A growing number of software buyers start their research by asking an AI assistant: "What are the best tools for X for a team of 30?" The assistant replies with a short list and a few sentences about each. For many buyers, that list becomes the shortlist.
If your product is missing, you may never get the chance to compete. Here is what influences those answers and what SaaS companies can do about it.
Two ways assistants know about you
AI assistants draw on two sources of information. The first is what the underlying model learned during training: the broad picture of your category from the web, reviews, forums and articles. The second is live retrieval: many assistants search the web at the moment of the question and summarise what they find, often citing sources.
Retrieval is where you can make the fastest difference, because changes to the pages it draws on can show up within weeks. Training data shifts more slowly and reflects how widely and consistently your brand is discussed across the web over time.
What tends to get cited
Across categories, the sources AI answers lean on most for software questions are fairly consistent:
- Comparison and "best tools" articles on established publications and blogs
- Review platforms and their category pages
- Community discussions, especially Reddit threads where users compare tools
- Vendor pages that clearly state what the product does, who it is for and what it costs
- Documentation and integration pages for technical questions
Practical steps
1. Find out where you stand
Write 20 to 40 questions a real buyer in your category would ask, from broad ("best X software") to specific ("X tool that integrates with Y for agencies"). Run them through the main assistants each month and record who is mentioned, how they are described and which sources are cited.
2. Make your own pages easy to quote
State plainly on your site what your product is, who it is for, the main use cases, pricing and how you compare with alternatives. Vague, slogan-heavy pages give assistants nothing concrete to extract. Clear headings, short factual paragraphs and structured data help.
3. Show up where assistants look
If assistants cite a handful of comparison articles for your category, those articles matter more than ever. Earning a fair mention in them, through PR, outreach or providing better information to their authors, can change AI answers directly. The same applies to review platforms and genuine participation in community discussions.
4. Fix inaccuracies at the source
When an assistant gets your pricing or features wrong, the error usually comes from an outdated page somewhere. Find it and get it corrected, and make sure your own pages are the most current, clearest source available.
Be skeptical of guarantees
AI answers vary by wording, user and day, and no one controls them. Measurement is directional: visibility across a consistent set of prompts, referral traffic from AI tools, and buyers telling you on forms that they found you through an assistant. Treat anyone promising guaranteed AI rankings with caution.
A simple monthly tracking routine
| Step | What to record |
|---|---|
| Run 30 to 50 buyer prompts | Whether you are mentioned, and in what position |
| Note the description | Accuracy of what the assistant says about you |
| Note the sources | Which pages and sites are cited |
| Compare competitors | Who appears instead of you, and why |
| Check referral traffic | Visits from AI tools in your analytics |
| Ask new customers | "How did you hear about us?" answers that mention AI tools |
Keep the prompts the same each month so changes are visible. Add new prompts sparingly, and record the date, since answers change as models are updated.
Frequently asked questions
Should we create pages just for AI assistants?
No. Pages written for machines rarely help. Write clear, factual pages for buyers: they are what assistants cite.
Do review sites matter more than our own site?
For broad "best tools" questions, often yes, because assistants lean on independent sources. For questions about your specific product, your own pages usually matter more.
Can we pay to be included?
Not in the assistants themselves. Some third-party lists accept sponsorship, which should always be disclosed; assistants may treat sponsored lists with less trust.
We cover this in more detail on our AI search optimization page.