evaluating and trusting AEO and GEO platforms, agencies, and citation-tracking tools — dataset

About this dataset

Answer engine optimization (AEO) studies how often AI answer engines cite a brand or source. This page is the frozen measurement export for evaluating and trusting AEO and GEO platforms, agencies, and citation-tracking tools (measured 27 July 2026). It is primary evidence — re-derivable from the published methodology — not a dashboard summary. The full row freeze lives in the CSV/JSON downloads; the HTML table below is a short preview only.

Methodology

Each row is one direct answer-engine check. We asked the category question verbatim through the engine's live API and recorded whether the answer cited any sources — cited: true means at least one source URL; cited: false is a measured negative, not missing data. Measurement date: 27 July 2026.

Engines and sampling rules (including any variance / test-retest panel) are disclosed on the linked methodology page for “evaluating and trusting AEO and GEO platforms, agencies, and citation-tracking tools.” This dataset page freezes the rows; it does not recompute the study narrative.

Full methodology

Key findings

Declarative facts computed from this freeze only — not a substitute for the study article.

Overall freeze

• In this freeze, 77 of 92 checks (83.7%) recorded at least one cited source.
• 15 of 92 frozen checks recorded no citations (negatives kept).
• This freeze covers 24 distinct queries.

Citation rates by engine

• chatgpt: 9 of 24 runs (37.5%) recorded ≥1 cited source.
• gemini: 24 of 24 runs (100%) recorded ≥1 cited source.
• perplexity: 44 of 44 runs (100%) recorded ≥1 cited source.

Summary statistics

Computed from the frozen rows and rollup sample counts. No figures are invented at render time.

• Rows92
• Distinct queries24
• Enginesperplexity, chatgpt, gemini
• Checks with ≥1 citation77 of 92 (83.7%)
• Checks with no citations15
• Observation dates2026-07-27
• Queries in design24
• Checks recorded92
• Checks planned92
• Variance panel groups10

Query coverage

Distinct category questions present in this freeze.

Questions in this freeze

• best tools to track ChatGPT citations
• best tools to track Perplexity citations
• best GEO tools for marketers
• AEO platforms for marketing agencies
• what to look for in an AEO platform
• is AEO a scam
• primary source AEO content
• how to vet an AEO or GEO vendor
• questions to ask before buying an AI visibility tool
• red flags when evaluating an AEO agency
• what does an AEO platform actually measure
• how agencies price AEO retainers
• difference between AEO tools and traditional SEO tools
• how to tell if an AEO tool's citation data is real
• case studies proving AEO actually works
• how white label AEO reporting works for agencies
• how to choose between AEO platform vendors
• what makes AEO research trustworthy
• how to verify AI citation claims from a vendor
• common AEO sales pitches marketers should question
• what credentials matter for an AEO consultant
• how to build a business case for an AEO platform
• how enterprise teams evaluate AEO tooling procurement
• what a good AEO onboarding process looks like

Column dictionary

What each field means when reading the CSV/JSON download. The cited column is the direct citation detector: true means at least one source URL; false means none were cited.

cited

Whether this check recorded at least one cited source URL (true) or none (false) — negatives are data.

query

The category question put to the answer engine.

engine

Which answer engine produced this observation (e.g. perplexity, chatgpt, gemini).

run_at

ISO timestamp when this engine check was recorded.

run_seq

Repeat-draw index within a same-day variance panel (1 = first draw).

source_urls

Pipe-separated full source URLs cited in the answer, when any.

check_group_id

Groups k-repeat draws of the same query on the same engine for test-retest.

source_domains

Pipe-separated domains cited in the answer, when any.

How to use this data

Use this freeze as primary evidence. Prefer the methodology for instrument rules and the study article for narrative claims.

1. Download the CSV or JSON for independent re-analysis — every row is frozen at measurement time.
2. Read the methodology page for sampling rules, engines, variance panels, and limitations.
3. Cite the study article for the narrative findings; cite this dataset when quoting row-level figures.
4. Treat cited: false (or empty source columns) as measured negatives, not missing data.

Measurement preview

Showing 8 of 92 rows with the scannable columns only (source URL lists stay in the download). Download CSV or JSON for the complete freeze.

Full freeze: CSV · JSON