# Study Finds Retrieval Drives Citations in Generative Search Engines

> Analysis of 158k answers shows that what AI search engines retrieve matters far more than page content for getting cited.

Oossa · 2026-10-14 · https://oossa.com/en/study-finds-retrieval-drives-citations-in-generative-search-engines

Researchers examined 158,099 answers generated by ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity over two 90‑day periods. They found that a page is cited mainly when the engine’s own search pulls it up, not because of its SEO tweaks. Retrieval accounted for 32% of citation variation, while matching titles and paragraphs explained only 2.8%. The model also injects brand names it “remembers,” sometimes citing pages that don’t exist.

## The facts

- 158,099 answers produced with 468,037 citations
- Retrieval explains 32% of citation variance; content only 2.8%

## Why it matters

Publishers must optimize for how generative AI searches retrieve their pages, not just traditional SEO, to appear as sources.

## Sources & references

1. [What Drives AI Citations? Content, Retrieval and Model Knowledge in Generative Engine Optimization (GEO)](https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.15033) – arXiv cs.IR, 2026-10-14

Last updated: 2026-10-14