We audited the third-party citation profile for a mid-size science center in the Southeast. Their Wikipedia page hadn't been updated since 2019. Their TripAdvisor listing had 180 reviews, most over two years old, and management had never responded to a single one. Their Google Business Profile listed outdated hours and a phone number that went to a defunct line. On Reddit, the institution appeared in exactly one thread from 2021. When we tested 50 prompts across ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, and Gemini, the science center appeared in zero answers. A competing children's museum with a smaller collection but 1,400 Google reviews and an active TripAdvisor presence appeared in nine.

AI doesn't generate recommendations from thin air. It synthesizes answers from the sources it trusts most. For cultural institutions, those sources are a short, specific list, and most museums are barely present on any of them.

The citation sources AI trusts

Profound's analysis of 680 million citations found that Wikipedia accounts for 7.8% of all ChatGPT citations, making it the single most cited domain. Among ChatGPT's top 10 sources, Wikipedia represents nearly half of all citations. Reddit follows, with strong presence across all major AI platforms. Google Reviews, TripAdvisor, and YouTube round out the primary sources for location-based and experience-based queries.

Semrush's June 2025 study of over 150,000 citations confirmed the pattern: Reddit and Wikipedia dominate across AI models. For cultural institutions, the third-party platforms many treat as afterthoughts are the primary inputs for whether AI recommends you.

Wikipedia: the highest-leverage citation

Wikipedia's dominance in AI citations makes it the single most important third-party presence for any cultural institution. Yet many museums have Wikipedia pages that are thin, outdated, or maintained by editors with no connection to the institution. Some smaller museums, historic sites, and performing arts centers lack Wikipedia entries entirely.

The fix requires care. Wikipedia has strict policies against promotional editing. The approach that works: ensure your page contains accurate, well-sourced factual information. Update visitor statistics from published annual reports. Add citations to press coverage of major exhibitions. Contribute to related topic pages where your institution is relevant, like city cultural districts or specific art movements your collection represents.

For institutions without a Wikipedia page, the path starts with notability. Published coverage in reliable third-party sources establishes the independent sourcing Wikipedia editors require. Build that coverage first, and the Wikipedia page becomes a natural outcome.

Reviews: volume, recency, and response

Google Reviews and TripAdvisor are primary data sources when AI answers questions about things to do, where to visit, or what museum to see in a given city. Research comparing these platforms for European museums found that Google accumulates reviews faster and with higher volume, while TripAdvisor offers more detailed visitor feedback.

For AI visibility, three factors matter. Volume signals relevance: a museum with 200 reviews competes against attractions with thousands. Recency signals currency: reviews from two years ago suggest inactivity. Response rate signals engagement: the British Museum's TripAdvisor analysis found that active review monitoring produces richer visitor insight, and that engagement pattern is visible to AI as a maintained presence.

Practical steps: add review requests to post-visit emails. Place QR codes linking to Google Reviews in lobbies and gift shops. Respond to reviews within a week. Guide satisfied visitors to mention specific exhibitions or programs. AI synthesizes review language when constructing recommendations, so the words your visitors use become the words AI associates with your institution.

Reddit, forums, and community platforms

Reddit appears in the top three most-cited sources across ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews. Relevant subreddits include city-specific communities, travel forums (r/travel, r/solotravel), and niche groups (r/museums, r/ArtHistory).

The key is authentic participation. When someone asks "what should I do in [your city]?" those threads become training data for AI. Institutions with staff or volunteers who naturally participate in these conversations generate organic mentions that compound over time. One helpful, detailed comment about your collection or a specific exhibition can surface in AI answers months later.

Google Business Profile: the basics that get overlooked

Your Google Business Profile feeds directly into Google's AI Overviews and Gemini, and other AI platforms reference it as well. Yet cultural institutions routinely neglect it: outdated hours, missing exhibition info, generic descriptions, unanswered questions.

Update with current hours, exhibition descriptions, accessibility details, and quality photos. Use the Q&A feature to answer common visitor questions proactively. Post updates about new exhibitions and events. Each signal tells AI your institution is active and worth recommending.

Building a citation strategy

Third-party citation building isn't a one-time project. It's an ongoing practice. The institutions that show up in AI answers maintain a consistent, accurate, and active presence across the platforms AI trusts most.

Start with an audit: check your Wikipedia page, Google Business Profile, TripAdvisor listing, and Reddit mentions. Then prioritize by impact: Wikipedia first (outsized citation weight), Google reviews second (volume and recency signals), and community platforms third (compounding organic mentions).