Perplexity is an AI answer engine that combines retrieval-based web search with large language model synthesis to produce direct, cited answers to queries. Unlike traditional search engines that return a list of links, Perplexity reads and synthesizes content from multiple web sources and presents a cohesive answer with inline citations. As AI answer engines gain user adoption, appearing as a cited source in Perplexity responses — through authoritative, clearly structured content — is becoming an emerging SEO objective.