No single tool covers generative search, because two kinds of tool measure two different things. An SEO suite measures rankings, keywords and links. An AI visibility tool stores the answers of AI platforms, with the brands they name and the pages they cite. In our measurement of 4,241 AI answers, the most-named SEO suite appeared in 18% of them. Use the suite for your pages, and an AI visibility tool for the answers.
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What changes for SEO in generative search?
A results page lists links. An AI answer names a few brands and cites a few pages. Generative search optimization is the work of getting your brand named in those answers, and your pages cited.
We measured 4,241 answers from seven AI platforms to 47 questions about AI visibility tools. The questions ran each day from 30 September to 13 October 2026, in English, from Ireland.
- The citations spread wide. The answers cited 2,131 different domains. The ten most-cited domains held 23% of all citations.
- The platforms search first. ChatGPT reported 1,176 web searches before 499 answers, about 2.4 for each answer.
- The searches name brands. Many searches had the form "[tool name] features official", or searched one vendor's site only. The most-searched tool appeared in 233 searches. Our own brand appeared in none.
So two kinds of work count. Get your brand onto the pages that those searches find. Then make your own pages answer the searches that name you.
Which tools can you use for generative search?
Three kinds of tool cover the work.
- An SEO suite. It tracks rankings, keywords and links. Semrush and Ahrefs also sell an AI module.
- Semrush AI Visibility: ChatGPT Search, Google AI Mode and Gemini for your own prompts. Its database of AI answers also covers Google AI Overviews and Perplexity.
- Ahrefs Brand Radar: ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, AI Mode, Gemini, Perplexity and Copilot, with Claude at eight checks per update.
- An AI visibility tool. It asks the AI platforms your questions on a schedule and stores each answer. It counts the brands that the answers name and the pages they cite. Our guide to GEO tools compares nine of them.
- Your own analytics. Google Analytics shows the visits that AI assistants send. Server logs show the AI crawlers that read your pages.
AI answers often treat an SEO suite as a tool for generative search. In our measurement, the most-named SEO suite appeared in 18% of answers. That is more often than two of the five AI visibility tools we track.
The table shows which platforms each tool's entry plan tracks for your own prompts. FullReach AI is our own product, and it comes first.
| Tool | Entry plan | ChatGPT | Gemini | Perplexity | Copilot | Google AI Mode | Google AI Overviews | Grok |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FullReach AI | Every plan | Included | Included | Included | Included | Included | Included | Included |
| Peec AIRead on | Starter | Included if picked | Included if picked | Add-on | Included if picked | Included if picked | Included if picked | Enterprise only |
| ProfoundRead on | Enterprise | Included | Included | Included | Included | Included | Included | Not tracked |
| Otterly AIRead on | Lite | Included | Add-on | Included | Included | Add-on | Included | Not tracked |
| ScrunchRead on | Core | Included | Enterprise only | Included | Included | Enterprise only | Included | Enterprise only |
| AthenaHQRead on | Essential | Included | Included | Included | Included | Not tracked | Included | Not tracked |
| Semrush AI VisibilityRead on | Toolkit | Included | Included | Not tracked | Not tracked | Included | Not tracked | Not tracked |
| Ahrefs Brand RadarRead on | Growth, 50 prompts | Included | Included | Included | Included | Included | Included | Not tracked |
| RankscaleRead on | Pro | Included | Included | Included | Included | Included | Included | Included |
What features should an SEO tool for generative search have?
- Your own prompts on each platform you need. A database of other people's prompts shows a trend. Your own prompts show your buyers' questions, in your market and language.
- The answers, stored. Each number should open into the answers it counts, with the platform and the date.
- The sources the answers cite. These pages are your link and PR targets in generative search.
- The searches behind an answer. Some platforms report the web searches they run before they answer. These searches are the bridge from your keyword research to the answers.
- Markets and languages. The same question can name other brands in another country or language.
- AI crawlers and AI visits. Check that AI crawlers can read your pages, and count the visits that AI assistants send.
Our guide to GEO tools lists the features that every AI visibility tool should have.
What are the trade-offs between these tools?
| Option | What you gain | What it costs you |
|---|---|---|
| An SEO suite's AI module | One login with your keyword and link data. | Your own prompts can run on fewer platforms. Some modules price each domain or each user. |
| An AI visibility tool | Every answer stored, on more platforms, with the sources and the searches. | A second tool beside your SEO suite. No keyword or backlink data. |
| A prompt database | A view of many prompts that you did not choose. | You cannot set the wording, the market or the language. |
| Credits instead of prompts | You choose where to spend the credits. | Each further platform uses more credits, so a plan buys fewer prompts. |
| A manual check | No cost, and a quick first look. | One answer shows no trend, and the assistant can adapt the answer to your history. |
One setup keeps the SEO suite for the pages, and adds an AI visibility tool for the answers.
How do you choose?
- List the AI platforms that your buyers use.
- Write the questions that your buyers ask, without your brand name. Our guide on which prompts to track explains the choice.
- Check whether your SEO suite runs those questions on those platforms. Note the platforms that it does not cover.
- If it does not cover them, compare the AI visibility tools on the same prompts. Our pricing guide prices each plan for the platforms you pick.
For how FullReach AI collects its numbers, read the methodology.
FullReach AI side by side with Peec AI, Otterly AI, Profound, Semrush AI Visibility, Ahrefs Brand Radar, Promptwatch, Searchable, Scrunch, Evertune, Rankscale and AthenaHQ.
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