Does Paid Matter on AI Search?

TL;DR

Not yet, but it's coming. Right now, AI citations are earned organically based on content quality. But paid placements in AI search are starting to emerge—expect sponsored citations, partner content deals, and contextual ads to become standard within the next 12-18 months.

The honest answer right now: You can't pay to be cited by ChatGPT or Perplexity. Citations are based on what the AI determines is the best answer.

But that's changing fast.

What Exists Today

Perplexity has started testing sponsored placements—paid results that appear alongside organic citations in certain queries.

Google's AI Overviews already show ads above and below AI-generated answers in search results.

OpenAI and others are exploring partnerships with publishers (more on that in another post) that could influence what gets cited.

So while you can't directly pay for an AI citation today, the infrastructure for paid placement is being built.

What's Coming

Expect these models to roll out:

Sponsored citations: Paid placements within AI-generated responses, clearly marked as ads but given prominent positioning.

Contextual ads in answers: AI-generated responses that include paid product recommendations or services based on the query.

Partnership deals: Brands paying to be the "preferred source" for certain topics or industries.

It'll look a lot like the early days of Google Ads—brands that understand it early will have an advantage before costs skyrocket.

Should You Wait for Paid?

No. Build your organic AEO strategy now for two reasons:

1. Organic citations are free and credible. Being cited because your content is actually good carries more weight than being cited because you paid.

2. Paid will be expensive. Just like Google Ads, early movers in organic will have a moat. Once everyone can pay to play, the brands with established authority will still win.

The Play Right Now

Focus on earning organic citations by creating structured, authoritative content. When paid options become mainstream, you'll already have the foundation in place—and you can layer paid on top strategically rather than relying on it entirely.

Bottom line: Paid placements in AI search don't exist at scale yet, but they're coming soon. Build your organic AEO strategy now so you're not starting from scratch when paid becomes the norm.

Working on AEO strategy? Wild Signal helps brands optimize content for the citation economy.