

The disconnect between AI citations and organic rankings widens at the top of ChatGPT’s results. Of the URLs cited in the Top 10 organic ranking results, 39% show zero organic visibility.

 

In other words, a substantial portion of ChatGPT’s references are entirely absent from Google’s rankings, highlighting how differently AI search engines evaluate and surface content.

Education again dominates this segment of citations, with nearly 78% of the cited URLs holding informational intent in the top 10 ranking positions analyzed. Retail and Technology make up much smaller portions, with Finance, Travel, and Healthcare appearing only marginally.

 

Distribution of Organic Visibility Across Keyword Rankings

Organic visibility declines as URLs appear more frequently in ChatGPT citations.

While nearly 75% of URLs in the Top 100 (by citation frequency) have organic visibility, that share drops to 67% in the Top 20, 61% in the Top 10, and just 49% in the Top 3. The more often a URL is cited by ChatGPT, the less likely it is to appear in Google’s rankings.

 

Research Methodology

We analyzed the top 1,000 URLs cited by ChatGPT in the U.S. (on desktop) over a one-week period from November 9–15, 2025 using ArcAI Visibility data.

Each URL was then matched in seoClarity’s Research Grid to determine its organic visibility and ranking performance in Google. URLs were categorized by domain and industry to identify distribution patterns across 186 unique domains.

All findings reflect ChatGPT’s citation behavior and URL-level visibility during the study period. We will continue to provide updated data and insights as AI Overviews evolve.

Conclusion

This analysis shows a clear disconnect between ChatGPT citation patterns and traditional organic visibility. Even among the most frequently cited URLs, a significant share lacks presence in Google’s results, and that gap widens as citation frequency increases.

This shift reinforces the need for brands to expand beyond traditional SEO tactics and prioritize content that is easily extractable, reference-oriented, and aligned with how AI search engines understand topics.

With ChatGPT citation tracking in Clarity ArcAI, you can see exactly when your content is cited, where your brand is missing, and what steps to take to improve AI visibility.

Understand your current standing, and identify the gaps before your competitors do. Schedule a demo today.

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Mitul Gandhi - Author Snippet (1)About the Author: Mitul Gandhi

 As a longtime data-driven serial entrepreneur, information architect and SEO veteran, Mitul has developed a blend of vast technical expertise and intense marketing insight. His variety of experience, gained in positions in in-house SEO, search marketing, and software development, affords him the ability to efficiently assess how to use software tools to meet challenges and drive ROI. As the Co-Founder and Chief Architect of seoClarity, Mitul currently oversees day-to-day operations, and provides strategic direction to all departments. His well of knowledge includes 10+ years of consulting experience with Fortune 500 and top Internet retailers concerning online search marketing. He has several patents pending for analyzing cause and effect in SEO. Mitul holds an MBA in direct marketing from Rochester Institute of Technology. Additionally, he has spoken at conferences in the United States and the U.K., including SES, SMX and Pubcon. He has also been quoted in MSN Money, USA Today, Time Online, Search Engine Watch, Search Engine Land and Web Pro News. Connect with him on Twitter or LinkedIn.

 

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