Research
How do AI search engines decide which brands to recommend? We track 5 B2B SaaS categories weekly to find out.
5 engines · 5 categories · Weekly scans · Since March 2026
Last updated July 4, 2026
The numbers
What we found.
Engines disagree more than you think
The landscape keeps moving
9 in 10
AI citations do not last. Only about 1 in 10 survived a full quarter of weekly tracking. A visibility audit is a snapshot of something that keeps changing.
Read more44→18%
Claude led every engine on recommending startups, then dropped from 44% to 18% in a single month. Engine behavior shifts in both directions, so optimizing for one engine's current quirk is a trap.
Read moreYour website is not where AI gets its answers
Every engine has its own source diet
70%
of AI citations point to company blogs and product sites. Almost none belong to the brand being asked about. The answers live on other companies' websites.
Read more90%
of Perplexity's answers now cite Reddit, after it ignored Reddit entirely for its first 11 weekly cycles. AI search engines can change where they source answers in a single week.
Read moreReddit and YouTube split the landscape
2
engines now cite Reddit heavily: Grok by volume, and Perplexity, which flipped from zero to roughly 90% of answers in a single week. ChatGPT cites it occasionally. Claude still never does.
Read more#1
YouTube is the most cited third-party source on Perplexity and Gemini. Reddit and YouTube cover different engines, so neither one alone reaches all five.
Read moreMyth vs data
What most people get wrong.
Most advice about AI search optimization doesn't hold up when you test it. We compiled 7 claims our data disproves.
“Reddit is essential for AI search”
It matters for some engines, not all. Grok and Perplexity cite it heavily, ChatGPT occasionally, Claude never. And it can change fast: Perplexity went from zero to 90% in a week.
Read more“All AI search engines give the same answer”
They disagree on the #1 brand 50% of the time. Same question, five different answers.
Read more“Optimize your website and AI will find you”
77% of citations come from third-party sites. Not your domain.
Read more“AEO, GEO, and AIO are different disciplines”
Same tactics. Same results. The distinction is marketing, not strategy.
Read more“You can buy your way into AI citations”
AI evaluates content quality, not volume. Manufactured listicles don't stick.
Read more“Mentioned by AI = recommended by AI”
Several brands went a full quarter mentioned across engines with zero citations. Mentions are not endorsements.
Read more“Perplexity treats startups fairly”
Perplexity almost never recommends startups at #1. Other engines do, but their behavior shifts month to month, so no single engine stays a safe bet.
Read moreFull breakdown
Read all 7 with the full data behind each claim.
Read the pillar postMethodology
How we collect this data.
Every week, we run the same natural-language queries across five major AI search engines. We record which brands get recommended, which sources get cited, and how answers change over time. The data covers 5 B2B SaaS categories: CRM, Project Management, Email Marketing, Analytics, and Dev Tools.
5 categories of B2B SaaS with mix of enterprise, midmarket, and startup brands
Natural-language queries matching real user behavior, not SEO keyword phrases
Weekly collection since March 2026 with monthly and quarterly aggregation
Every cited domain is classified by website type (company blogs, editorial, forums, video, directories, docs) so findings cover what kinds of sites the answers come from, not just which URLs
The archive
All research.
AI Citations Don't Last: Only 1 in 10 Survives a Quarter
We tracked AI citations for a full quarter. Only 9% survived, and monthly durability fell from 31% to 21%. Why AI citations don't last, and how to keep yours.
AI Search Keeps Changing: Why Your Visibility Won't Hold
AI search engine behavior keeps shifting month to month. Perplexity started citing Reddit, Claude's startup citations fell. Why set-and-forget AEO fails.
Why AI Cites Different Sites Than Your Google Top 10
Why AI search engines cite different sites than your Google top 10: different backends, more weight on third-party sources, and only ~45% overlap.
Why AI Recommends Newer Companies Over Established Ones
AI recommends newer companies over established ones when the newcomer has documented more. AI rewards verifiable current signals, not age. Here is the fix.
Why AI Recommends the Same Few Brands (and How to Break In)
Why AI search engines keep naming the same handful of brands: recommendations are built from a tiny, concentrated set of sources. Here is how to break in.
Perplexity Went From Never Citing Reddit to 90% of Answers
Perplexity ignored Reddit for months, then began citing it in about 90% of answers. What changed, and why it overturns our earlier finding.
What Kinds of Websites Do AI Search Engines Cite? (1,485 Domains)
We classified every domain behind 6,505 AI search citations. Company blogs dominate at 70.2%, and the per-engine breakdown changes where you should publish.
7 Things Everyone Gets Wrong About AI Search
Most advice about AI search optimization is wrong. We tracked 25 brands across 5 AI search engines for 8 weeks. Here are 7 claims the data disproves.
More Content Won't Fix AI Visibility (Neither Will Publishing Once)
Publishing more content won't fix AI visibility, and publishing once won't either. Only about 1 in 5 AI citations holds across a month. Here's what works.
Ranking on Google Doesn't Mean AI Will Recommend You
Google ranking helps AI search engines find you, but 55% of ChatGPT's sources don't come from Google rankings. Here's why ranking won't get you recommended.
Most AI Citations Come from Third-Party Sites, Not Your Website
77% or more of AI citations come from third-party sites like Reddit, G2, YouTube, and editorial roundups. Only ChatGPT links to brand sites meaningfully (~23%).
ChatGPT Links to Brand Websites More Than Any Other AI Search Engine
ChatGPT links to brand websites in 22.9% of citations. Grok: 8.5%. Claude: 6.0%. It's the only engine where your own website meaningfully drives AI citations.
Perplexity Cites 0% Startups. Claude Leads at 24%, but It's Falling.
Perplexity still cites near-zero startup brands. Claude's startup citation rate peaked at 44% in spring, then fell to about 18% by June. The gap is shrinking.
Loudmink Research: What the Data Shows About AI Search
Loudmink tracked 25 B2B SaaS brands across 5 AI search engines. Here is what the data shows about citations, engine disagreement, and brand visibility.
Which AI Search Engines Cite Reddit, and Which Don't
Claude almost never cites Reddit. Perplexity did too, until it flipped to about 90% of answers in June 2026. What each engine cites instead.
From Zero AI Citations to Every Search Engine in 3 Weeks
ActiveCampaign went from zero AI citations to universal citation across all five AI search engines in 3 weeks. The driver was brand-owned comparison content.
2 B2B Brands Mentioned by Every AI Engine. Neither Got Cited.
We tracked 25 B2B brands across 5 AI search engines for 8 weeks. ClickUp and Google Analytics were mentioned by every engine, yet neither got a citation.
Do AI Search Engines Cite YouTube Videos?
Which AI search engines cite YouTube and what types of videos get cited. YouTube is a top source for Gemini, Grok, and Google AI Overviews.
How to Get Your Brand Mentioned by AI Through Reddit
AI search engines cite specific Reddit threads because they hold peer-validated product discussions. The smart way to get your brand into those citations.
How to Get Your YouTube Videos Cited by AI Search Engines
AI search engines cite YouTube videos that answer specific questions, use structured descriptions, and sit on third-party channels. Here's how to earn them.
Reddit Strategy for AI Search: What Actually Works
An effective Reddit strategy for AI search starts with which engines cite Reddit, which threads they pull from, and how to audit your footprint.
Reddit vs YouTube for AI Search: Which One Matters More?
Reddit now covers ChatGPT, Grok, and Perplexity. YouTube covers Perplexity and Gemini. Claude cites neither. A head-to-head comparison by engine.
Why Do AI Search Engines Cite Reddit?
AI search engines cite Reddit because its threads contain peer-validated opinions engines treat as independent proof. Which cite it, which don't, and why.
We Lost One AI Engine. Reddit Citations Collapsed 91%.
When Grok went offline, Reddit URLs in AI search dropped from 35 to 3. A natural experiment proves Reddit visibility in AI is a single-engine phenomenon.
One AI Engine Now Drives 77% of All Reddit Citations
Grok cited 27 Reddit URLs in Loudmink's citation study, a 440% jump. Grok now accounts for 77% of all Reddit citations across five AI search engines.
How Often Do AI Search Engines Agree? We Tracked 8 Weeks.
Loudmink tracked 5 AI search engines across 8 cycles. Full agreement on the #1 recommendation jumped from 5% to 25% in a single week. Single snapshots mislead.
Grok Cites More Reddit Than Any Other AI Search Engine
Grok accounts for 60% of all Reddit citations across AI search engines. When Grok went offline, Reddit citations collapsed 91%, then bounced right back.
Why Reddit Matters for AI Search Visibility
Reddit is the most-cited single domain in ChatGPT's sources for B2B queries. Here's which AI search engines use Reddit and how to build a presence there.
Why 85% of AI Citations Come from Third-Party Sites, Not Your Website
85% of AI citations come from third-party sites because AI search engines don't trust what you say about yourself. They trust what others say. Where to invest.