We measure how ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google's AI answers choose and cite sources, and what that means for AEO, SEO and traffic. Each study publishes its sample and method.
Where the evidence pointsOn Perplexity, a page's place in the retrieved list predicts citation more than anything on the page itself.
Getting into Perplexity's top retrieved results matters more than tuning the page.
1,282 answers and 12,805 sources, 16 brands, Sep to Oct 2026
Where the evidence pointsNot in Direct. The Direct growth we measured was bots, and real AI clicks arrive as referrals.
Don't read Direct growth as hidden AI traffic. Filter out bots before reading any trend.
10 sites, GA4 and Search Console, Jan 2025 to Oct 2026
Where the evidence pointsIt depends on the engine. YouTube is a Google AI source and almost absent everywhere else.
Video earns AI citations on Google's engines. Elsewhere it barely registers.
6,684 AI answers across 5 engines
About one email a month. Findings first, no sales follow-up.