The Pattern A2 directory playbook: which directories AI assistants cite by vertical

The Pattern A2 directory playbook is the practical reference for the single highest-ROI same-week action available in AEO: claiming and completing the 3-7 vertical directories that AI assistants consistently cite when answering buyer-recommendation queries in your category. ChatGPT cites Avvo for "best personal injury lawyer in Boston"; Healthgrades for "best cardiologist in Phoenix"; FastExpert and HomeLight for "best real estate agent in Pacific Palisades"; G2 and Capterra for "best CRM for B2B SaaS." The same behavior appears on Perplexity, Claude, and Gemini with vertical-specific preference shifts. In our cross-client audits as of July 2026, covering 12+ months, a brand absent from its vertical's A2 directories is systematically undercited regardless of content quality, brand mention frequency, or technical AEO investment. As we documented in Pattern A1, A2, and C: the three displacement plays, claiming Pattern A2 directory profiles is the highest-return same-week action available, typically lifting ChatGPT scores by 8-15 points within 30 days per the 10-Point AI Citation Framework.

What is the Pattern A2 directory playbook?

Pattern A2 is ChatGPT's tendency (observed consistently across thousands of category queries) to cite a small, stable set of 4-7 vertical-specific directories rather than directly citing individual brands. The same pattern appears with platform-specific variations across Perplexity, Claude, Gemini, and Microsoft Copilot. A brand listed within an A2 directory gets cited via the directory, even when the brand's own website is not directly cited.

The playbook has three components:

1. Identify the A2 directories for your vertical. Each vertical has a stable preferred roster. Real estate runs on FastExpert, HomeLight, Zillow agent profiles, and Realtor.com. Legal runs on Avvo, Martindale-Hubbell, and Justia. The rosters shift slowly (months not weeks) but they're stable enough to commit resources against.

2. Claim or build profiles on each. This is mechanical work: verify the listing if it exists, build it from scratch if it doesn't. Most directory profiles take 2-3 hours to complete to a level that produces meaningful citation lift.

3. Maintain consistency + completeness over time. Directory profiles age poorly. Phone numbers change. Service offerings evolve. Reviews accumulate or stop. Quarterly maintenance keeps the citation lift compounding rather than decaying.

In our re-audits as of July 2026, the playbook produces measurable results within 30 days of profile claim, typically 8-15 point lift on the ChatGPT score within the 10-Point AI Citation Audit. The lift compounds over time as the directories accumulate reviews and as the AI assistants' training corpora absorb the brand's directory presence.

Which directories matter per vertical?

The complete current reference for vertical-specific Pattern A2 directories cited consistently across major AI assistants:

Source: directory rosters observed by Data for AI Search in category-query audits as of July 2026, using the 10-Point AI Citation Audit.

The roster is observable: pick a vertical, run 20-30 category queries against ChatGPT, document which sources appear most frequently. The directories that surface repeatedly are the vertical's A2 directories.

How do you claim Pattern A2 directory profiles?

You claim Pattern A2 directory profiles in a same-week sequence that works for any vertical:

Day 1: Discovery audit. Identify which directories already list your brand (claimed or unclaimed). Run a Google search for your brand name + the directory name (e.g., "Acme Roofing Angi"). Document each directory's current state for your brand.

Day 2-3: Claim existing profiles. For each directory where your brand is already listed (whether by you, by the directory's automated listings, or by past staff), claim the profile. Most directories have a "Claim This Listing" or "Are You The Owner?" button. Claim typically requires verification: email matching the business domain, phone verification, or photo verification.

Day 4-7: Build missing profiles. For each priority directory where your brand is not listed, create a new profile. Use canonical NAP (Name, Address, Phone) data. Use the same business description and services list across all directory profiles to maintain consistency.

Week 2: Optimize each profile. Add photos (10+ minimum per profile). Add service descriptions. Add hours, attributes (women-owned, veteran-owned, etc.), and any vertical-specific fields. Reply to existing reviews if any. Set up review-request workflows for ongoing review velocity.

Week 3-4: Verify the lift. Re-run AI citation queries against ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, and Gemini for 20-30 category queries representative of buyer behavior. Track brand citation rate. Compare to baseline.

Expected timeline: 8-15 point ChatGPT score lift within 30 days. Perplexity and Gemini may show smaller direct lift from directory claims because Track 2 platforms weight entity-confirmation signals more heavily.

What does a complete A2 directory profile look like?

Profile completeness varies by directory but the components are remarkably consistent. The minimum viable A2 directory profile includes:

Identity:

• Exact business name (canonical, no keyword stuffing)
• Address (must match NAP across web; if service-area business, use service area definition)
• Primary phone number (must match NAP)
• Website URL (canonical, HTTPS)

Service / specialty information:

• Primary category (single most relevant)
• Secondary categories (up to whatever the directory allows)
• Service descriptions, ideally 100-200 words each for 5-10 services
• Years in business

Media:

• Logo (square format, transparent background)
• Cover photo (high-resolution)
• 10+ additional photos: interior, exterior, products, services, team
• At least one video where supported

Credentials:

• Licenses (state, professional, industry-specific)
• Certifications (vertical-specific)
• Awards / recognition
• Insurance information

Engagement:

• Reply to all reviews (positive and negative)
• Maintain 4+ review velocity per month
• Aggregate rating 4.5+ ideal, a rule of thumb from our 10-Point Audit work as of July 2026

Identity verification across the web:

• Cross-link schema:sameAs from your own site's Organization schema to each claimed directory profile URL
• This creates a verification network the AI assistants can cross-check

A directory profile at this completeness level scores 8-10 points on the relevant directory in our 10-Point Audit Check 3.

How does Pattern A2 differ across major AI assistants?

Pattern A2 is most pronounced on ChatGPT. Other platforms have variations:

ChatGPT. Cites Pattern A2 directories most heavily. The training corpus represents major directories densely, which means ChatGPT's category associations route through them. Brand mention frequency and Pattern A2 directory presence dominate the ChatGPT signal mix per the 10-Point Framework.

Perplexity. Cites Pattern A2 directories but weights entity-confirmation signals more heavily. Per the Two-Track Law, Perplexity is Track 2 (entity-dominant). A brand in A2 directories with weak NAP consistency may still get cited indirectly via the directory but won't be cited directly with confidence.

Claude. Less directory-dependent than ChatGPT. Claude prefers longer-form sourced content with declared Person author entity. A2 directory presence helps but the directory itself doesn't carry as much weight as on ChatGPT.

Gemini. Heavily weights Google ecosystem signals: GBP, Wikidata, Google Reviews. Vertical-specific directories matter but compete with Google's own infrastructure. Per the per-LLM weights, Gemini's directory weight is the lowest of the major platforms.

Grok. Pattern A2 is least relevant on Grok because X mentions dominate. A brand strong on X but absent from Pattern A2 directories still gets cited on Grok; the reverse rarely works.

Source: Data for AI Search audits as of July 2026, scored with the per-platform weights published in the 10-Point AI Citation Framework.

See How to get cited by ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, Gemini, and Grok for per-platform optimization detail.

What's the maintenance cadence?

Pattern A2 directory presence requires ongoing maintenance to keep the citation lift compounding. The quarterly cadence we recommend:

Quarterly profile audit. Open each claimed directory profile. Verify NAP still matches canonical. Verify business description hasn't been edited (some directories allow community edits). Update services, hours, attributes if anything has changed. Refresh photos with 2-3 new ones.

Quarterly review request push. Most directories show only recent reviews prominently. Send review requests to recent clients to maintain the 4+/month review velocity. Reply to all reviews received during the quarter.

Quarterly competitor monitoring. Check which competitors have entered the A2 directories. Track aggregate ratings against your own. Identify quality gaps in your profile compared to top-performing competitors.

Annual A2 roster recalibration. Once per year, re-run the discovery audit. Some directories may have entered or exited the preferred roster for your vertical as AI assistant citation behavior evolved. Adjust profile investment accordingly.

The maintenance cadence is typically 2-4 hours per quarter for a brand with 5 claimed Pattern A2 directories. The compounding effect (sustained citation lift over years) makes the maintenance cost asymmetric.

Frequently asked questions

Are paid placements on Pattern A2 directories worth it?

Often yes, but selectively. Many A2 directories offer paid premium listings, sponsored placements, or enhanced visibility. The paid options can produce direct buyer traffic (the directory surfaces your brand to its users) and indirectly boost AI citation through increased aggregate visibility. The cost-benefit depends on the directory's organic traffic and the cost per qualified lead.

Can a brand be in too many directories?

No, but there's diminishing returns. The top 5-7 A2 directories for your vertical produce most of the citation lift. Below the top 7, each additional directory listing adds less. Beyond 15-20 directory listings, the maintenance burden often exceeds the citation lift.

What if my vertical doesn't have established A2 directories?

This is the opportunity scenario. Verticals like restoration, accountants, insurance brokers, and CPAs have under-developed Pattern A2 directory rosters. First-mover advantages are real. Building your own directory or sponsoring an emerging directory in an under-developed vertical can produce category-leading citation rates.

How long until claimed A2 profiles affect AI citation?

Real-time retrieval signal updates within 2-4 weeks of profile claim. Training-corpus signal updates over months as AI assistants' next training cycle incorporates the new directory presence. A complete A2 directory rollout typically produces measurable citation lift within 30 days and continues compounding over 6-12 months.

Do directory profiles affect SEO rankings?

Yes secondarily. Directory profiles produce backlinks (typically rel=nofollow but still discovered), brand mention frequency contribution, and entity-confirmation signal that helps Google understand the brand. The direct citation lift on AI assistants is the bigger story; the SEO secondary effect is real but smaller.

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Companion guides: Pattern A1, A2, and C: the three displacement plays · Brand mention frequency: the #1 predictor of AI citation · Wikipedia and Wikidata for brand entities · The 10-Point AI Citation Framework.