There is no switch that makes an AI assistant cite you. What you can do is remove the reasons it would not. Here is how we think about it for regulated financial brands.
1. Be easy to crawl and read
Assistants that pull from the web need to fetch and parse your pages. Make sure important content is in the HTML rather than hidden behind scripts, that robots rules do not block the crawlers you want, and that pages load quickly. If you want to be found in AI search, check what you are blocking, and decide deliberately.
2. Answer the question early
Lead with a direct answer, then give the detail. A page on "what is an ISA transfer" should explain it in the first few lines, then cover the rules, the risks and the next step. This helps customers as much as machines.
3. Show who is speaking
Name the author, state their role and qualifications, and say who reviewed the page and when. In finance, a named expert is a stronger signal than an anonymous brand voice.
4. Keep facts current and dated
Rates, fees, eligibility and rules change. Put a "last reviewed" date on pages, update them on a schedule, and retire pages that are no longer accurate. Out-of-date information is the quickest way to be misquoted.
5. Use structured data where it fits
Schema markup does not guarantee citations, but it helps systems understand what a page is: an organisation, a product, an article, a FAQ. Use it honestly and make sure it matches what is on the page.
6. Build a consistent footprint
Check how your brand appears on regulator registers, review sites, directories, press and social profiles. Fix inconsistencies in names, addresses, permissions and descriptions. Assistants cross-check, and conflicts make you harder to trust.
7. Earn mentions from credible sources
Coverage in respected publications and industry bodies supports your own claims. Focus on genuine commentary and data, not paid placements.
8. Measure it properly
Build a fixed set of customer questions, run them regularly across the main assistants, and record whether you are mentioned, how you are described and which sources are cited. Pair that with referral traffic and enquiry quality.
Keep compliance in the loop
None of this should mean cutting corners. Product claims, risk warnings and required disclosures should sit with the content they relate to, and everything should go through your usual sign-off. Clear, accurate content is also the content most likely to be trusted.