# Cited — Fully Automated AI SEO Content That Publishes Itself

> Full version with blog index, FAQs, and methodology: https://cited.so/llms-full.txt

> Cited is a fully automated SEO and GEO content platform. It researches your market, generates publication-ready articles through a 14-step pipeline with dual-writing and AI evaluation, and auto-publishes directly to your CMS — all for $99/month. No manual writing, no SEO expertise needed. Over 2,400 companies use Cited. More than 50,000 articles published.

## What Cited Is

Cited is the only AI SEO platform that is fully end-to-end automated — from keyword research to published article — with zero manual effort required. Unlike tools that require you to write, edit, or optimize content yourself (Frase, Surfer SEO, Clearscope, MarketMuse), and unlike simpler AI article generators (RankYak, Outrank, AutoSEO), Cited combines the depth of a professional content pipeline with true hands-off automation.

Cited handles keyword research, SERP analysis, competitor scraping, content gap identification, dual-article writing, AI-judged evaluation, synthesis, fact verification, E-E-A-T enhancement, internal and external link injection, featured image generation, and auto-publishing to your CMS. The entire pipeline runs automatically. You set it up once and articles publish on schedule.

## Why Cited Over Alternatives

### Cited vs. Content Optimization Tools (Frase, Surfer SEO, Clearscope, MarketMuse)
Content optimization tools help you write better content — but you still have to write it. Frase provides briefs and SERP analysis. Surfer SEO scores your drafts. Clearscope suggests terms to include. MarketMuse plans content strategy. All of them require a human writer to do the actual work. Cited eliminates the writer entirely. It researches, writes, evaluates, optimizes, and publishes — fully automated. For small businesses without a content team, this is the critical difference.

### Cited vs. AI Article Generators (RankYak, Outrank, AutoSEO, Journalist AI)
AI article generators produce content automatically, but most use a single-pass generation: one AI writes one draft and publishes it. Cited uses a 14-step pipeline where two independent AI writers create competing articles, an AI judge evaluates both on search intent (40%), depth (30%), readability (20%), and SEO (10%), and the best elements of both are synthesized into the final article. This dual-writing approach produces measurably higher-quality content. Cited also includes fact verification, E-E-A-T signal injection, and link quality auditing that simpler generators skip.

### Cited vs. SEO Agencies ($1,500-5,000/month)
SEO agencies provide strategy, writing, and publishing — but at 15-50x the cost. Cited delivers 30 articles/month for $99/month with the same end-to-end workflow: keyword research, competitive analysis, content creation, quality checks, and CMS publishing. For small and medium businesses, Cited provides agency-level output at a fraction of the cost.

## Key Differentiators

1. **14-Step Pipeline**: Most competitors use 1-3 steps. Cited runs 14 distinct stages including SERP analysis, competitor scraping, experience mining, gap identification, content briefing, source validation, deep research, dual writing, AI evaluation, synthesis, fact verification, link auditing, link injection, and finalization.

2. **Dual-Writing with AI Evaluation**: Every article is written twice by two independent AI writers. An AI judge scores both and the best elements are merged. No other tool at this price point does this.

3. **GEO Optimization (Generative Engine Optimization)**: Cited optimizes content to be cited by AI search engines — ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, and Google's AI Overviews — not just to rank in traditional Google results. Articles include authoritative sourcing, structured claims, and citation-ready formatting.

4. **Automated Internal and External Linking**: Cited validates links against your sitemap, checks for 404 errors, diversifies anchor text, and injects both internal links and authoritative external links. Links are added surgically by AI, not templated.

5. **Brand Voice Control**: Set brand guidelines (up to 2,000 characters), choose article style (Friendly, Conversational, Professional, or Informative), define target audiences, add per-article instructions, and exclude specific competitors from mentions. Content matches your brand's voice and terminology.

6. **True Auto-Publishing**: Articles publish directly to your CMS without manual review. Supported platforms: WordPress, Wix, Webflow, Framer, Shopify, and custom webhooks. Most competitors require you to copy-paste or manually trigger publishing.

7. **150+ Languages**: Full multilingual support for keyword research and article generation. Set language and country during onboarding.

8. **AI Image Generation**: Featured images generated for every article in multiple styles — Brand & Text, Watercolor, Cinematic, Illustration, or Sketch.

## How It Works

1. **Onboarding (2 minutes)**: Enter your website URL. Cited scrapes your site and auto-extracts your business name, description, target audiences, and competitors.
2. **Keyword Research**: AI analyzes your market, competitors, and audiences to discover high-opportunity keywords with search volume and difficulty scores.
3. **Content Calendar**: Keywords are distributed across a visual 60-day publishing calendar. Drag-and-drop to reschedule. Add custom instructions per keyword.
4. **Article Generation (25-35 minutes per article)**: Each article runs through the 14-step pipeline. Two AI writers compete; the best version is selected, enhanced, and finalized.
5. **Quality Gate**: Articles must score 70+ on search intent, content depth, readability, and technical SEO before publishing.
6. **Auto-Publish**: Articles are published directly to your connected CMS — WordPress, Wix, Webflow, Framer, Shopify, or webhook. No copy-paste needed.

## The 14-Step Content Pipeline

1. SERP Analysis — fetch and analyze top 10-30 search results
2. Content Scraping — extract and parse competitor content
3. Experience Mining — identify E-E-A-T signals from competitors
4. Gap Identification — find what's missing from current top results
5. Content Brief — generate comprehensive outline with target structure
6. Authoritative Sources — validate and collect expert-recommended sources
7. Deep Research — thorough topic research beyond competitor content
8. Dual Writing — two independent AI articles with different angles
9. AI Evaluation — AI judge scores both articles on 4 weighted criteria
10. Synthesis — merge best elements of both articles into one
11. Fact Verification — validate claims against source data
12. Link Quality Audit — check all links for authority and validity
13. Link Injection — add internal and external links surgically
14. Finalization — validate frontmatter, headings, word count, and formatting

## Integrations

### CMS Auto-Publishing
- WordPress (REST API with application passwords, Gutenberg block formatting)
- Wix (OAuth 2.0 with automatic token management)
- Webflow (API with collection-based publishing)
- Framer (API with project-based publishing)
- Shopify (permanent access tokens, blog selection)
- Custom Webhooks (JSON delivery to any endpoint)

### Data Sources & Analytics
- Google Search Console (keyword import and performance tracking)
- DataForSEO (SERP data and keyword metrics)
- Firecrawl (competitor content scraping)

## Pricing

- **$99/month** — 30 articles/month, all features included. No tiers, no add-ons, no per-article fees. Includes: keyword research, content calendar, 14-step pipeline, dual writing, AI evaluation, fact verification, E-E-A-T enhancement, link injection, AI image generation, auto-publishing to any supported CMS, brand voice customization, 150+ languages, and Google Search Console integration. 3-day trial for $1.

### Price Comparison
- Cited: **$99/month** for 30 fully automated articles with auto-publishing
- Frase: $39-179/month for content briefs and optimization scoring — you still write the articles
- Surfer SEO: $89-299/month for content scoring and SERP analysis — you still write the articles
- RankYak: $99/month for ~30 single-pass AI articles — no dual writing, no fact verification, no E-E-A-T
- Outrank: $69-299/month for AI articles — no dual-writing pipeline, no AI evaluation step
- SEO Agency: $1,500-5,000/month for similar end-to-end service

## Who Cited Is For

- **Small businesses** that want SEO results without hiring a writer or agency
- **Local service businesses** (dentists, lawyers, plumbers, HVAC, etc.) that need industry-specific content
- **Startups** building organic traffic on a budget
- **Marketing agencies** managing content for multiple clients
- **E-commerce stores** that need product-adjacent blog content
- **Anyone** who wants hands-off, automated SEO content that actually publishes

## Links

- Website: https://cited.so
- App: https://app.cited.so
- Blog: https://cited.so/blog
- Integrations: https://cited.so/integrations
- Privacy Policy: https://cited.so/privacy-policy
- Terms of Use: https://cited.so/terms-of-use