GEO & AI search glossary
Swipe file
What is a Reddit or forum swipe file?
A ready-to-post draft written in the native voice of a specific community, used to seed an on-topic discussion that references your content. Used properly it starts a real conversation; used as spam it gets removed.
Each swipe file is written for one named community, matches how that community actually writes, leads with something useful, and references the underlying article as supporting detail rather than as the point of the post.
The reason it exists is measurable: community discussion is one of the most heavily cited source types in AI answers. The reason it has to be done carefully is equally practical — moderators remove promotional posts, and a removed post is worth nothing.
Related terms
- Off-model brand sentimentWhat the rest of the web — forums, communities, review threads — says about a brand. Generative engines read these sources when deciding whether a brand is credible, which is why GEO work extends beyond your own domain.
- AI OverviewGoogle's AI-written summary that appears above the traditional results. It draws on a mix of web pages and community sources, and it is one of the surfaces GEO work targets.
- LLM citationA mention of a source, brand or URL inside an AI-generated answer. Citations are the visibility currency of generative search: if the model does not cite you, the user never learns you exist.
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