How long does it take for Perplexity to start citing a new article?

Perplexity can begin citing a newly published article within 24-72 hours if the page is indexed and the domain is already in Perplexity's trusted source pool. For new or low-authority domains, citation lag is typically 2-4 weeks. Publishing on established third-party domains accelerates this timeline significantly.

Does word count affect whether Perplexity quotes an article?

Word count itself is not a direct citation signal. Extraction density matters more: a 600-word article with a BLUF, three standalone statistics, and a comparison table will out-cite a 3,000-word essay written in continuous prose. Aim for high information-per-paragraph rather than high total length.

Does Perplexity cite paywalled content?

Perplexity's crawler attempts to access the page as-served to most users. Hard-paywalled content is generally not cited because it cannot be extracted. Soft-paywalled content (metered access) may be crawled and cited depending on the header signals Perplexity receives. If citation is a goal, keep the key extractable content above any paywall gate.

How does Perplexity decide which sentence to quote verbatim?

Perplexity selects for sentences that are factually specific (contain numbers, names, or defined terms), grammatically complete, and contextually self-contained. Sentences that require the surrounding paragraph to make sense are paraphrased or skipped. Each sentence you write should pass the "lifted out of context" test to be a viable quote candidate.

Does schema markup actually change which sources Perplexity cites?

Yes, with meaningful impact. FAQPage schema is particularly effective for question-intent queries because it pre-structures answer units the model can pull directly. Article/BlogPosting schema strengthens freshness signals by making datePublished and author machine-readable rather than visible-text-only. The GEO-16 research framework (Kumar and Palkhouski, arXiv 2025) identified schema as one of three technical pillars most correlated with citation selection.

Can a small site compete with major publications for Perplexity citations?

Yes, on specific queries. Perplexity's citation algorithm rewards extractability and freshness at the page level, not just domain authority at the site level. A well-structured, freshly updated page on a mid-authority domain frequently out-cites a poorly structured page on a major domain for specific, long-tail queries. Topical focus and structural precision matter more than raw domain power on tail queries.

How to Structure an Article So Perplexity Quotes It Word-for-Word