Google AI Overviews, ChatGPT Search, Perplexity, and Claude are each evolving on their own timelines. This tracker documents every meaningful change and the VDS architectural response to each one.
Google has expanded AI Overview coverage well into commercial and transactional queries in 2026. This is no longer just informational territory. Businesses with proper FAQPage schema, entity consolidation, and structured answer content are now being cited in AI Overviews for their core service keywords. The citation share is currently low enough that being early gives a significant advantage.
Sites with llm.txt context files, clear entity definitions, and well-structured FAQ content are seeing consistent referral traffic from ChatGPT Search in GA4. The volume is still modest compared to Google but the citation pattern is predictable — structured, entity-rich, authoritative content wins citations consistently. Early movers are building citation equity while most competitors haven't started.
Perplexity's Pages feature surfaces the most comprehensive topical authority hubs for a given domain of knowledge — the same structural pattern that VDS Architecture Design produces. Sites with deep pillar-cluster systems, clear entity definitions, and consistent internal authority signals are naturally appearing in Perplexity Pages without any additional optimisation.
Claude's web search capability (when enabled) prioritises sources with strong entity signals, consistent information across the web, and clear author attribution. The same GEO signals that improve Google AI Overview citation directly improve Claude citation probability — entity consolidation, Person schema, and consistent NAP-equivalent entity presence are the key levers.
The llm.txt standard — a structured context file that tells AI crawlers who you are, what you do, and how to cite you — is gaining adoption among AI systems. GPTBot, ClaudeBot, and PerplexityBot all process llm.txt files. Sites that deploy it now build a citation context head start before the standard becomes a baseline expectation.
Answer Engine Optimisation changes — Featured Snippets, PAA, voice search, rich results — tracked separately on the AEO Updates page.
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