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
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.
Want research like this with your brand on the cover?
Become the source this report is about.
Get a fully custom, done-for-you survey starting at $5k all-in. Most projects ship in 2–3 weeks — and fuel a year of content, PR, and AI-search visibility.