TL;DR – New data from Nectiv shows ChatGPT is 2.3x more likely to cite pages with tables than Google Search is. About 30% of ChatGPT citations include a <table> element. The catch? If you're not in Bing's index quickly, your tables don't exist for AI assistants. ShowUpInAI handles the "get it into Bing fast" part. You handle the "make it table-friendly" part. Together, that's your AI SEO / GEO stack.

What Nectiv's Study Actually Says

Nectiv analyzed where citations in ChatGPT and Google Search come from and checked whether those cited pages contained an HTML <table> element. Their findings reveal a clear pattern in how AI assistants prefer structured content.

Here are the key numbers:

In plain language: ChatGPT likes content it can quote as a neat, structured block. Tables are one of the easiest ways to give it that.

Why This Matters for Your AI SEO / GEO (Generative AI Optimization) Strategy

Think about how AI assistants work. When ChatGPT or Copilot generates an answer, it's looking for information it can:

• Extract cleanly
• Present confidently
• Attribute clearly

Tables tick all three boxes. They're semantically clear, easy to parse, and self-contained. When your content gives AI assistants a pre-formatted block they can reuse, you're dramatically increasing your citation probability.

"Table-Friendly" Content in Practice (With Examples)

When you're writing for AI assistants, think in extractable blocks. Here's how to do it right.

Turn Walls of Text into Clear Tables

Anywhere you're comparing, breaking down, or listing structured info, use a real HTML table. Don't just describe it—build it.

Example: pricing comparison

This kind of table gives ChatGPT a pre-baked chunk it can safely reuse in an answer.

Use Semantic HTML, Not Just Visuals

For AI, how it's coded matters more than how it looks.

Use:

• Real <table>, <thead>, <tbody>, <th>, <td> tags, or
• Clean lists and headings where a table isn't appropriate

Avoid:

• Tables rendered as images
• Fancy grid layouts that never expose an actual <table> in HTML

If it's not in the HTML, AI assistants are unlikely to "see" it.

Give Each Table a Clear, Self-Contained Topic

Think of each table as a mini "knowledge card."

• Add a clear heading just before it (<h2> / <h3>)
• Use descriptive column names ("Feature", "Starter plan", "Pro plan") instead of "A / B / C"
• Keep each row about one entity

This helps models reliably infer: "This table is about X, comparing options Y along dimensions Z."

Surround Tables with Answer-Ready Text

Tables help you get into the candidate set. Short, well-written paragraphs help you win the final answer.

Around each important table, include:

• 1–2 sentences introducing what the table shows
• A 40–80 word summary highlighting the main takeaway
• Optional: a "what to do next" sentence

AI often stitches together:

1. An explanatory paragraph
2. A structured artifact (table/list)
3. A brief recommendation

Your goal is to make that assembly process trivial.

Tables Aren't Enough If Bing Never Sees Your Page

Here's the ugly but simple truth: If Bing hasn't crawled your page, ChatGPT can't use it in a live, web-sourced answer.

Studies of SearchGPT and other AI features have shown a strong dependence on Bing's organic results when generating citations. The pipeline looks like this:

1. Your page is discovered and indexed in Bing
2. AI assistants like ChatGPT, Copilot, and Perplexity pull from that index
3. Among candidate pages, those with good tables and structure get cited more often (per Nectiv's data)

Here's how the layers break down:

Why IndexNow Matters for Table-Rich Content

Let's say you just published a perfect comparison table. Great. Now what?

If you wait for Bing's normal crawl schedule, that table might not appear in AI answers for days or weeks. By the time it's indexed, the conversation has moved on.

IndexNow changes the game: You push the URL to Bing the moment you hit publish. ShowUpInAI automates this across unlimited domains, so every new table-rich page gets a fast pass into the AI citation pool.

A Quick "ChatGPT-Table" Checklist

Here's a compact checklist you can use to audit your content. (Yes, we made it a table. Of course we did.)

If you can honestly tick "✅" down that column, you're applying Nectiv's findings and giving AI assistants every chance to cite you.

Where ShowUpInAI Fits In (Without Overpromising)

Here's what ShowUpInAI actually does today:

• Crawls your site automatically (typically daily) to detect new or updated pages
• Submits those URLs to Bing via IndexNow within minutes of detecting a change
• Works across unlimited websites on every plan, with page limits per plan
• Provides AI View, so you can see a stripped-down version of what AI assistants actually read from your pages

So the complete value proposition is:

• You handle better structure (including those tables ChatGPT clearly loves)
• ShowUpInAI handles faster, automated Bing submissions, so your structured content has a real chance to show up in live AI answers soon after you hit publish

Put together, that's your AI SEO / GEO stack.

What You Should Do Next

1. Audit your most important pages – Find opportunities to add meaningful tables
2. Use semantic HTML – Make sure tables are real <table> elements, not images
3. Add context around tables – Clear headings and short summaries
4. Get into Bing fast – Use IndexNow automation to ensure AI assistants can find your structured content

The research is clear: ChatGPT has a documented preference for citing pages with tables. But that preference only matters if you're in the index when the AI goes looking.

References

1. Nectiv – Study on ChatGPT citation patterns and table usage
2. Various SearchGPT analyses showing Bing index dependency
3. ShowUpInAI Product Documentation & FAQ
4. IndexNow.org – Official Protocol Documentation