Free AI visibility toolChatGPT · Gemini · Google AI ModeWhy does AI recommend your competitors – and not you?
Your customers ask ChatGPT, Gemini and Google AI Mode for advice before they choose. CiteWhy is a free GEO tool for marketing, SEO and PR teams: it shows who the AI recommends, why – and what you need to do to get in.
Free to use. You only pay for usage directly to Google and DataForSEO – typically a few dollars per analysis.
- It is
- An analysis of the AI answers in your market
- You enter a keyword. CiteWhy asks the AIs like a real customer – including the follow-up questions.
- It is not
- An ad slot or a copywriting bot
- No placements for sale. No copy written for you.
- Who uses it
- Marketing, SEO, PR and brand
- And agencies doing it for their clients.
- What you get
- A plan, split by team
- Free. You only pay for usage, typically a few dollars.
The buyer journey in Gemini
Share of answers that mention Semrush, per topic AI asks about
Weakest: 44% on size
Who AI recommends
Share of 204 AI answers that mention the name
| No. | Name | Share |
|---|---|---|
| #1 | Semrush | 87% |
| #2 | Ahrefs | 86% |
| #3 | 84% | |
| #4 | Screaming Frog | 37% |
| #5 | SE Ranking | 35% |
| #6 | Neil Patel | 26% |
191 names in total
Per AI
Each AI has its own favourite
| AI | Mentions Semrush | Leads | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gemini | 85% | Ahrefs · 67 | Ahrefs leads |
| AI Mode | 81% | Semrush · 46 | Leads |
| ChatGPT | 94% | Semrush · 68 | Leads |
Why AI visibility matters
When your customers ask AI for advice, they don't get ten blue links. They get one answer with a few names.
The answer isn't random. It relies on specific pages – comparisons, reviews and forums – and on the questions the AI asks along the way.
CiteWhy shows you which. Then you know where your effort counts – instead of guessing.
How CiteWhy reads an AI answer
Simplified exampleSEO tool
- 1
The AI asks
“What is your ideal monthly budget?”
free
- 2
Who gets mentioned
Screaming Frog leads
- 3
Why: the sources behind the answer
zapier.comsemrush.comreddit.com
Semrush
1 of 6 answers
Screaming Frog
6 of 6 answers
From the example: AI Mode, the search “SEO tool”
What you get
One analysis that answers three questions
Below is a real example: Semrush on the keyword “SEO tool”, run 1 October 2026.
- 1
Who gets mentioned?
Your share of the AI answers, side by side with your competitors.
- 2
Why?
The sources and follow-up questions that decide who gets in.
- 3
What should I do?
A plan in order of priority, tagged for website or PR.
Example analysis
Semrush · “SEO tool”
Gemini · AI Mode · ChatGPT · United States · 204 answers
Who gets mentioned
87%
of the answers mention Semrush. No. 1 among 191 names.
- Semrush87%
- Ahrefs86%
- Screaming Frog37%
- SE Ranking35%
- Neil Patel26%
Why
Where Semrush drops out when the customer narrows down
free
AI Mode · 1 of 6
Screaming Frog leads
6 of 6
free
Gemini · 3 of 6
Ahrefs leads
6 of 6
Pages all the AIs and Google use
What to do
Get onto yourcreativecontent.com
yourcreativecontent.com is used in 5 AI answers and mentions Neil Patel – but not Semrush.
Get onto cmswire.com
cmswire.com is used in 3 AI answers and mentions Moz – but not Semrush.
Mentioned is not the same as recommended
“Semrush: The most versatile all-around platform. Excellent for competitive intelligence, keyword discovery, rank tracking, PPC overlap, and domain health audits.”
AI answer to “SEO tool”. The analysis shows how you are described, not just whether you are mentioned.
Plus the customer's path through the AI's questions, all sources and the comparison with Google's top 10.
Open the full example →The buyer journey in AI
The AI asks follow-up questions – and every answer has its winner
Before the AI recommends anything, it asks the customer about goals, budget and size. CiteWhy answers the way different customers would and follows each answer further. Then you see which customers Semrush wins – and which a competitor takes.
The customer searches
“SEO tool”
Gemini · 75 answers
The AI asks
goal“What is your primary goal?”
tracking rankings
Semrush leads · 5/6finding keywords
Semrush leads · 3/3fixing technical site errors
Shared with Screaming Frog
The AI asks
budget“What is your budget?”
free
Ahrefs leads · 6/6under $50/mo
Shared with Ahrefsentry-level plan
Semrush leads · 3/3
The AI asks
size“Roughly how large is the site?”
under 500 pages
Screaming Frog leads · 3/3in-house team
Shared with Ahrefsthousands of skus
Screaming Frog leads · 3/3
Semrush leadsA competitor leadsShared lead● = answer that mentions Semrush
Where Semrush wins
The customer who answers: tracking rankings, finding keywords, entry-level plan and wordpress blog.
Where Semrush loses
The customer who answers: free, under 500 pages and thousands of skus.
The answers are your audiences as the AI sees them. The segments you lose are obvious campaigns.
Every question is a section or an FAQ on your site, written in the customer's own words.
Where you lose again and again, there is a gap in positioning – such as a price point or a customer type.
From analysis to action
What do you do with the analysis?
Not inspiration for copy, but a prioritised list of where you need to be present and which questions you need to answer. Pick what you work on.
What the analysis shows
Pages the AI uses – that don't mention Semrush
yourcreativecontent.com · used in 5 AI answers
- Neil Patel mentioned
- Semrush not mentioned
cmswire.com · used in 3 AI answers
- Moz mentioned
- Semrush not mentioned
What you do
- 1
Contact the editor behind the page
Ask to be included in the comparison or list. The AI reads the page every time someone asks.
- 2
Start with sources several AIs use
They move the most answers at once.
- 3
Measure again after 4–6 weeks
Run the same analysis and see whether the share of answers moves.
You get: the list of pages the AI uses, with the number of answers and who each page mentions.
What the analysis shows
Where Semrush drops out when the customer narrows down
“budget: free” · AI Mode
- Semrush 1 of 6 answers
- Screaming Frog 6 of 6 answers
“budget: free” · Gemini
- Semrush 3 of 6 answers
- Ahrefs 6 of 6 answers
The segment comes from the AI's own question: “What is your ideal monthly budget?”
What you do
- 1
Answer the segment directly on your site
A page or section that answers exactly what the customer specifies – in the customer's own words.
- 2
Repeat for every segment you lose
The AI's follow-up questions are your content plan.
- 3
Check whether the sources also rank in Google
Then the same effort works for both AI and SEO.
You get: a brief with the AI's questions, the answer options and the sources, ready for your own AI prompt.
What the analysis shows
How the AI describes Semrush
“Semrush: The most versatile all-around platform. Excellent for competitive intelligence, keyword discovery, rank tracking, PPC overlap, and domain health audits.”
Gemini · answer to “SEO tool”
What you do
- 1
Check whether the description matches your positioning
Mentioned is not the same as recommended for what you want to sell.
- 2
Fix what is wrong or outdated
On your site and the profiles the AI relies on – prices, features and audience.
- 3
Use the customer's own words
The AI's questions show how the need is phrased. Good raw material for copy.
You get: the quotes from the answers grouped into themes – including the ones that warn.
What the analysis shows
A baseline you can measure against
87%
of the answers mention Semrush
No. 1
among 191 names
178/204
AI answers
What you do
- 1
Use the analysis as an audit in a pitch
Show the client who the AI recommends in their market – and why.
- 2
Split the actions by team
The plan is tagged PR and website, so it can be handed straight on.
- 3
Re-measure and report the share as a KPI
AI visibility as a fixed line in the monthly report.
You get: a report you can send to the client.
Get started
Your first analysis in three steps
Step 1
Create a free account
No subscription. You can start right away.
Step 2
Add your Gemini key
The key lets CiteWhy ask the AI on your behalf. We show you exactly where to find it – it takes a few minutes. With a DataForSEO login, ChatGPT, AI Mode and Google are included.
Step 3
Enter your keyword and your brand
Pick the AIs to include and start the analysis. You can follow it while it runs.
Behind the scenes: Each search is asked 3 times, because AI answers vary. When the AI asks a follow-up question, we follow the answers further – just like a customer narrowing down their needs. Finally we gather names and sources in one analysis.
Run your first analysisPricing
Free
You only pay for usage directly to Google and DataForSEO. No middleman and no subscription.
The example on “SEO tool” with Gemini + AI Mode + ChatGPT
US$2.58
Good questions
What is an API key?
A personal code that lets CiteWhy ask Gemini on your behalf. You create it for free in Google AI Studio, and we guide you step by step.
Which AIs do you look at?
ChatGPT, Gemini and Google AI Mode. You choose which to include in your analysis.
What do I use DataForSEO for?
The answers from ChatGPT and Google AI Mode and Google's top 10 are fetched through DataForSEO. Without it you can run with Gemini alone.
Who is behind it?
CiteWhy is built by Matti Ljungberg. More about CiteWhy and Matti · Follow on LinkedIn