January Publisher Newsletter: Citation Tracking, AI Browsers…
Welcome to the January publisher newsletter. Keep reading for insightful
industry updates, learnings, opportunities, and events available to you.
What’s Happening in Search | AI and Search
Get in the Know-Citation Tracking: We all know that traditional Search has
evolved to include AI search tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity. This
means that, instead of only tracking clicks on the classic blue links,
publishers now have to track how their content is used and how it shows up
in AI-generated answers.
Cue the emergence of “Citation tracking”, which refers to monitoring and
tracking how and why AI search and answer engines list publishers’ content
as a source. Unlike traditional SEO ranking data, tracking AI citations is a
complex (and emergent) practice because AI tools mix multiple sources and
don’t reveal user prompts.
How to Leverage This: AI citations currently drive a tiny amount of referral
traffic, but getting ahead of it now could set you up to optimize your
performance in AI search. Start by treating AI citations as a new visibility
signal, not a traffic driver (at least for now). Focus on creating clear,
authoritative, well-structured content that AI systems are more likely to cite,
especially on evergreen and high-intent topics. Use emerging analytics tools
to monitor when and where your content is cited so you can spot patterns
and double down on formats or subject areas that perform well. Most
importantly, view citation tracking as an early-stage learning opportunity: the
insights gained now can help inform future SEO strategies, content
investments, and potential monetization or partnership opportunities as
AI-driven search continues to evolve.
Try these tools: OmniSEO, Spyglass, Semrush AI Toolkit
Learn: Navigating AI-Powered Search
What’s Happening in Advertising
Perplexity Launches Comet Plus: Perplexity AI plans to share subscription
revenue with publishers with its newly unveiled browser, Comet Plus. Comet
Plus offers a $5/month subscription tier for its AI-powered Comet browser
that gives users and their AI assistants direct access to premium publisher
content. In an attempt to rethink how publishers are compensated in the AI
era, rather than relying solely on clicks and pageviews, Comet Plus allocates
revenue back to participating publishers based on a mix of human visits, AI
search citations, and agent-driven actions that use their content. The
initiative represents an early attempt by an AI browser provider (and Search
engine) to build a publisher-friendly monetization model that reflects
evolving content consumption patterns across both traditional browsing and
AI-assisted discovery.
How to Leverage This: As a publisher, you can start to position yourself to
benefit from Comet Plus (and similar programs that would eventually
surface) by continuing to create high-quality, clearly structured content that’s
easy for both users and AI agents to cite and use. Make sure your content is
clearly structured, well-labeled, and accessible for AI discovery, since Comet
Plus rewards not just clicks but citations and agent-driven usage. Prioritizing
evergreen, service-driven content and monitoring AI citations can help
increase visibility. Publisher x AI partnerships like this signal a shift toward
monetization models based on value and engagement, not just pageviews.
Right now, publishers can contact Perplexity directly by emailing
publishers@perplexity.ai to request inclusion in the Comet Plus revenue-sharing program.
Perplexity has said it will announce an initial roster of
publishing partners once the Comet browser is broadly available.
What’s Happening in the Collective
As the programmatic advertising landscape evolves, SHE Media continues to
lead in curation by packaging premium site lists with first-party data to
power PMP and Direct deals that attract better-paying buyers and more
predictable revenue. Publishing partners benefit from stronger buyer
relationships, greater control over how and where their inventory is sold,
clearer differentiation in the market, and increased visibility for small and
mid-sized publishers that might otherwise struggle to position their
inventory as premium.
Read more on how SHE Media publishers benefit from curated deals.
Join us at SXSW for the SHE Media Co-Lab
At the SHE Media Co-lab, we are all about highlighting innovations
transforming health and wellness, and platforming stories of resilience and
reinvention. Join us for fireside chats & discussions on:
Longevity | Self-advocacy | Mental Health |Health Equity & more!
Austin, TX | March 14-15, 2026| 10:30 am to 5:30 pm daily.
Register to Attend.
Visit the SHE Media Collective Resource Hub for educational materials on traffic growth, audience development, RPM growth tips, webinar replays, and more.