Why does ChatGPT cite Reddit instead of my site?
Engines cite the pages they retrieve that answer the question, and community threads often do so plainly. You can't force a different citation, but you can publish your own clear answer and take part helpfully, with disclosure, in threads where your expertise fits. Read each community's own rules first, and never post as someone else.
Free to read, no signup. Nova finds the threads engines cite and drafts helpful, disclosed answers.
What is documented about community links
I could not open Reddit's own rules, so this page doesn't cite them. Read each community's rules before posting. Google's spam policy covers link behaviour in forums.
Forum signature links are a listed example
Google lists signature links in forum posts, and widely distributed links in footers or widgets, among examples of link spam. Don't post to drop links.
Spam policies for Google web searchHelp the reader first
Google's guidance asks content to be made primarily to help people, with a clear purpose, not to attract search traffic.
Creating helpful, reliable, people-first contentFive steps to answer where people ask
Do it by hand with these steps, or hand the whole thing to Nova.
Find the threads engines cite
Run your prompts and list the community threads and forums that appear as sources.
Nova: lists the threads engines cite.
Read the question properly
Open each thread. Note what is asked, what is already answered and what is wrong or missing.
Nova: summarises each thread's gaps.
Check the community's rules
Read the rules on self-promotion and disclosure before writing anything.
Nova: flags rules to follow per community.
Write a helpful, disclosed answer
Answer the question first, say who you are and link to your page only where it truly helps.
Nova: drafts answer briefs for your approval.
Publish your own answer too
Write a clear page on your site for the same question, then recheck the prompts.
Nova: drafts the page and re-checks.
Short on time? Nova, your AI brand visibility expert, runs this Maneuver on your brand and tracks the result.
Take it to NovaThreads engines cite and the brief
| Thread | Cited for | Gap in answers | Brief | Rules checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| [thread-1] | [PROMPT A] | Outdated answer | Add current facts, disclosed | Yes |
| [thread-2] | [PROMPT B] | No mention of use case | Add a balanced answer | Yes |
| [thread-3] | [PROMPT C] | Wrong claim | Correct factually | Yes |
Nova then re-runs the prompts at 30 days, so you see whether the citations change.
Take this Maneuver into your own AI agent
Get community-answer-brief.md, a ready-to-use skill file with a thread log, a rules checklist and a disclosed-answer template. Drop it into Claude, Cursor or any agent that reads SKILL.md files.
Skill file for Claude, Cursor and other agents
- A cited-thread log
- A community rules checklist
- A disclosed-answer template
Questions, answered.
Relevant reads
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