The most visible web design agencies, October 2026

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

Leader

UPQODE

27Heralded Score, range 2–50

Most cited source

upwork.com

6citations

From Google AI Mode, Google AI Overviews and ChatGPT

Where engines disagree most

Lounge Lizard

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
– Brightscout US Unranked Too few answers Not measured 0= #22
–
  • : Unranked
1% 1% None First reading
– Brightter Unranked Too few answers Not measured 0= #22
–
  • : Unranked
1% 0% None First reading
– BX Studio UA Unranked Too few answers Not measured 0= #22
–
  • : Unranked
1% 1% None First reading
– Clay US Unranked Too few answers Not measured 71#1
–
  • : Unranked
8% 4% None First reading
– Clear Digital US Unranked Too few answers Not measured 0= #22
–
  • : Unranked
1% 0% None First reading
– Clique Studios US Unranked Too few answers Not measured 0= #22
–
  • : Unranked
1% 0% None First reading
– ControlF5 IN Unranked Too few answers Not measured 0= #22
–
  • : Unranked
3% 3% None First reading
– DD.NYC® US Unranked Too few answers Not measured 49#6
–
  • : Unranked
5% 3% None First reading
– Digital Silk US Unranked Too few answers Not measured 15= #14
–
  • : Unranked
4% 1% None First reading
– Dotlogics US Unranked Too few answers Not measured 31= #10
–
  • : Unranked
2% 2% 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 upwork.com Vendor site 10.0% 3 of 4 3 Not read
2 godaddy.com Vendor site 8.3% 3 of 4 1 Not read
3 networksolutions.com Vendor site 6.7% 3 of 4 1 1
4 ueni.com Vendor site 1.7% 1 of 4 3 Not read
5 webflow.com Vendor site 3.3% 1 of 4 3 Not read
6 fiverr.com Vendor site 3.3% 1 of 4 2 Not read
7 google.com Vendor site 1.7% 1 of 4 2 Not read
8 squarespace.com Vendor site 3.3% 1 of 4 1 Not read
9 wix.com Vendor site 3.3% 1 of 4 1 Not read
10 albacross.com Vendor site 1.7% 1 of 4 1 Not read

Questions asked

QuestionLanguageMost recommended
What are the best web design agencies for small businesses? English UPQODE
Website design and development agency for a company website English Big Drop Inc, Griffon Webstudios, IL Webdesign, MAXBURST, RJP.design and Transfuture, tied
How can a small business get a professional website designed? English No brand recommended
How do I choose a web design agency for a website redesign? English No brand recommended
Web design agency vs. freelance web designer for a small business English No brand recommended
Web design agency vs. website builder for a company website English No brand recommended
Alternatives to building a company website yourself English No brand recommended
Alternatives to hiring a full-time web developer English No brand recommended
I run a 20-person company and our website looks outdated. Which web design agency should we hire? English 500 Designs, Baunfire, Blue Fountain Media, BMG Media, BX Studio, Edgar Allan, Lounge Lizard, Marketing Success, Inc., MyDetroitWeb, The Business Toolkit, UPQODE and WebFX, tied
I lead marketing at a B2B company and need a new website that generates leads. English No brand recommended

Each engine's top three

Google AI Mode

No brand named in at least three answers.

Google AI Overviews

No brand named in at least three answers.

ChatGPT

No brand named in at least three answers.

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