Leader
31Heralded Score, range 6–52
The most visible SEO agencies, October 2026
Most cited source
25citations
From ChatGPT
Where engines disagree most
1/4engines put it in their top three
Top three on Gemini, not on Google AI Mode, Google AI Overviews and ChatGPT
Brands
| Rank | Brand | Rank change | Heralded Score All | AI | Search | Score trend | Mentioned | Recommended | By engine | Mentioned by | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | | New entry | 31 , range 6–52 | 31#2 | 31#3 | 31
| 13% | 7% | | First reading | |
| 2 | | New entry | 24 , range 7–52 | 32#1 | 12#8 | 24
| 13% | 7% | | First reading | |
| 3 | | New entry | 20 , range 4–48 | 13#4 | 32#2 | 20
| 9% | 5% | | First reading | |
| 4 | | New entry | 20 , range 3–49 | 15#3 | 29#5 | 20
| 9% | 5% | | First reading | |
| 5 | | New entry | 16 , range 2–47 | 8#9 | 30#4 | 16
| 7% | 4% | | First reading | |
| 6 | | New entry | 15 , range 2–47 | 9#8 | 25#6 | 15
| 10% | 1% | | First reading | |
| 7 | | New entry | 14 , range 3–47 | 9#6 | 23#7 | 14
| 9% | 3% | | First reading | |
| 8 | | New entry | 8 , range 2–45 | 9#7 | 7#15 | 8
| 6% | 4% | | First reading | |
| 9 | | New entry | 8 , range 3–44 | 11#5 | 3#24 | 8
| 7% | 4% | | First reading | |
| 10 | | New entry | 6 , range 2–39 | 7#11 | 3= #25 | 6
| 5% | 3% | | First reading |
“=” marks brands whose score ranges overlap, so the test cannot separate them. Every brand named in at least three answers is ranked. AI and Search give each brand’s score and rank on that side alone. By engine has one dot per engine (ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Gemini and Google AI Mode), darker the more often it names the brand.
Most cited sources
| Rank | Source | Type | Cited in | Engines | Pages cited | Brands its pages mention |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | | Vendor site | 11.7% | 1 of 4 | 13 | Not read |
| 2 | | Social | 15.0% | 2 of 4 | 13 | Not read |
| 3 | | Directory | 20.0% | 3 of 4 | 8 | 13 |
| 4 | | Consultancy | 16.7% | 4 of 4 | 4 | 1 |
| 5 | | Community | 16.7% | 3 of 4 | 9 | 6 |
| 6 | | Review site | 8.3% | 4 of 4 | 3 | 1 |
| 7 | | Consultancy | 6.7% | 1 of 4 | 3 | 1 |
| 8 | | Vendor site | 5.0% | 3 of 4 | 2 | Not read |
| 9 | | Consultancy | 5.0% | 1 of 4 | 1 | 7 |
| 10 | | Media | 5.0% | 3 of 4 | 1 | Not read |
Questions asked
| Question | Language | Most recommended |
|---|---|---|
| What are the best SEO agencies for small businesses? | English | |
| SEO services for an online store | English | |
| How can a company get more traffic from search engines with outside help? | English | No brand recommended |
| How do I choose an SEO agency I can trust? | English | No brand recommended |
| In-house SEO vs. SEO agency for a growing company | English | No brand recommended |
| SEO freelancer vs. SEO agency for a small business | English | No brand recommended |
| Alternatives to hiring a full-time SEO specialist | English | No brand recommended |
| Alternatives to doing SEO yourself as a small business owner | English | No brand recommended |
| I run an online store with falling search traffic. Which SEO agency should I hire? | English | |
| I lead marketing at a software company and need an agency for technical SEO and content. | English | |
Each engine's top three
Google AI Mode
No brand named in at least three answers.
Gemini
Google AI Overviews
ChatGPT
- 1
SmartSites
- 2
OuterBox
- 3
WebFX
Related leaderboards
Method
Each leaderboard ranks brands on two sides. AI is how ChatGPT, Gemini, Google AI Overviews and Google AI Mode answer the board's buyer questions. Search is Google's top 10 results for the keywords behind those questions. All combines the two, where Search is measured.
For the AI side, each month Heralded asks every engine the same buyer questions, twice each, and reads every answer. An answer counts 0 for a brand it leaves out, 50 for a brand it names and 100 for a brand it recommends, and the Heralded Score is built from those. A brand named in at least three answers gets a score and a place.