User-generated content and community platforms have become the trust layer of AI search.
Answer engines establish credibility by surfacing spaces where real users share experiences, not only what brands publish.
Our analysis of 5.5M+ LLM responses across ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, and Google AI Mode found that the top three cited domains driving brand mentions all came from community and user-generated content platforms. Together, Reddit, LinkedIn, Wikipedia, YouTube and arXiv account for the majority of off-site validation that shapes visibility in AI search.
For marketing leaders, this marks a shift in how trust is constructed in search.
LLMs reward community validation over brand control–meaning the conversations happening off your site increasingly determine how often your brand appears in AI answers.
Credibility in AI search compounds through the conversations and validation that happen across communities, not just what brands publish on their own domains.
Owned content provides the foundation of accuracy and depth, but off-site presence creates the validation that determines visibility. Brands earn consistent visibility when their expertise and credibility show up where communities talk, share, and decide what's worth trusting.
Methodology
This study analyzed over 5.5M answers to over 61K queries that brands such as Webflow, Carta, and Chime track in AI search to understand where and how visibility is being earned across answer engines.
Our goal was to identify which domains have the greatest influence on visibility, and how models attribute credibility through user-generated content and community-driven sources.
Over a 23-day period, we generated more than 821,000 uniquely cited domains across responses for ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, and Google AI Mode across both branded and non-branded queries.
Across answers, we categorized citations from UGC platforms into four groups:
- Community Q&A: Reddit, YouTube, GitHub, Quora, Stack Overflow, Stack Exchange
- Social: LinkedIn, X, Youtube
- Community editorial: Wikipedia, arXiv and Medium, (user-authored and community-moderated spaces where authority comes from collective verification and editorial consensus)
- Reviews/Ratings: G2, Trustpilot, TrustRadius, Capterra, Product Hunt
We measured citation frequency by domain, analyzed differences between branded and non-branded queries, and identified which domains dominated across models. This revealed where AI systems source credibility and where brands must build presence to stay visible.
User-Generated Content & Community Platforms Influence 48% of AI Search Results
From our research analyzing our queries across each answer engine, we found that each LLM favors UGC and community platforms differently–where some models like Perplexity, reference these platforms in more than 90% of their answers, while others like Gemini, surface these domains for as few as 7% of answers.
Across models such as Perplexity, ChatGPT, and Google AI Mode, the top three most-cited domains all come from user-generated platforms that shape which brands appear in AI-generated results.
Owned content defines your story—who you are, what you offer, and why you’re credible—and visibility in AI search grows when that story is reinforced through community validation beyond your site.
These conversations, shared experiences, and peer learnings that happen across community and UGC sites serve as public proof of trust, shaping what both users and models recognize as credible.
Brands that combine clear, authoritative on-site content with authentic participation across community platforms earn lasting credibility in the eyes of both audiences and AI systems.
Reddit Citations Appear in 21% of AI Search Results
Reddit has become the foundation of authenticity in AI search.
Reddit appeared in 21% of all answers, signaling credibility earned through peer validation instead of brand messaging. Across millions of discussions, users share honest experiences, compare solutions, and challenge claims in real time.
These conversations generate the kind of trust signals that AI systems consistently treat as the strongest indicators of relevance and authority.
Reddit’s influence comes from diversity and depth of voice. Conversations are spontaneous, unfiltered, and often contradictory, which reflects how people actually evaluate solutions and form opinions.
Reddit’s impact, however, varies across models. It ranks as the #1 most cited domain in Perplexity and Google AI Mode, and #2 in ChatGPT, just behind Wikipedia. Across models combined, Reddit citations were present in ~22% of answers.
Our analysis found that 88% of Reddit citations come from category-related queries, while only 12% are tied to specific brands. Models surface Reddit discussions to capture authentic, experience-based perspectives that reflect how people actually compare, evaluate, and decide.
When users do search for brands on Reddit, they’re not looking to be sold to—they’re seeking validation. About 31% of branded queries check features or capabilities, 29% ask how to use or accomplish something, and 25% look for factual details.
In non-branded queries, Reddit becomes a driver of discovery and exploration. Roughly two-thirds (62%) focus on exploring options—questions like “What AI tools are small businesses using?”— while 30% look for practical, how-to insights.
Reddit’s influence peaks during early discovery, when users look for unfiltered feedback and peer validation before deciding which brands to trust.
For marketers, this level of visibility carries both opportunity and responsibility.
Credibility on Reddit is earned through participation, not presence. Brands that engage transparently, join meaningful conversations, and contribute to genuine problem-solving start to build the kind of authentic community that sustains long-term visibility and trust.
Answer Engines Treat LinkedIn as a Leading Source of Expert Validation
AI systems interpret LinkedIn as a hub of professional credibility where practitioners, subject matter experts, and thought leaders share firsthand experience and analyses.
This expertise acts as a distinct signal of trust, separate from the peer validation found on broader community platforms.
Across all models, LinkedIn ranked #2 in Google AI Mode, #3 in Perplexity, and #5 in ChatGPT based on the number of appearances within answers generated. It consistently appears alongside reference domains like Wikipedia and Reddit, which shows that models treat expert commentary as a core credibility factor.
LinkedIn’s strength comes from authentic expertise rather than polished marketing. Models elevate voices that demonstrate real-world knowledge and professional perspective.
When experts and leaders share informed perspectives in industry discussions, they reinforce credibility that strengthens the brand’s authority.
For marketing teams, visibility now depends on activating that expertise—showing up where professional conversations shape which voices models and audiences recognize as credible.
75% of YouTube Citations Come From Non-Branded Search Queries
In AI search, YouTube operates as a visual layer of authority. It is where ideas, expertise, and experiences are demonstrated in ways that reinforce credibility through clarity and authenticity. Video content provides the kind of context that models interpret as proof of expertise.
Across the domains influencing AI search visibility, YouTube ranked as the #2 most-cited source in Gemini and Perplexity and #3 in Google AI Mode, making it one of the most influential platforms shaping how brands and ideas appear in AI-generated results.
Brand visibility in AI search now depends on showing, not just telling.
Our research found that 75% of YouTube citations come from non-branded queries, where users are seeking to learn, not to purchase. Models surface YouTube content to explain how something works, which means that educational, transparent videos carry more weight than promotional or brand-led assets.
Within branded queries, 37% asked how to use or accomplish something with the brand, 27% verified features or capabilities, and 25% sought factual details about the brand.
For non-branded queries, the pattern shifted toward exploration and education. 59% of these queries sought factual information about solutions, options, or approaches without mentioning specific brands—questions such as “What AI features help speed up video editing workflows?” or “Which credit cards are designed for military families?”, while only 34% focused on how to accomplish a task or understand a process.
YouTube also reflects the broader shift toward multimodal discovery, where AI systems analyze text, image, and video together to determine which sources best explain a concept.
For marketing teams, YouTube is an opportunity to turn expertise into visual proof. Repurpose research, webinars, and walkthroughs into explainers that help audiences learn and apply knowledge. Clarity and demonstration strengthen both user understanding and model confidence.
Diversification Drives Visibility Across AI Platforms
Think of visibility as an order of operations: Reddit builds community proof, YouTube demonstrates expertise, LinkedIn adds professional perspective, and Wikipedia verifies accuracy—together creating a diversified base that carries across models.
Visibility in AI search now depends on building credibility across multiple spaces where people ask questions, share experiences, and validate expertise.
Visibility compounds through diverse forms of participation—each platform reinforces a different signal of trust.
- Reddit & Quora: Build credibility through genuine, experience-based participation that adds value to real discussions.
- Wikipedia: Keep owned content accurate so community references and model citations reflect your brand correctly.
- YouTube: Demonstrate expertise through tutorials and walkthroughs that provide visible proof of credibility.
- LinkedIn & X: Strengthen authority through human perspective—when experts share insights, models and audiences take notice.
Building community across these channels reduces reliance on any single platform and creates a connected network of validation where credibility strengthens across platforms, models, and audiences.
Brands that align strong on-site foundations with consistent, authentic participation across community, editorial, and social spaces are more likely to be visible and trusted beyond search.
Community Is the New Search Channel
The brands that win in AI search are the ones that connect what they say with how they’re seen.
Owned authority is built through clear, credible content that defines who you are and why you’re trusted. Earned authority comes from validation across community and social spaces where people share experiences and shape perception.
To strengthen both owned and earned authority, brands need a cohesive strategy that connects what they publish with how they participate:
- Show up where credibility is built: Participate in communities like Reddit, YouTube, and LinkedIn where people share experiences and expertise.
- Make expertise visible: Turn real experience into visible proof through tutorials, walkthroughs, and active discussions.
- Keep information accurate: Clear, current on-site content anchors the trust that models and users look to for verification.
- Diversify visibility: Each model favors different sources: community, video, social, or reference, so credibility must travel across them all.
Visibility now depends on how well your brand’s story carries between what you publish and where people validate it. Brands that ignore off-site, risk losing relevance in the spaces where users discover, and decide who to trust
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