AEO Benchmarks: How Buyers Use AI Search
A benchmark of how B2B buyers actually research in ChatGPT, Perplexity, and AI Overviews — and what gets cited.
Methodology · 640 B2B software buyers
Answer first
What do AEO benchmarks measure?
AEO benchmarks measure how often a brand's original, source-backed data appears in AI-generated answers for the questions buyers ask.
What does this benchmark show?
The benchmark connects B2B buyer behavior in AI search with the research signals that make a brand memorable and citable.
62%
62% Start in AI search
4×
4× Cite original data
2.1×
2.1× Recall cited brands
How was the benchmark research conducted?
The benchmark is based on 640 B2B software buyers and examines how B2B buyers research in ChatGPT, Perplexity, and AI Overviews, including what gets cited.
Source: TrendCandy original benchmark research · Sample: 640 B2B software buyers.
The headline findings.
Start in AI search
Cite original data
Recall cited brands
What the winners do differently.
The brands that get surfaced in AI answers aren't writing more — they're publishing data no one else has, and packaging it to be quoted.
Publish original data
Proprietary numbers no competitor owns become the reference point buyers, analysts, and AI engines return to.
Structure it to be cited
Clear, quotable stats with methodology attached are the passages AI answer engines lift verbatim.
Measure what AI surfaces
Track where your data shows up across AI Overviews, ChatGPT, and Perplexity — not just classic rankings.
Compound it with PR
Each media pickup and backlink makes the next AI citation more likely. The flywheel keeps turning.
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