Research shows what AI cites for “best SEO agency” searches

At Varn we noticed an increase in AI citing third-party websites when it comes to the commercial terms we monitor for us and our clients. It piqued our curiosity, so here we share the results of our research, showing that on our selected searches AI cited third-party websites 8 times for the term ‘best SEO agency’ and we also explore how you can get featured and drive coverage.

As the data shows the majority of citations within all of the LLMs Analysed (ChatGPT, Gemini, AI Overviews, Perplexity and Copilot) were from articles on agency (branded) sites, with the second most cited type of content being commercial pages followed by content sites, review sites (think G2, Capterra) and Reddit (which had one mention within a ChatGPT search). 

So over 74% of citations within AI for this specific search were from branded sites which would largely stand to benefit from appearing for the search term ‘best seo agency’. This is an interesting note given the research showing that for a much wider data-set, most of the citations came from third party sites. If you can find a way to optimise for these citations, you can increase your volume of and frequency of coverage.  

The key takeaway: Whilst algorithm updates will impact AI in a similar fashion to traditional search, there is a clear trend here that branded listicles are driving value in LLMs so consider creating content on your site that is helpful for users, but make sure it is helpful and not overly promotional (an AI generated list with your company at the top isn’t going to cut it). Also, make sure your website is optimised AI with the help of an agency, as shown both long-form content and commercial landing pages are being cited, so make sure yours are too. 

Secondly, explore the opportunity to drive coverage within articles on third-party websites. Pitch it as a topic (the right third-party sites may also stand to benefit from the coverage too) and again, ensure the content is as helpful as possible. 

Review sites are being cited, consider your current strategy and provided the sector fits, get on sites like Capterra and G2 (this is great as a general strategy for building trust on the web, not just when it comes to appearing in AI). 

ChatGPT is the most widely used LLM of the major models, so for many optimising for it is the target. When it comes to the number of citations used, ChatGPT listed 10, followed by AI Overviews (Google) which listed 9. If you are looking to build up your coverage on the more popular LLMs, then you should look to drive coverage on a wide range of websites beyond those in your ecosystem. Create useful content that aligns to the search terms, then make sure you are getting placements on other websites. This can be in the form of booth brand mentions and links (both are important when it comes to SEO and AEO. 

Figure 2: Citation breakdown for the search term “Best SEO agency”

It is clear that at the moment search and AI engines are prioritising the longer-form content that is typically present on the brand-owned sites ahead of third-party websites. The content on these sites is well-written and does add a lot of value, but the inherent bias behind the scene may well be picked up by Google and LLMs sooner or later. 

We may see more third-party and review sites appear in the future as the algorithm gets smarter and starts to recognise the sites that are genuinely impartial and produce informative content. It’s similar to the process for buying a new phone; you’ll take a look at the specifications Apple and Samsung list out but you are going to trust the information you get from a friend or a reputable third party site a lot more. 

What can you do for your business? Start to earn placements on the comparison content and websites in your niche. Reach out to them, see if there is anything you can do to earn placements. The more you appear on the higher your chances of getting picked up in them organically over time too. Remember, Google always catches up on spam tactics, if you are creating and contributing to good content that’s useful for the searcher, and building your brand at the same time, you will see results.

• Try to get coverage in as many good quality third-party sites as possible (both within round-up lists and through wider off-page SEO tactics 
• Monitor your competitors appearances in the list to measure performance 
• Look up wider terms through keyword research that users may be typing in to wider lists in wider services for your niche 
• Get in touch with Varn if you would like help on any of the above!