Which websites AI answers trust.
Illustrative examples of how source websites can be compared across AI systems and categories.
Key findings
Shown from an illustrative example set until enough live workspace scans accumulate for this quarter.
- ›Reddit is the single most-cited source in buyer AI answers this quarter, at ~31% of cited venues.
- ›Only ~11% of cited domains overlap between ChatGPT and Perplexity. Citation patterns differ between engines.
- ›Gemini cites Reddit at ~0.1% while Google AI Mode cites it at ~44%. Citation share varies by engine.
- ›Recorded citations identify the sources used in AI answers.
Most-used websites, Q2 2026
| Category | Presence leader | Share | Biggest open gap | Movement |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Recovery devices for athletes | PulseCore | 31% | noise-level questions | ▼ slipping |
| Home fitness equipment | MotionLab | 24% | small-space setup | ▲ rising |
| AI sales assistants | (open) | 38% | pricing transparency | ▲ rising |
| Community tooling | (open) | 12% | intent vs. keyword | ▬ flat |
| Auth / identity | (open) | 29% | self-host story | ▲ rising |
Illustrative example, with fictional company names, while live category data accumulates across workspaces.
Where each engine reads
The websites used vary by AI system.
Wikipedia + Reddit >25%; editorial press heavy; Reddit share volatile
→ Reddit + Q&A + editorial; track continuously
Reddit dominant (~24%); skews LinkedIn, NIH, G2
→ Reddit + G2 / review + LinkedIn for B2B
Reddit ~44% of social cites; classic SEO still converts
→ Reddit + owned-surface evidence + indexed forums
Reddit ~0.1%; rewards traditional SEO + reference authority
→ Owned surfaces, docs, high-authority Q&A
Website use over time
How often each website appeared over the last five quarters.
Methodology
We run each category’s buyer query set across ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI and Gemini, multiple passes per question (answers vary; one pass can be misleading), and group every source URL by website. We show how often each website is used by each AI system, computed from live workspace scans once enough have run; until then, the sections above show a clearly labeled illustrative example instead of measured figures. Reference: grounds · The Grounds Index · Q2 2026.
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