Perplexity is different
Perplexity blends web search with conversational AI, but its citation pattern leans heavily on community sources. Semrush's analysis showed Reddit accounts for nearly half of Perplexity citations across categories. This makes Perplexity ranking a hybrid of web SEO and community presence — both matter, neither alone is sufficient.
Earned community presence
Without spamming: contribute substantively to subreddits where your audience asks questions. Answer specifically. Reference your own data when relevant. Over weeks, your domain begins appearing in Perplexity's source pool for related queries. This is slow but durable — much harder to game than traditional link-building.
First-party data wins
Perplexity strongly favors original research. Publishing your own benchmarks, surveys, or analyses (like our State of Landing Pages report) gives you a recurring citation source other commentators reference, which compounds. Generic content that recycles other people's stats rarely cites well.