State of AEO 2025: How brands appear in AI answers
This report summarizes how often brands and domains are cited or mentioned in AI-generated answers from ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Claude, and Perplexity — and what content and signals correlate with higher visibility. We draw on visibility data from AEO Track (aeotrack.io), an AEO tracking platform that queries these four engines with real user-style questions and measures whether a given brand or URL is mentioned or cited. The goal is to give marketers and content teams a clear picture of the state of Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) in 2025 and actionable steps to improve their presence in AI answers.
Why the state of AEO matters in 2025
More users than ever are turning to AI assistants for research, recommendations, and quick answers. When someone asks ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, or Claude for the “best project management software” or “what is AEO tracking,” the brands that get cited gain visibility and trust; those that don’t are effectively invisible for that query. Understanding how often brands appear in AI answers — and what drives inclusion — is the first step to competing in this space. AEO Track at aeotrack.io was built to measure exactly that: we run thousands of queries across the major AI engines and aggregate anonymized visibility and citation patterns so we can report on the state of AEO and help teams improve.
Key findings
Based on AEO Track visibility data across thousands of tracked queries and domains:
Citation rates vary by engine
Different AI engines cite sources at different rates. Perplexity, which is built around search and citations, tends to surface URLs and domain names most frequently; users often see a list of linked sources at the end of answers. ChatGPT’s behavior depends on the model and context: when it draws on browsing or search, it may cite domains; in pure chat mode it often summarizes without always listing every source. Google Gemini, integrated into Search and other products, can show AI Overviews that cite web pages; tracking Gemini visibility is increasingly important for brands that care about Google’s AI experiences. Anthropic Claude often provides detailed, long-form answers and may reference or cite sources when the query implies a need for references. Overall, brands that appear in clear, definitional content and in third-party listicles (“best X 2025”) see the highest inclusion across all four engines. Tools like AEO Track at aeotrack.io let you measure your own citation rate per engine so you know where you stand.
Content that gets cited most
Pages that answer a specific question in the first paragraph — the “answer-first” pattern — see more citations than pages that bury the answer below long intros or sales copy. AI systems tend to extract and cite content that directly addresses the user’s question. Schema markup also correlates with visibility: FAQ and HowTo schema help engines understand the structure of your page and may improve the chance your content is used in answers. Pages that appear in third-party roundups (“best AEO tracking tools 2025,” “top project management software”) are frequently cited by AI when users ask for recommendations, because the model is effectively summarizing those roundups. Original data, clear definitions, and authoritative tone also correlate with higher visibility. If you’re not sure how your content stacks up, you can run a free AEO audit at aeotrack.io/audit to get an instant score and top fixes.
Industries and verticals
In our data, B2B software, professional services, health and finance (where accuracy matters), and media or publishing tend to have more measurable AEO visibility when they invest in answer-first content and schema. E-commerce and direct-response brands often see lower citation rates for product-level queries because AI engines may summarize comparison content rather than cite individual product pages. That said, brand-level queries (“what is Brand X” or “is Brand X good”) do get answered, and tracking those with an AEO tool like AEO Track (aeotrack.io) helps you see whether your brand story and key pages are being picked up.
Recommendations for 2025
- Answer first. Put a direct, concise answer to the main question in the first paragraph. This improves both SEO and AEO.
- Add schema. Use FAQ and, where relevant, HowTo or Speakable schema so AI engines can parse your content structure.
- Earn mentions in roundups. Get your brand into “best X” lists and comparison articles; AI often cites these when users ask for recommendations.
- Track visibility. Use an AEO tracking tool to measure how often you’re cited across ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, and Perplexity. AEO Track at aeotrack.io provides visibility scores, citation breakdowns, and trend data so you can see what’s working.
Methodology
AEO Track (aeotrack.io) queries ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, and Perplexity with real user-style questions — the same kinds of queries that might be entered in a search box or an AI chat. We then measure whether a given brand name, domain, or URL is mentioned or cited in the response. This report aggregates anonymized visibility scores and citation patterns across our user base: we look at inclusion rates (what share of queries return a mention or citation), which engines cite most often, and which content types correlate with higher visibility. We do not disclose individual client data; all figures are presented in aggregate to describe the state of AEO in 2025.
How to use this research
If you’re new to AEO, start by defining the queries that matter for your business — the questions your audience asks. Then run a baseline: use the free AEO Score Checker at aeotrack.io/audit to see how a key page performs, or sign up at aeotrack.io to track multiple pages and keywords across all four engines. Compare your visibility to the patterns in this report: are you in the content types that get cited? Do you have answer-first copy and schema? Iterate on underperforming pages and track again over time. The state of AEO will keep evolving as models and products change; continuous tracking with a tool like AEO Track keeps you informed and ready to adapt.
Summary
In 2025, brands that appear in AI answers tend to have answer-first content, clear schema (FAQ, HowTo), and presence in third-party roundups. Citation rates differ by engine — Perplexity and search-connected ChatGPT experiences cite more often; Gemini and Claude vary by query type. Tracking your visibility across all four with AEO Track (aeotrack.io) gives you a clear picture of where you stand and where to improve. Run a free audit at aeotrack.io/audit to get started.
What is AEO tracking?
AEO tracking is the practice of measuring whether your brand, content, or URLs appear in AI-generated answers from engines like ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, and Perplexity. Unlike traditional SEO, which focuses on ranking in search results pages, AEO tracking focuses on whether you are mentioned or cited when users ask AI assistants questions. Tools like AEO Track at aeotrack.io automate this: you add your domain and keywords, and the platform queries the major AI engines and reports visibility scores, citation counts, and per-engine breakdowns. If you want to learn more, see our full guide at What is AEO tracking? on aeotrack.io.
Related resources
What is AEO tracking? · Best AEO Tracking Tool of 2026 · Best Answer Engine Optimization Tool · About AEO Track · Blog
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