The Content Formats AI Overviews Can't Stop Quoting (And How to Build Them Fast)
Photo: Judyallbrite, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Here's a shift most SEOs haven't fully processed: the assets that earn backlinks increasingly overlap with the assets that get cited in AI Overviews. Journalists need quotable sources. Large language models need structured, verifiable facts. Build for one and you're often building for both.
We've been tracking which formats actually get picked up — in AI-generated answers and in the link profiles of sites winning in 2025. Here's the ranked list.
1. Original Data Studies
Why they win: Nothing gets cited like a number nobody else has. AI Overviews love statistics with a clear source, and reporters need fresh data for headlines. A single original survey can generate links for years.
Real-world example: Backlinko's own studies of ranking factors have been referenced across thousands of articles precisely because the data was proprietary.
Quick start: Survey 200+ people in your industry (respondent pools like Pollfish make this affordable), or mine your own customer data. Publish 5–7 standout stats in graphics with embed codes — every embed is a backlink.
2. Free Calculators and Tools
Why they win: Tools solve a problem, so people link to them as a resource rather than as content. AI answers also reference them as actionable destinations.
Real-world example: Mortgage and salary calculators from financial sites rack up links from forums, news articles, and resource pages on autopilot.
Quick start: Identify a math problem your audience Googles ("how much should I spend on ads?"). A no-code tool like Outgrow or a simple custom build gets you live in a week.
3. Comparison Tables
Why they win: Structured comparisons are exactly what AI Overviews extract — rows of verifiable facts. They also rank in traditional search and attract links as reference material.
Real-world example: SaaS pricing comparison pages routinely become the default citation when anyone writes about a software category.
Quick start: Pick a category with 8–15 players. Build a table comparing pricing, features, and use cases. Update it quarterly — freshness compounds citations.
4. Expert Quote Roundups
Why they win: Every expert featured has an incentive to share and link to the piece. It's built-in distribution before you even publish.
Real-world example: Marketing prediction posts featuring 20+ practitioners reliably generate dozens of links from the contributors' own sites and social channels.
Quick start: Email 15–20 experts one specific question. Publish the best 10 answers with headshots and links to their sites. Notify every contributor on launch day.
5. Definitive Statistics Pages
Why they win: "[Topic] statistics" pages become the go-to source that both journalists and AI systems cite when they need a number fast. They're link magnets by design.
Quick start: Aggregate 30–50 stats from credible sources, cite everything clearly, organize by subtopic, and update monthly.
6. Templates and Swipe Files
Why they win: Downloadable templates earn links from course pages, internal company wikis, and resource roundups — the highest-converting link sources there are.
Quick start: Turn your best internal process — a content brief, an outreach sequence, a budget sheet — into a free download behind an email gate.
7. Glossaries and Definitive Guides
Why they win: AI Overviews lean heavily on clear definitional content. A well-structured glossary becomes the reference point for an entire topic area.
Quick start: Define 25–50 terms in your niche with two-sentence answers and internal links to deeper content.
The Common Thread
Notice what all seven have in common: they're structured, verifiable, and easy to extract a single fact or link from. That's not a coincidence — it's what both journalists and AI models are optimized to cite. Pick one format, ship it this month, and give the machines something worth quoting.
