Back claims with statistics, expert quotes and cited sources

Impact Evidence Applies to Last checked
Medium Emerging evidence Google, ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Claude Oct 30, 2026

Why it matters

The Princeton GEO paper (KDD 2024) found that adding statistics, quotations and source citations raised visibility in generative engine responses by up to 40% on its benchmark, while keyword stuffing did not help. Results varied by domain and were measured on test engines, not production systems. It aligns with Google's call for original, verifiable content and Bing's advice to state verifiable facts.

How to do it

  1. Replace vague claims with specific numbers and their source
  2. Quote named experts or customers with attribution
  3. Link to primary sources for every external fact

Sources

Change history

Date Change What changed
Oct 30, 2026 Added Added to the rulebook.

Checked against its sources every Monday. Only content changes are listed.