The most visible SEO tools, October 2026

October 2026 · 15 questions asked in English, worldwide · ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Gemini and Google AI Mode · 60 answers read

Most cited source

youtube.com

17citations

From Google AI Mode and Google AI Overviews

Where engines disagree most

They agree

Every engine names the same top three.

Brands

Rank Brand Rank change Heralded Score All AI Search Score trend Mentioned Recommended By engine Mentioned by Change
– Sistrix DE Unranked Too few answers Not measured 4#32
–
  • : Unranked
0% 0% First reading
– Sitebulb GB Unranked Too few answers Not measured 0= #47
–
  • : Unranked
2% 1% None First reading
– Siteguru NL Unranked Too few answers Not measured 0= #47
–
  • : Unranked
1% 0% None First reading
– SpyFu US Unranked Too few answers Not measured 17#20
–
  • : Unranked
3% 1% First reading
– Website Grader US Unranked Too few answers Not measured 23#17
–
  • : Unranked
3% 2% None First reading
– Whitespark CA Unranked Too few answers Not measured 5#29
–
  • : Unranked
2% 1% First reading
– Wincher SE Unranked Too few answers Not measured 4#34
–
  • : Unranked
2% 0% None 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 youtube.com Social 11.7% 2 of 4 17 Not read
2 reddit.com Community 15.0% 3 of 4 11 Not read
3 zapier.com Vendor site 16.7% 4 of 4 2 17
4 onelittleweb.com Consultancy 8.3% 3 of 4 3 23
5 lendio.com Vendor site 5.0% 2 of 4 1 11
6 seo.com Consultancy 5.0% 2 of 4 3 Not read
7 topelevens.com Directory 3.3% 1 of 4 2 15
8 web.dev Vendor site 5.0% 1 of 4 1 Not read
9 agencyanalytics.com Vendor site 3.3% 2 of 4 2 Not read
10 bestseozone.com Consultancy 3.3% 2 of 4 1 7

Questions asked

QuestionLanguageMost recommended
What are the best SEO tools for small marketing teams? English Semrush
Search engine optimization software for small businesses English Google Search Console and SE Ranking, tied
How can a small business find out why its website doesn't show up in search results? English Google Search Console
How do I find the keywords my customers search for? English Ahrefs, Google Keyword Planner, Google Search Console and Semrush, tied
Doing SEO in-house with software vs. hiring an SEO agency for small businesses English Google Search Console
Free SEO tools vs. paid SEO platforms for marketing teams English Ahrefs, Google Search Console, Screaming Frog and Semrush, tied
Alternatives to tracking keyword rankings in spreadsheets English SE Ranking
Alternatives to manual website audits for SEO English Ahrefs, Conductor, Google Search Console, Lumar, Screaming Frog, Semrush and Sitebulb, tied
I run marketing at a 20-person company. What tool should I use to improve our search rankings? English Google Search Console
I'm a freelance content writer and want to check which keywords my articles rank for. English Google Search Console

Each engine's top three

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.

How the leaderboards are measured