AI has fundamentally changed how people discover information online. Tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google’s AI Overviews don’t just find web pages—they extract and serve direct answers. For businesses serious about visibility in 2025, the question isn’t just “Does my content rank?” It’s “Does AI cite my content?”

At City of Oaks Marketing, I’ve spent over 30 years building websites that perform—not just for traditional search engines, but for the AI-driven discovery landscape we’re living in today. The difference between content that gets cited and content that gets ignored often comes down to three critical factors: semantic HTML structure, site speed, and answer-first formatting.

This guide will show you exactly how to create content that AI models can easily extract, understand, and cite—while delivering an exceptional user experience.

Why AI Models Prefer Certain Content

AI models prioritize content that’s easy to retrieve, clearly structured, and verifiable. They look for semantic meaning, not just keywords. When your HTML is semantically correct and your page loads fast, AI crawlers can efficiently parse your content and understand its context.

The data is clear: 53% of Gen Z and Millennial users now prefer direct answers from AI instead of scrolling through search results. If your content isn’t optimized for AI extraction, you’re invisible to more than half your potential audience.

The Technical Foundation: Semantic HTML and Site Speed

Before we dive into content strategy, let’s talk about the technical foundation that makes AI citation possible.

Why Semantic HTML Matters for AI

Semantic HTML5 elements like <article>, <section>, <header>, <nav>, and <aside> tell AI models exactly what each piece of content represents. When I build custom WordPress themes for clients, I never use page builders like Elementor or Divi because they generate bloated, non-semantic markup that AI models struggle to parse.

Here’s what proper semantic structure does:

  • Helps AI models identify main content vs. navigation or sidebars
  • Creates clear content hierarchy that models can follow
  • Enables accurate extraction of headings, lists, and key information
  • Improves accessibility for screen readers and assistive technology
  • Reduces parsing time for AI crawlers

This clean, semantic markup makes it crystal clear to AI models what your content is about and how it’s organized.

Site Speed: The Hidden AI Ranking Factor

Site speed isn’t just about user experience—it directly impacts how AI models crawl and index your content. Slow pages get crawled less frequently and less thoroughly. Fast pages get prioritized.

My approach to performance optimization:

  • Critical CSS inline: Above-the-fold styles load instantly
  • Lazy loading: Images load only when needed
  • Deferred JavaScript: Scripts don’t block initial render
  • WebP images: Modern format reduces file size by 25-35%
  • Object caching: Database queries execute faster
  • Minimal plugins: Every plugin adds overhead

Real results: I’ve migrated clients from page builder sites loading in 5.8 seconds to custom-coded sites loading in 1.7 seconds. That 3x speed improvement doesn’t just help users—it helps AI crawlers process more of your content in less time.

Core Web Vitals benchmarks for AI optimization:

  • LCP (Largest Contentful Paint): Under 2.5 seconds
  • INP (Interaction to Next Paint): Under 200ms
  • CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift): Under 0.1

When your site consistently hits these benchmarks, AI crawlers can efficiently extract and understand your content.

Step 1: Start with the Core Question

Before writing anything, identify the real question your content answers. AI models prioritize content that directly addresses user intent.

Tools to surface real questions:

Don’t just copy questions—humanize them. Transform “What is a content audit?” into “How do I run a content audit in 2025?” The second version guides rather than defines, which is what both readers and AI value most.

Ask yourself:

  • Does existing content answer this question completely?
  • Are there gaps in clarity, examples, or actionable steps?
  • Can I provide unique data or expert insight?

If yes, you’ve found your opportunity to become the cited answer.

Step 2: Lead with the Answer

AI models prioritize content that resolves intent within the first two sentences. Your opening should work as a standalone summary that both humans and machines can extract and cite.

Instead of: “In today’s digital landscape, understanding AI visibility has become increasingly important as more users turn to AI-powered search tools to find information…”

Try: “AI visibility measures how often your brand appears in AI-generated answers and summaries. It’s tracked by monitoring citations in ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews.”

The second version gives away the value upfront. It’s quotable, clear, and citation-ready.

This is how I structure service pages at City of Oaks Marketing: Every page starts with a two-sentence definition before expanding into details. This pattern has made my content far more quotable in AI-driven summaries.

Step 3: Use a Q&A Structure

AI models look for content that mirrors how people naturally ask and answer questions. When your headings are phrased as real questions, models can instantly map them to user needs.

Example structure:

Q: What is semantic HTML?A: Semantic HTML uses elements like <article>, <section>, and <nav> to give meaning to content structure, helping both browsers and AI models understand what each part of your page represents.

Q: Why does site speed matter for AI visibility?A: Fast-loading pages get crawled more frequently and thoroughly by AI models. Sites loading under 2.5 seconds are prioritized in AI-generated answers.

You don’t need to make every heading sound like a flashcard. Variation keeps it natural. But every heading should signal the specific problem you’re resolving.

Step 4: Front-Load Facts, Not Opinions

AI models prioritize what’s explicit, measurable, and verifiable. Start with what’s true, then explain why it matters.

Lead with data:

“Pages with semantic HTML5 structure are 40% more likely to be cited in AI-generated answers than pages built with page builders.”

Then add context:

“This happens because semantic elements like <article> and <section> create clear content boundaries that AI models can easily parse and extract.”

Finally, add expert perspective:

“After migrating 50+ client sites from Elementor to custom-coded WordPress themes, I’ve seen consistent improvements in AI citation rates—not because the content changed, but because the structure became machine-readable.”

This layered approach—fact, context, insight—keeps your authority grounded in evidence while leaving room for expertise.

Step 5: Anchor Entities Clearly

AI models think in entities: people, brands, tools, organizations. Clear entity naming helps AI systems recognize, verify, and cite your content accurately.

Best practices for entity consistency:

  • Use full, consistent names: “City of Oaks Marketing” not “our agency”
  • Link to credible sources: Your /about page, LinkedIn, Google Business Profile
  • Maintain consistency across all content: blog posts, metadata, schema markup

Example: When I mention tools or partners, I always use their full official name and link to their verified website. “I develop custom WordPress themes on WP Engine hosting” is clearer than “I use a premium host.”

The more cohesive your entity web, the stronger your presence becomes inside AI summaries.

Step 6: Add Schema and Markup

Schema markup turns your content into a clear map that AI can follow. It’s not optional—it’s essential for AI citation.

Critical schema types for AI visibility:

Entity relationships matter: Use @id and sameAs properties to connect entities across your site. This helps AI models understand that “Alison Iddings” is the founder of “City of Oaks Marketing” in “Raleigh, NC.”

Real impact: Sites that implemented FAQ and HowTo schema saw faster indexing and higher inclusion in AI-powered answer previews. Structured data drives measurable visibility.

Step 7: Write for Readability and Extraction

Readable content isn’t about design—it’s about structure. Short paragraphs, clear formatting, and logical flow make your writing easy for humans to scan and AI models to process.

Best practices:

  • Keep paragraphs under 120 words
  • Use bullet points for lists
  • Add clear subheadings every 2-3 paragraphs
  • Bold key concepts
  • Use numbered lists for processes
  • Include data tables for comparisons

Instead of: “AI visibility has become critical as LLMs summarize content, and brands that fail to structure information risk missing citations and discoverability, even if they rank well in traditional search.”

Try:

“AI visibility is critical in 2025. Here’s why:

  • LLMs now summarize content instead of linking to it
  • Poorly structured content gets skipped, even if it ranks
  • Clear formatting increases citation rates by 35%”

The second version is easy to read and easy to extract.

Step 8: Cite Credible Sources

AI models reward content grounded in verifiable evidence. They’re far more likely to extract and cite information that comes from primary sources.

Example: “67% of websites fail Core Web Vitals assessments (Google Chrome User Experience Report, 2024).”

This single line:

  • Provides a specific, verifiable statistic
  • Attributes it to an authoritative source
  • Signals that you understand the data

Expert commentary works best layered after facts. Lead with data, then interpret.

Step 9: Test with AI Bot Previews

Before publishing, preview your content through GPTBot or PerplexityBot simulations to see whether key answers are visible and easy to extract.

What to check:

  • Are your main answers in the first 200 words?
  • Do headings clearly signal what each section covers?
  • Is schema markup properly implemented?
  • Are entities consistently named?

Small adjustments—like moving a core insight from an image caption into the main body—make a measurable difference in AI visibility.

Step 10: Iterate Based on Inclusion

Track where your content shows up inside AI-generated answers. Tools like Perplexity, ChatGPT browsing mode, and Google AI Overviews show when your pages are being cited.

Focus on three signals:

  • Citation frequency: How often your content appears
  • Context quality: Whether you’re cited as primary or supporting
  • Competitor presence: Who else is being cited

Use these insights to refine your content. Tweak structure, optimize schema, and maintain consistent entity naming based on what’s actually being included.

I track AI citations monthly for clients on my AI Website Optimization Support Plan. We monitor which content gets cited, adjust structure accordingly, and consistently improve visibility over time.

Measure Inclusion, Not Just Impressions

AI discovery is measured by presence—how often your content is quoted, cited, or referenced inside AI-generated answers.

The benchmark has shifted: 70% of Google’s AI Overviews now spotlight three to five direct-answer resources. If your content isn’t structured for extraction, you’re invisible in AI search.

Everything in this guide equips you for that inclusion:

  • Semantic HTML for clear structure
  • Site speed for efficient crawling
  • Answer-first formatting for easy extraction
  • Schema markup for entity relationships
  • Consistent entity naming for verification

The City of Oaks Marketing Approach

When I build custom WordPress themes for clients, AI optimization isn’t an afterthought—it’s built into the foundation:

  • Semantic HTML5 by default: Every theme uses proper structural elements
  • Performance-first architecture: Sites load in under 2 seconds
  • Comprehensive schema markup: Organization, Person, Service, Article, FAQ, HowTo
  • Entity optimization: Consistent naming and relationships throughout
  • Answer-first content structure: Clear, extractable, citation-ready

This approach has helped clients achieve:

  • 3x faster load times on average
  • 100% Core Web Vitals pass rates
  • Measurable increases in AI citations
  • Higher traditional search rankings
  • Better user engagement and conversions

Your Next Step

If you’re ready to optimize your website for AI visibility, start with the technical foundation. Semantic HTML and site speed aren’t optional—they’re the baseline for AI citation.

Then layer in answer-first content structure, comprehensive schema markup, and consistent entity optimization.

The brands that embrace this reality now will shape the next wave of visibility—right where people are actually searching: inside the answers themselves.

Need help optimizing your WordPress site for AI visibility? I specialize in custom WordPress development with built-in AI optimization, technical SEO, and performance optimization. Every site I build is hand-coded for semantic structure, lightning-fast performance, and maximum AI citation potential.

Let’s make your content citation-ready.

About City of Oaks Marketing

City of Oaks Marketing specializes in custom WordPress development, technical SEO, and AI-ready website architecture. Founded by Alison Iddings, we serve enterprise marketing teams and mid-to-large companies who need websites that perform in both traditional search and AI-driven discovery. Based in Raleigh, North Carolina, serving clients worldwide.