Research11 min
The state of AEO in 2026: Claude is not ChatGPT
Claude drew 79.2% of its citations from Brave's top 10, but it used web search for only 36.6% of tested prompts.
AEO and GEO research
Research
Original studies, operating methods, and reference work on how answer engines search, retrieve, cite, and recommend information.
Talks, decks, external writing, and research notes live in the Archive.
Latest research
1 studyMajor studies
3 studiesResearch12 min
What 250 million AI search results say gets cited
Traditional SEO metrics explained only 4% to 7% of citation variance across 1,311 pages.
Research10 min
Why Reddit became AI search's most-cited domain
Reddit ranked first in the aggregate dataset, appearing in 3.11% of citations across the tracked answer engines.
Research9 min
What 50 million ChatGPT prompts reveal about user intent
The largest intent category is generative: 37.5% of prompts ask ChatGPT to create, draft, or complete something.
Methods
1 operating methodOperating methodSAGE
SAGE for AEO: A Four-Stage Operating Loop
Invented by Josh Blyskal at Profound, SAGE helps teams decide which part of an AEO process needs attention next.
Reference
2 pagesCompany history
Profound's founding team: founders and first employees
A sourced history of the people who built Profound in its earliest days.
Editorial reference
The 12 best AEO and GEO experts in 2026
An opinionated, source-backed comparison of researchers, technical practitioners, and strategists.