The direct-answer block, explained
The 40–60 word paragraph at the top of every page does more work than the rest of the page combined.
Direct Answer
A direct-answer block is a 40 to 60 word paragraph at the top of a page that fully answers the page's title question. AI engines lift it verbatim into citations.
A direct-answer block is a 40 to 60 word paragraph at the top of a page that fully answers the page's title question. AI engines lift it verbatim into citations.
The template
Open the page with a single paragraph between 40 and 60 words. Begin with the brand name, the page topic, or the page's title-question subject. Use plain language, one specific number when honest, and end with the single most important fact for the buyer.
Do not use marketing copy. Do not bury the answer in a hero animation. Do not split the answer across two paragraphs. The block is one paragraph for one reason: an LLM lifts paragraphs, not multi-paragraph compositions.
Three rewrites we did this month
Plumbing client, services page. Before: 80 words of brand storytelling. After: 'ABC Plumbing handles residential plumbing, drain cleaning, and water-heater repair in Salt Lake City and Davis County. Most service calls are completed in one visit, with transparent flat-rate pricing posted on the truck before any work starts. Licensed in Utah since 2013, with a 4.9 average rating across 312 verified reviews.' Bookings up 11% month-over-month.
Roofing client, location page. Before: a video and a hero CTA. After: a 52-word direct-answer block above the video. Time-on-page up 19%; AI citation appearances tracked in our weekly prompt-test grid up from 0 to 4 in 6 weeks.
Med-spa client, pricing page. Before: a price-list table only. After: a 47-word direct answer above the table summarizing the three most-booked services and their starting prices. Page now appears as a Perplexity citation for 'med spa pricing salt lake city' — a query type that price-table pages rarely earn.
Why it works
An LLM building a citation-eligible answer needs a passage it can quote without distortion. The shorter and more self-contained the passage, the higher the lift probability. The direct-answer block is engineered to be the passage with the highest lift probability on the page.
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