A large study found no single brand leads most ChatGPT topics. Here is what that means and the steps a small business can take this week.
A large study of ChatGPT answers found that in most topics, no single brand shows up again and again. That leaves the door open for smaller businesses. This week, list the questions your customers ask, check whether AI tools name you, and work on getting other trusted sites to mention you.
What the study found
Semrush worked with Kevin Indig and Growth Memo to study ChatGPT answers. They tracked 1,094 US topics each month from January through June 2026. Each topic had five common buyer questions:
- What is it?
- How do options compare?
- What are the alternatives?
- How is it used?
- What should I buy?
Only 15% of topics had a clear brand winner. In the other 85%, no brand showed up across all the related questions. A brand might appear in one answer and be missing from the next.
The study counted brand names in the answer text, not the links listed below it. Earlier Growth Memo research found that 74% of users chose the brand mentioned first as their final pick. In this study, only 21% of the most linked sites in a topic were also the most mentioned brand. So being named and being linked are not the same thing.
Why busy topics are the most open
You might expect big brands to own the most popular topics. The study found the opposite. In the half of topics people ask about most, only 11.3% had a clear owner. In the less popular half, 19% did. The popular half held 98% of the AI search volume tracked.
Strong search rankings did not decide the winner either. The study compared each topic owner with the runner up. Common SEO numbers matched the winner only about half the time. SEO means search engine optimization, the work of helping your site show up in search. Only branded search volume, meaning how often people search for a business by name, made a real difference. Even that edge was modest.
What is true about AI search now
Google says its AI features are built on its normal search systems. AI Overviews show a short summary and links in Google Search. AI Mode is a chat style search for harder questions. Per Google Search Central, a page must be indexed and able to show a snippet to appear as a link in these features. There are no extra technical rules. These features may also run several related searches across subtopics to build one answer. That fits the study's point that whole topics matter, not single questions.
Google's guide for AI features says normal SEO best practices still apply. It says many suggested "hacks" do not work. It also says a Google Business Profile can help local businesses appear in AI answers.
What other sites say about you carries weight. A roundup by jbimpact reports a Muck Rack finding: more than 84% of links cited by AI tools come from outside sources. Brands' own sites made up 15.2%. The same roundup cites Ahrefs research tying web mentions more closely to AI Overview visibility than backlinks. That is a link between the two, not proof of cause.
Clicks are also changing. Growgence reports Pew Research findings. When an AI summary appeared, people clicked a regular result on 8% of visits, versus 15% without one. They clicked links inside the summary on just 1% of visits. Growgence also cites a study where 28.5% of businesses in Google's local map results were missing from AI Mode.
ChatGPT is not the only tool. Sona reports ChatGPT held 64.5% of the AI chatbot market in October 2026, down from 86.7% in early 2025. People also use Perplexity, Gemini, Claude and others.
Steps for this week
- Pick one topic. Write down five questions a buyer would ask about it.
- Test the questions. Ask them in ChatGPT and other AI tools a few times. Count how often you are named. Sona suggests tracking a fixed set of questions. If you are named in 12 of 30 answers, your rate is 40%.
- Check Search Console. Verify your site in Google Search Console, a free Google tool. AI feature traffic shows in the Performance report under the "Web" search type.
- Update your Google Business Profile. Make sure your hours, services and details are correct.
- Answer specific situations. In one survey, 63% of marketers felt they could beat a larger company on a customer's specific situation. Only 27% felt that way for broad questions. This is opinion, not a measurement.
- Earn outside mentions. Ask partners, customers or local reporters to talk about your work.
- Skip the tricks. Google says no special markup or "AI" file is needed.
How I can help
I offer AI Visibility Optimization, starting price $2,497/mo. AppWT has built 600+ websites, by its own count. AppWT has a core team of 7. AppWT is practicing since 1997 and operating as AppWT since 2005. AppWT is based in Livonia, Michigan.
Have a question about anything here? Email me at sales@appwt.com or call (888) 565-0171, and I will answer it.
Sources
- AI visibility is a topic-level game: A study of 50,000 brands in ChatGPT [Study], Semrush, 2026-07-20
- AI Features and Your Website | Google Search Central | Documentation | Google for Developers, Google Search Central
- Google's Guide to Optimizing for Generative AI Features on Google Search | Google Search Central | Documentation | Google for Developers, Google Search Central
- GEO 2026: How Small Businesses Get Cited by AI, jbimpact.com, 2026-11-04
- How AI Search Affects Small Business (2026), growgence.com, 2026-08-11
- ChatGPT Search Visibility: Measure and Improve: Sona, sona.com, 2026-10-26
- AI Visibility Optimization at AppWT, AppWT
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Frequently Asked Questions
What share of ChatGPT topics have a clear brand leader?
In the Semrush study of 1,094 US topics, only 15% had a clear brand winner. In the other 85%, no single brand showed up across the related questions.
Do I need special code to appear in Google's AI Overviews?
No. Google says a page must be indexed and able to show a snippet. There are no extra technical requirements and no special markup is needed.
Does ranking well in Google mean ChatGPT will name me?
Not always. In the Semrush study, common SEO numbers matched the topic winner only about half the time. Branded search volume was the only one that made a real difference, and the edge was modest.
How should I measure whether AI tools mention my business?
Use a fixed set of buyer questions and count how often you are named. For example, being named in 12 of 30 answers is a 40% rate.
Why do outside mentions matter so much?
A Muck Rack analysis found more than 84% of links cited by AI tools come from outside sources. Brands' own sites made up 15.2%.
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