We asked ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews and Google AI Mode the buying questions of 79 consumer brands' categories, mostly in the UK and Germany, each question repeated. 8,441 answers later, the brands themselves are almost absent from the sources — and each assistant leans on a different set of sites.
Counted once per answer: how many of the 8,441 answers cited the site at least once. Video and forums sit at the top; after them, UK newspapers' review desks and German test magazines.
| # | Site | Answers citing it | Share of answers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | youtube.com | 1,788 | 21.2% |
| 2 | independent.co.uk | 1,029 | 12.2% |
| 3 | reddit.com | 846 | 10.0% |
| 4 | theguardian.com | 805 | 9.5% |
| 5 | goodhousekeeping.com | 677 | 8.0% |
| 6 | forbes.com | 646 | 7.7% |
| 7 | which.co.uk | 605 | 7.2% |
| 8 | expertreviews.co.uk | 531 | 6.3% |
| 9 | bbcgoodfood.com | 413 | 4.9% |
| 10 | mumsnet.com | 396 | 4.7% |
| 11 | telegraph.co.uk | 391 | 4.6% |
| 12 | idealhome.co.uk | 383 | 4.5% |
| 13 | chip.de | 370 | 4.4% |
| 14 | test.de | 312 | 3.7% |
| 15 | vogue.co.uk | 299 | 3.5% |
| 16 | glamourmagazine.co.uk | 296 | 3.5% |
| 17 | womenshealthmag.com | 271 | 3.2% |
| 18 | theenglishhome.co.uk | 270 | 3.2% |
| 19 | outdoorgearlab.com | 257 | 3.0% |
| 20 | welt.de | 256 | 3.0% |
Perplexity cites twelve sites in a typical answer and is the most likely to cite the brand itself. Google's AI surfaces cite far fewer and lean on YouTube and Reddit. A brand that is visible in one assistant can be absent from the next.
| Assistant | Answers | Sites cited per answer | Answers citing the brand | Most-cited sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Perplexity | 1,891 | 12.4 | 2.2% | independent.co.uk, goodhousekeeping.com, which.co.uk, expertreviews.co.uk |
| Google AI Mode | 1,892 | 3.9 | 1.7% | youtube.com, telegraph.co.uk, reddit.com, theguardian.com |
| Gemini | 1,820 | 6.0 | 1.6% | youtube.com, reddit.com, forbes.com, theguardian.com |
| ChatGPT | 946 | 5.5 | 1.0% | tomsguide.com, t3.com, expertreviews.co.uk, youtube.com |
| Google AI Overviews | 1,892 | 2.2 | 0.5% | youtube.com, reddit.com, telegraph.co.uk, theguardian.com |
ChatGPT was asked each question once rather than twice, so it has about half as many answers.
In the UK, 74% of the 46 brands were cited in no answer; in Germany, 35% of 17. The categories measured differ between the two markets, so read this as a pattern to test, not a law.
| # | Site | UK answers citing it | Share of answers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | youtube.com | 1,439 | 17.0% |
| 2 | independent.co.uk | 1,028 | 12.2% |
| 3 | theguardian.com | 799 | 9.5% |
| 4 | reddit.com | 775 | 9.2% |
| 5 | goodhousekeeping.com | 673 | 8.0% |
| 6 | forbes.com | 613 | 7.3% |
| 7 | which.co.uk | 604 | 7.2% |
| 8 | expertreviews.co.uk | 530 | 6.3% |
| 9 | bbcgoodfood.com | 413 | 4.9% |
| 10 | mumsnet.com | 396 | 4.7% |
| # | Site | German answers citing it | Share of answers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | chip.de | 365 | 4.3% |
| 2 | youtube.com | 331 | 3.9% |
| 3 | test.de | 306 | 3.6% |
| 4 | welt.de | 256 | 3.0% |
| 5 | testsieger.de | 212 | 2.5% |
| 6 | rtl.de | 206 | 2.4% |
| 7 | faz.net | 155 | 1.8% |
| 8 | mediamarkt.de | 152 | 1.8% |
| 9 | idealo.de | 150 | 1.8% |
| 10 | gq-magazin.de | 127 | 1.5% |
Share column is of all answers in the study, so it compares sites within a market, not across markets.
The five sites cited most often for each category with at least three measured brands.
| Category | Most-cited sources |
|---|---|
| Beauty & skincare 9 brands | vogue.co.uk · theguardian.com · youtube.com · independent.co.uk · whowhatwear.com |
| Mattresses & sleep 9 brands | theguardian.com · idealhome.co.uk · independent.co.uk · youtube.com · theenglishhome.co.uk |
| Baby & kids 7 brands | mumsnet.com · youtube.com · independent.co.uk · reddit.com · which.co.uk |
| Supplements & nutrition 6 brands | bbcgoodfood.com · youtube.com · independent.co.uk · healthline.com · which.co.uk |
| Designer furniture — authentic 5 brands | chaplins.co.uk · aram.co.uk · nest.co.uk · utilitydesign.co.uk · vitra.com |
| Fashion & apparel 5 brands | outdoorgearlab.com · reddit.com · youtube.com · theguardian.com · independent.co.uk |
| Home & kitchen 5 brands | youtube.com · chip.de · bbcgoodfood.com · test.de · mediamarkt.de |
| Bags & luggage 4 brands | youtube.com · outdoorgearlab.com · packhacker.com · independent.co.uk · forbes.com |
| Pet supplies 4 brands | smartbark.co.uk · youtube.com · ploof.co.uk · petcheckers.co.uk · which.co.uk |
| Jewellery 4 brands | youtube.com · harpersbazaar.com · cosmopolitan.com · glamourmagazine.co.uk · elle.com |
| Tools & DIY 3 brands | youtube.com · techgearlab.com · reddit.com · expertreviews.co.uk · protoolreviews.com |
| Footwear 3 brands | runrepeat.com · youtube.com · independent.co.uk · outdoorsmagic.com · theguardian.com |
| Jewellery & watches 3 brands | youtube.com · watchpilot.com · esquire.com · teddybaldassarre.com · reddit.com |
| Coffee & appliances 3 brands | youtube.com · bbcgoodfood.com · balancejournal.co · coffeeblog.co.uk · coffeeness.de |
| Sports & fitness 3 brands | youtube.com · womenshealthmag.com · goodhousekeeping.com · outdoorgearlab.com · mensfitness.co.uk |
The sources are knowable: the review desks, test magazines, forums and video channels above. Being in the pages they cite is a route into the answer that your own site, on these questions, almost never is.
Brands appear in the text 3.6 times as often as they are linked. A mention without a link sends no visitor and is easy to lose to the next brand the source prefers.
These are generic category questions. The same store can score very differently on a different set of questions — where the questions come from can move the number by more than the month-to-month change visibility tools report, as our published provenance study shows. Measure the questions your own customers ask.
The same measurement for one domain is free: five assistants, your category's questions, every question repeated, with the sources they used instead. Or have it run on your own customers' questions.
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