Detailed Questions Get 35.8% More Citations From ChatGPT Than Short Ones

    When a shopper spells out what they care about, ChatGPT cites 35.8% more websites in its answer: 4.21 sources per answer for a detailed product question against 3.10 for the short version. The detailed question also changes ChatGPT's top recommendation three times in four.

    Top pick changed by wording change
    Same question asked twice
    54.6%
    On a budget
    87.4%
    Detailed version
    76.8%
    Adds "2026"
    65.4%
    Typo
    58.8%
    "Top" instead of "best"
    57.5%
    Adds "please"
    56.5%

    Source: Suff Digital analysis of 6,992 ChatGPT answers to 500 product questions · ChatGPT with web search, September 2026

    Short question by website
    consumerreports.org
    7.8%
    rtings.com
    10.4%
    nerdwallet.com
    8.3%
    tomsguide.com
    9.7%
    wired.com
    7.7%

    Source: Suff Digital analysis of 6,992 ChatGPT answers to 500 product questions · ChatGPT with web search, September 2026

    Source: Detailed Questions Get 35.8% More Citations From ChatGPT Than Short Ones - Suff Digital