ChatGPT citation algorithm update October 2025: what changed for brands

Between September and November 2025, OpenAI shipped a series of changes to how ChatGPT's web-search mode selects and cites sources. Brand visibility moved noticeably in tracking dashboards. Xpand Media tracked the impact across 14 client domains. This post documents what changed, why it matters, and the 5-step recovery playbook to regain citation share.