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Growth Memo (Kevin Indig) · Aug 10 ResearchAEO

UGC platforms outcite review sites in ChatGPT answers

UGC platforms accounted for 17.1% of domains cited in ChatGPT answers to SaaS buying queries — more than four times publishers’ 4.0% — and outcited review platforms at every stage of the buyer journey, per a Growth Memo analysis of roughly 35,000 citation URLs tracked in Profound over December 2025. Review-site citations ranged from 7.4% at the discovery stage to 13.2% at evaluation, with Wikipedia alone accounting for 10.1 to 14.0 of the 17.1 points.

Why it matters: For AEO strategy, it signals community platforms — not review sites — are the highest-leverage third-party surface for ChatGPT citations, shifting where earned-mention investment should go.

The record: ChatGPT

Via Growth Memo (Kevin Indig) ↗

Posted to the wire August 10, 2026.