Research · 2026

How marketing teams track their brand in AI answers

An open survey on how teams measure visibility in ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google's AI answers: how many prompts, how often, how they are worded, which channels earn their place, and how much of the content AI now makes. The results below update as answers arrive.

Take the survey See the results

What you get for 5 minutes

A free AI visibility benchmark for your categoryNext phaseOpt in at the end and we run your prompts and up to ten competitors across ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google's AI answers, then show you who gets named and cited. We email you before anything runs.
See where you stand, straight awayAfter every answer you see how everyone else answered, and your own results come by email, set against the field.
The full report before anyone elseIt is published once the breakdowns mean something. Participants who ask for it get it first.

10: responses so far
10: companies named below
21–28: questions, about 5 minutes
5: answers before any chart opens

Data in this report includes

Reply.io
Awesomic
EPOM
Frontal
Reverse Contact
Degy
Mobilunity
SB Custom Learning
VAULT
VoiceOrder Solutions

Showing 5 of 10

Live results

What teams are actually doing

What teams say, set against what AI actually cites. Filter to teams like yours; every chart shares or embeds, and none is drawn below 5 answers.

10 responses in these charts

Prompts tracked per brand: 50–100median prompts tracked per brandn 10
How often prompts are run: 100%answer “Weekly”n 8
Platforms checked: 5.0AI platforms checked, on averagen 10
Questions or keywords: 100%answer “As full questions, the way a person asks”n 10

Said vs did

What teams say vs what AI cites

Teal: share of respondents who say they invest in the channel. Amber: share of real AI answers that cite it.

“Best / top” lists
70% work on getting into them
73.2% of AI answers cite one
Reddit
50% post and comment there
6.6% of AI answers cite a thread
YouTube
40% publish videos
3.2% of AI answers cite a video
LinkedIn articles
50% publish articles
2% of AI answers cite an article

0%50%100%

Where AI's citations point

Share of all 105,482 citations, by kind of page.

51%35%

“Best / top” lists and comparisons51.4%
Other sites34.7%
Competitors' own sites6.7%
The brand's own site2.3%
Review sites, Reddit, LinkedIn and YouTube (2.2%, 1.2%, 0.7%, 0.7%)4.8%

AI answers measured by Spotto, our AI visibility tracker: 13,791 answers with sources from ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews and AI Mode, 11 Oct – 10 Nov 2026, for buying-intent prompts across 12 brands, mostly B2B.

How they track

Q06 · One answern 10

Do they track AI visibility at all

Do you track how your brand shows up in AI answers?

100%“Yes, with a tool”

Out of every 100 teams:

Yes, with a tool100
Yes, by checking by hand0
Not yet, but we plan to0
No0

Do they track AI visibility at all
Answer	Respondents	Share
Yes, with a tool	10	100%
Yes, by checking by hand	0	0%
Not yet, but we plan to	0	0%
No	0	0%

Q08 · One answern 10

Monthly spend on tracking tools

What do you spend a month on AI visibility tracking tools?

40%“Under $100”

30%40%30%0%0%

Nothing, free plans onlyUnder $100$100–500$500–2,000More than $2,000

Monthly spend on tracking tools
Answer	Respondents	Share
Nothing, free plans only	3	30%
Under $100	4	40%
$100–500	3	30%
$500–2,000	0	0%
More than $2,000	0	0%

Q11 · Pick anyn 10
Platforms checked
Which AI platforms do you check?

Platforms checked
Answer	Respondents	Share
ChatGPT	10	100%
Gemini	10	100%
Perplexity	10	100%
Google AI Overviews	10	100%
Google AI Mode	10	100%
Claude	0	0%
Microsoft Copilot	0	0%
Another platform	0	0%

Q12 · One answern 10

Questions or keywords

How are your prompts written?

100%“As full questions, the way a person asks”

Written like a person asksWritten like a search

100%

As full questions, the way a person asks100%
A mix of both0%
As keywords, the way a person searches0%

Questions or keywords
Answer	Respondents	Share
As full questions, the way a person asks	10	100%
As keywords, the way a person searches	0	0%
A mix of both	0	0%

Q07 · Pick anyn 10
Tools in use
Which tool do you use?

Tools in use
Answer	Respondents	Share
Profound	0	0%
Peec AI	1	10%
Otterly	0	0%
Semrush	1	10%
Ahrefs Brand Radar	1	10%
Built in-house	4	40%
Another tool	7	70%

Q09 · One answern 10

Prompts tracked per brand

How many prompts do you track?

50–100median

0%40%30%30%0%0%

Fewer than 2525–5050–100▲ Median100–250250–500More than 500

Prompts tracked per brand
Answer	Respondents	Share
Fewer than 25	0	0%
25–50	4	40%
50–100	3	30%
100–250	3	30%
250–500	0	0%
More than 500	0	0%

Q10 · One answern 8

How often prompts are run

How often do you run them?

100%“Weekly”

100%

Daily0%
Weekly100%
Monthly0%
When we remember0%

How often prompts are run
Answer	Respondents	Share
Daily	0	0%
Weekly	8	100%
Monthly	0	0%
When we remember	0	0%

Q13 · Pick anyn 10

Where the prompts come from

Where do your prompts come from?

90%“Generated with AI”

Generated with AI90%
Keyword research50%
Sales calls and customer language50%
Suggested by our tracking tool30%
Somewhere else10%

0%50%100%

Pick any, so shares add up to more than 100%.

Where the prompts come from
Answer	Respondents	Share
Keyword research	5	50%
Sales calls and customer language	5	50%
Generated with AI	9	90%
Suggested by our tracking tool	3	30%
Somewhere else	1	10%

What they do about it

Q11–Q13 · Three channels
Reddit, YouTube and LinkedIn articles
Three channels, one scale: who does it regularly, who dips in, who stopped.

Reddit
Answer	Respondents	Share
We post and comment	5	50%
We only monitor it	2	20%
We tried it and stopped	0	0%
Nothing	3	30%

YouTube
Answer	Respondents	Share
We publish videos regularly	2	20%
We publish now and then	2	20%
We appear on other people's channels	0	0%
We tried it and stopped	3	30%
Nothing	3	30%

LinkedIn articles
Answer	Respondents	Share
Yes, regularly	2	20%
Now and then	3	30%
We tried it and stopped	0	0%
No, only posts or nothing	5	50%

Q17 · Pick anyn 10

Off-site work

What off-site work do you do for AI visibility?

70%“Link building”

Link building70%
Getting added to existing listicles and roundups70%
None yet20%
Digital PR10%

0%50%100%

Pick any, so shares add up to more than 100%.

Off-site work
Answer	Respondents	Share
Link building	7	70%
Getting added to existing listicles and roundups	7	70%
Digital PR	1	10%
None yet	2	20%

Q21 · One answern 10

What moved visibility most

What has moved your AI visibility most so far?

60%“Content on our own site”

Content on our own site60%
Mentions in third-party listicles20%
Too early to say20%
Reddit and communities0%
Link building0%
Digital PR0%
Technical work and schema0%

0%50%100%

What moved visibility most
Answer	Respondents	Share
Content on our own site	6	60%
Mentions in third-party listicles	2	20%
Reddit and communities	0	0%
Link building	0	0%
Digital PR	0	0%
Technical work and schema	0	0%
Too early to say	2	20%

Q18 · One answern 10

Programmatic SEO

Do you use programmatic SEO to scale content?

50%“We are testing it”

50%30%

Yes, it is a main channel10%
We are testing it50%
We tried it and stopped10%
No30%

Programmatic SEO
Answer	Respondents	Share
Yes, it is a main channel	1	10%
We are testing it	5	50%
We tried it and stopped	1	10%
No	3	30%

Q19 · One answern 10

llms.txt

Does your site have an llms.txt file?

80%“Yes”

80%20%

Yes80%
Not yet, but we plan to0%
No0%
Not sure20%

llms.txt
Answer	Respondents	Share
Yes	8	80%
Not yet, but we plan to	0	0%
No	0	0%
Not sure	2	20%

Q20 · One answern 10

AI crawlers

Do you block any AI crawlers in robots.txt?

80%“No, we allow them all”

80%

No, we allow them all80%
We block training crawlers, allow AI search10%
We block them all0%
Not sure10%

AI crawlers
Answer	Respondents	Share
No, we allow them all	8	80%
We block training crawlers, allow AI search	1	10%
We block them all	0	0%
Not sure	1	10%

What it is doing for them

Q22 · One answern 10

Traffic and leads from AI

Have you seen traffic or leads come from AI assistants?

60%“Yes, and we can see it in analytics”

Out of every 100 teams:

Yes, and we can see it in analytics60
Yes, but only because customers tell us10
We can't tell30
No0

Traffic and leads from AI
Answer	Respondents	Share
Yes, and we can see it in analytics	6	60%
Yes, but only because customers tell us	1	10%
We can't tell	3	30%
No	0	0%

Q23 · One answern 10

Organic search since AI answers

Since Google added AI answers to search, your organic traffic has…

+30net: gone up minus gone down, in points

Gone down 10%40% Gone up

Stayed about the same: 40% · Can't tell: 10%

Organic search since AI answers
Answer	Respondents	Share
Gone up	4	40%
Stayed about the same	4	40%
Gone down	1	10%
Can't tell	1	10%

AI in production

Q17–Q20 · AI in production

How much of the work AI does

Teams that do not make a format are left out of that row.

Writing

n 7

43%14%43%

Development

n 8

13%13%75%

Design

n 8

25%75%

Video

n 9

33%67%

AI does most of it
AI helps a person
None of it

AI in writing
Answer	Respondents	Share
None of it	3	30%
It helps a person	1	10%
It does most of it	3	30%
We do not make this	3	30%

AI in development
Answer	Respondents	Share
None of it	6	60%
It helps a person	1	10%
It does most of it	1	10%
We do not make this	2	20%

AI in design
Answer	Respondents	Share
None of it	6	60%
It helps a person	2	20%
It does most of it	0	0%
We do not make this	2	20%

AI in video
Answer	Respondents	Share
None of it	6	60%
It helps a person	3	30%
It does most of it	0	0%
We do not make this	1	10%

What comes next

Q28 · One answern 10

Budget for AI visibility, next 12 months

Over the next 12 months, the content budget aimed at AI visibility will…

+50net: go up minus go down, in points

Go down 0%50% Go up

Stay the same: 40% · Not sure: 10%

Budget for AI visibility, next 12 months
Answer	Respondents	Share
Go up	5	50%
Stay the same	4	40%
Go down	0	0%
Not sure	1	10%

Who answered

Q01 · One answern 10

Their role

What's your role?

70%“Head of Content or SEO”

Head of Content or SEO70%
CMO or VP Marketing10%
Agency or consultant10%
Something else10%
Marketing manager0%
Founder or CEO0%

0%50%100%

Their role
Answer	Respondents	Share
CMO or VP Marketing	1	10%
Head of Content or SEO	7	70%
Marketing manager	0	0%
Founder or CEO	0	0%
Agency or consultant	1	10%
Something else	1	10%

Q04 · One answern 10

Industry

Which industry or category are you in?

50%“Agencies and professional services”

Agencies and professional services50%
Software and SaaS40%
E-commerce and retail10%
Finance and fintech0%
Health and wellness0%
Media and publishing0%
Education0%
Travel and hospitality0%
Manufacturing and industrial0%
Something else0%

0%50%100%

Industry
Answer	Respondents	Share
Software and SaaS	4	40%
E-commerce and retail	1	10%
Finance and fintech	0	0%
Health and wellness	0	0%
Agencies and professional services	5	50%
Media and publishing	0	0%
Education	0	0%
Travel and hospitality	0	0%
Manufacturing and industrial	0	0%
Something else	0	0%

Q02 · One answern 10

Who they sell to

Who do you sell to?

100%“Businesses (B2B)”

100%

Businesses (B2B)100%
Consumers (B2C)0%
Both0%

Who they sell to
Answer	Respondents	Share
Businesses (B2B)	10	100%
Consumers (B2C)	0	0%
Both	0	0%

Q03 · One answern 10

Company size

How many people work at your company?

11–50median

40%40%20%0%0%

1–1011–50▲ Median51–200201–1,000More than 1,000

Company size
Answer	Respondents	Share
1–10	4	40%
11–50	4	40%
51–200	2	20%
201–1,000	0	0%
More than 1,000	0	0%

Q05 · One answern 10

Main market

Where are most of your customers?

100%“North America”

North America100%
UK and Ireland0%
Rest of Europe0%
Asia-Pacific0%
Latin America0%
Middle East and Africa0%
Spread across several0%

0%50%100%

Main market
Answer	Respondents	Share
North America	10	100%
UK and Ireland	0	0%
Rest of Europe	0	0%
Asia-Pacific	0	0%
Latin America	0	0%
Middle East and Africa	0	0%
Spread across several	0	0%

Hover or tab to any bar for the exact count. A chart opens at 5 answers, and so does a filter.

Take part

Add your answers and compare yourself with the industry

One question per screen, about 5 minutes, and after each answer you see how everyone else answered.

Level 1Observer

0 XP

On the recordTold us who you are.
Signal trackerFinished the tracking questions.
Channel scoutMapped your channels.
Reality checkSaid what it is doing for you.
AI operatorSaid where AI does the work.
ForecasterCalled the next twelve months.
Open bookShared your biggest frustration.
Benchmark insiderJoined the next phase.

Before you start

Answer, then see where you stand.

21–28: questions, depending on your answers
~5: minutes, most of them one tap
8: badges to collect on the way
Live: see how everyone else answered after each one

How this survey works

Where the answers come from.

Responses come from two places: the form on this page, and, for some companies, the AI visibility tracking they already run plus records of the content work done for them. Those compiled responses cover only what the records show; anything the records do not show is left blank, never estimated.

Nothing is drawn below 5 answers.

With three answers one person is a third of the chart. Until a question has enough answers it says so instead of showing a percentage.

Answers are only published as totals.

Names, emails and LinkedIn profiles are never shown, and the free-text answer is read by a person rather than published. A company logo appears only if its participant asked for it.

Methodology

What to know before quoting a number from this page.

Fieldwork: Open since 10 November 2026 and still running. Charts update within minutes of each answer, so quote a figure with the date you read it.
Who is asked: People who own marketing or content for a brand: CMOs, heads of content or SEO, marketing managers, founders and their agencies. Invitations go out by direct outreach in batches, and the survey is open to anyone who finds it.
Sample: 10 responses so far, including the compiled responses described above.
Questionnaire: 28 multiple-choice questions in 6 parts (who answered, how they track, what they do about it, what it is doing for them, ai in production, what comes next), plus one optional free-text question. Questions about tracking are shown only to teams that track, so a team that does not track answers 21.
How a share is counted: Each percentage is a share of the people who answered that question, not of everyone who took the survey, so a tracking chart describes teams that track. Questions that allow several answers add up to more than 100%.
Teams like yours: The filter cuts every chart by who you sell to, company size, or whether you track with a tool. A group is offered only once it has 5 respondents, and each chart inside it is held to the same 5.
What AI actually cites: The “did” side of said vs did is measured, not asked. It comes from Spotto, our AI visibility tracker: buying-intent prompts run over the last 30 days on ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews and AI Mode, with each cited page classified by type. Shares are of answers that cite at least one source. Only totals leave the tracker.
One response each: Taking the survey again with the same email or LinkedIn profile replaces your earlier answers, so nobody is counted twice.
Limits: The sample is self-selected, not random: teams that care about AI visibility are likelier to answer. Read it as what engaged teams do, not the market average. Answers are self-reported, which is why they sit beside measured citations.

Why we're doing this

Most of what gets quoted about AI visibility is published by companies selling a tracker. Nobody publishes the plain baseline: what other teams actually do.

01
A baseline nobody publishes.
How many prompts, how often, on which platforms: the basic setup questions have no public answer, so every team guesses and calls it a strategy.
02
Said, set against did.
A survey on its own reports what people believe they do. Putting the answers beside what AI answers actually cite is the part a vendor survey has no reason to show.
03
It decides our own work.
busyless runs content and AI visibility for clients. Knowing what works for other teams tells us which channels to test first. Everyone who asks for the full report gets it before it is published.

What we research next

This is the first of five studies. Each runs the same way: an open survey, results live on the page, nothing drawn below 5 answers.

AI in content production
Coming next
How much of the content AI now makes, and where a person still signs off.
- Which steps AI does: research, drafts, edits, briefs
- Who reviews it before it ships
- What changed in output, cost and team size
Reddit marketing
Coming next
Who works on Reddit, what survives the moderators, and whether any of it pays.
- Posting, commenting or only monitoring
- How often posts get removed or accounts banned
- Whether it shows up in pipeline or AI answers
LinkedIn content
Coming next
Founder-led or company page, and which formats actually start conversations.
- Whose profile carries the content
- Cadence, formats and who writes them
- How teams tell reach from real pipeline
AI in design
Coming next
Which design work has moved to AI, and what still needs a designer.
- Images, layouts, ads and brand assets: who makes them now
- How teams keep a brand consistent
- What AI-made design costs in rework

All research

FAQs

Who should take the AI visibility survey?

Anyone who owns marketing or content for a brand: CMOs, heads of content or SEO, marketing managers, founders and the agencies working for them. You do not have to track AI visibility already. "Not yet" is one of the most useful answers in it.

What happens to my name and email?

They are used to send you the results if you ask for them, and nothing else. They never appear on this page, they are not shared or sold, and your answers are only ever published as totals. Ask and we delete your response.

What is the next phase of the AI visibility survey?

A benchmark by category. Participants who opt in share their site, the prompts they track and up to ten competitors, and we run them across ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google's AI answers to see who gets named, who gets cited and what those pages have in common. Nothing runs before we have emailed you.

Can I change my answers?

Yes. Take the survey again with the same email or LinkedIn profile and your new answers replace the old ones, so you are never counted twice.

When will the full report be published?

Once enough answers are in for the breakdowns to mean something. Tick "send me the full report" on the last step and it comes to you first. The charts on this page stay live in the meantime.

How marketing teams track their brand in AI answers

What teams say vs what AI cites

How they track

Do they track AI visibility at all

Monthly spend on tracking tools

Platforms checked

Questions or keywords

Tools in use

Prompts tracked per brand

How often prompts are run

Where the prompts come from

What they do about it

Reddit, YouTube and LinkedIn articles

Off-site work

What moved visibility most

Programmatic SEO

llms.txt

AI crawlers

What it is doing for them

Traffic and leads from AI

Organic search since AI answers

AI in production

How much of the work AI does

What comes next

Budget for AI visibility, next 12 months

Who answered

Their role

Industry

Who they sell to

Company size

Main market

How this survey works

Methodology

Why we're doing this

What we research next

FAQs