The 200-word rule
Retrieval-based AI engines (Perplexity, AI Overviews, AI Mode) judge a page's relevance largely on its opening, so the first ~200 words should completely answer the primary question, not build up to it.
The rule
Front-load the answer. Lead with a direct, complete response to the query in the first paragraph, then expand with detail, evidence and nuance below. Engines extract from the top, so burying the answer under an intro costs you the citation.
How to apply it
For each page, write the one-to-three-sentence answer first (this doubles as your TL;DR and meta description), then structure the rest with clear headings and a FAQ. It's the single highest-leverage change for AI visibility, and it improves featured-snippet odds too.
Frequently asked
Real-time AI retrieval weights the opening most heavily when judging relevance and lifting an answer, so the top of the page carries disproportionate weight.
No, readers also prefer getting the answer fast, then choosing how deep to go. Answer-first serves both humans and machines.
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