Earlier this year, we advised brands to prioritize their YouTube video strategy so they can capitalize on AI-generated traffic.
The latest data from BrightEdge underscores just how crucial YouTube has become for brands, not only to improve their presence on Google AI overviews, but also to show up on other leading AI platforms.
BrightEdge tracked YouTube citation patterns from May 2024 – September 2025 across Google AI overviews, Google AI mode, ChatGPT, and Perplexity. What they discovered is that YouTube averages “20% citation share across AI platforms,” making it the most-cited video platform with 200x more citations than any other video platform, including Vimeo, Tiktok, Dailymotion, and Twitch, which each have less than 0.2% citation share.
It wouldn’t be surprising if Google favored YouTube in its AI responses, but for ChatGPT and Perplexity to prominently cite YouTube links in its answers is indicative of how dominant YouTube has become.
Types Of YouTube Videos In AI Citations
Some of the most common types of YouTube videos that are cited frequently by AI platforms include:
- Product tutorials and walkthroughs
- How-to and instructional content with visuals
- User reviews and comparisons
- Educational content
- Abstract financial concepts
- Current pricing & deals
When you publish videos on your YouTube channel, optimize your titles and description copy with AI search queries in mind. We also recommend adding detailed timestamps to highlight specific segments of your video.
Also, pay attention to your thumbnail images to maximize click-throughs to your videos. The more views you have, the stronger the signal it will send to AI platforms.
Resources To Boost Your YouTube Strategy
Don’t know where to start with your video strategy, check out the resources below. Also, schedule a free consultation with us to assess your current video efforts.
- The shifting influence of video content
- 3 myths about using video to grow your tech company
- 8 keys for better YouTube ads
- Video is the No. 1 driver for B2B marketing
- How to capitalize on YouTube’s growth on TVs
- Benefits of the YouTube partner program
- Invest in short-form video to rank on search
- Maximize your YouTube search lift test
- How to optimize YouTube campaign delivery
