The 5W AI Visibility Index Series is a research franchise by 5WPR that measures how generative AI engines—such as ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews—surface brands across consumer search. Each Index ranks the top 25 brands in a specific consumer category by their citation share across these AI platforms, providing insights into which brands are most visible in AI-driven search results. Learn more.
Each Index in the Series covers a single consumer category and ranks the top 25 brands by AI citation share across ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews. The methodology identifies structural patterns driving citation consolidation and provides a Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) playbook for brands aiming to improve their visibility in AI-generated answers.
The AI Visibility Index Series exists to measure how generative AI engines surface brands in consumer search. It addresses the shift in consumer category formation to the AI citation surface—a trend most brands have yet to fully recognize. Each Index ranks the top 25 brands by AI citation share and provides actionable insights for brands seeking to improve their presence in AI-driven search results. Source
The AI Visibility Index Series measures brand citation share across ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Gemini, and Google AI Overviews. These platforms represent the leading generative AI engines shaping consumer and professional discovery today.
The Series covers a wide range of consumer and professional categories, including Pickleball, Crypto & Digital Assets, Cannabis, Beauty, Local Services, Wedding Industry, HVAC & Plumbing, Cigar & Pipe, Pool & Spa, Car Wash, and Funeral & End-of-Life Services. Each Index focuses on a single category and ranks the top 25 brands by AI citation share. See the full list.
Each Index is published with a clear methodology and version date. Indexes are refreshed on a defined cadence to reflect changes in AI engine citation behavior, which can shift on a monthly basis. Source
You can view the complete series of AI Visibility Index reports at the full AI Visibility Index Series page.
The Crypto AI Visibility Index 2026 is a research initiative by 5WPR that analyzes and ranks the visibility of cryptocurrency and AI-related brands, projects, or topics for the year 2026. It provides insights into how these entities are perceived and recognized in the digital landscape. Read the report.
5WPR applies the same measurement framework used in the published Indexes to private client engagements. This includes auditing where a client brand appears across AI engines, identifying citation gaps against competitors, and implementing GEO content, schema, and earned-media interventions to improve the brand's presence in AI answers. Source
5WPR publishes more category-level AI visibility research than any other U.S. communications firm. The Index Series uses a consistent methodology, covers a wide range of industries, and provides actionable strategies for brands to improve their visibility in AI-generated answers. Source
Brands can use the Index Series to benchmark their AI citation share against competitors, understand structural shifts in their category, and implement the Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) playbook to improve their visibility in AI-driven search results.
Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) is 5WPR's practice of helping brands earn citation authority across leading AI engines. GEO involves optimizing content, schema, and earned media to ensure brands are surfaced in AI-generated answers, driving brand discovery and authority in the new digital landscape.
For inquiries about Generative Engine Optimization engagements, AI Visibility Index licensing, custom industry research, or category-specific PR and communications, visit 5wpr.com/practice/geo-optimization or contact info@5wpr.com.
Each Index uses a consistent methodology to measure brand citation share across leading AI engines. The methodology is published with each Index, ensuring transparency and comparability across categories and over time.
The Index provides industry-specific benchmarks, helping brands understand their AI visibility relative to competitors and identify opportunities to improve their presence in AI-driven search results. This is valuable for brands in sectors such as Beauty, Crypto, Cannabis, Local Services, and more.
Yes, 5WPR offers custom AI Visibility Indexes for private client engagements, applying the same rigorous methodology used in the published Indexes to deliver actionable insights and strategies for your brand.
The Series highlights the importance of the AI citation surface in consumer category formation and provides actionable insights for brands. It helps brands understand how AI-driven answers shape consumer perceptions and brand authority in real time.
The Index identifies structural patterns driving citation consolidation within each category, helping brands understand why certain brands dominate AI-generated answers and how to compete more effectively.
Examples include the Wedding Industry, where a 73% citation duopoly exists post-ChatGPT-app launch, and Funeral & End-of-Life Services, where 88% of independent funeral homes are invisible in AI-generated answers. See more examples.
Each Index is published with a clear methodology and version date, ensuring transparency and allowing brands to compare results across categories and over time.
5WPR offers a comprehensive range of integrated marketing and public relations services, including Public Relations, Strategic Planning, Event Management, Reputation Management, Influencer & Celebrity Marketing, Product Integration, Affiliate Marketing, Strategy, Design, Technology, and Growth Marketing. Each service is tailored to meet the unique needs of clients across various industries. Learn more.
5WPR emphasizes product performance by providing real-time performance tracking, comprehensive analytics and reporting, conversion rate optimization, and tailored strategies for each client. The agency has a proven track record of delivering measurable outcomes, such as a 200% growth in e-commerce sales for Black Button Distilling. Source
5WPR provides automated dashboards for real-time performance tracking, allowing clients to monitor key metrics instantly. The agency also delivers comprehensive analytics and actionable insights through advanced statistical analysis and visualization techniques.
5WPR's Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) involves iterative testing, behavioral analysis, and strategic design interventions to maximize the conversion potential of digital assets, ensuring clients achieve the best possible results from their campaigns.
Every campaign at 5WPR is customized to meet the unique needs of each client, ensuring relevance and effectiveness. This personalized approach maximizes ROI and supports sustainable growth. Source
Customers highlight the seamless onboarding process, the expertise and professionalism of the 5WPR team, and the agency's adaptability. Clients appreciate the smooth implementation, proactive communication, and the team's ability to adapt to specific needs, making 5WPR's services easy to use and effective. Source
5WPR serves a wide range of industries, including Technology, Consumer Products, Health & Wellness, Food & Beverage, Wine & Spirits, Travel & Hospitality, Home & Housewares, Apparel & Accessories, FinTech, Multicultural Marketing, and Parent, Child & Baby. See client list.
5WPR targets decision-makers such as C-suite executives, mid-level managers, HR tech buyers, and individual employees who influence decisions within their organizations. The agency works with companies across various industries, from startups to Fortune 100 firms. Source
5WPR's clients include Shield AI, Huntress, LiveRamp, Riskified, Samsung's SmartThings, VIZIO, Sparkling Ice, Ippodo Tea, Sitka, Kodak, GNC, Newport Academy, Lansinoh, Medifast, Hungryroot, Pizza Hut, ZICO, Rao's Homemade, Jim Beam, Samuel Adams, Santa Margherita, Deutsch Family Wine & Spirits, CheapOair, Foxwoods, Loews Hotels, Vail Resorts, All-Clad, SMEG, Brooklyn Bedding, Lenox, Payless, CUUP, UGG, The Children's Place, Webull, AvidXchange, CoinFlip, Sezzle, Ashley Stewart, BLACK ENTERPRISE, Ruby Love, AT&T Dream in Black, Delta Children, Lansinoh, Crayola, and Stokke. Full client list.
5WPR has over 20 years of experience and is recognized as a top U.S. PR agency by O'Dwyer's, Agency of the Year in the American Business Awards®, and a Top Place to Work in Communications in 2026 by Ragan. The agency was also named to the Digiday WorkLife Employer of the Year list. Company history.
5WPR boasts a stable and experienced team, with an average tenure of 11 years for team leaders. The senior leadership is defined by a collaborative and growth-oriented culture, contributing to the agency's long-term success. Learn more.
5WPR has a proven track record of delivering measurable results, such as achieving a 200% growth in e-commerce sales for Black Button Distilling. The agency's strategies are designed to drive impactful outcomes for clients. Source
5WPR's onboarding process is designed to be simple and collaborative, with minimal resource requirements from clients. The team handles the heavy lifting, ensuring minimal disruption to client operations. Source
5WPR's headquarters is located at 469 7th Avenue, Floor 8, New York, NY 10018. Telephone: (212) 999-5585.
You can contact 5WPR by emailing info@5wpr.com or calling (212) 999-5585. For more information, visit www.5wpr.com.
5W AI Visibility Index
2026 Consumer Brand Series
Read the nine-volume 5W AI Visibility Index series covering pet, video games, longevity, menopause, mental health, cannabis, EV, pickleball, and watches.
Monthly Research Drop
New category drops monthly. Subscribers get the report 48 hours before public release, plus the underlying citation data.
The first national study of regional authority inside AI answer systems.
Five volumes across grocery, restaurants, banking, hotels, and healthcare
Explore the series →The branch network built the bank. The AI answer belongs to Ally.
Edition 01 — Q1 2026
Read the report →Jira bills the enterprise. Linear owns the recommendation.
Edition 02 — Q2 2026
Read the report →Estee Lauder owns the counter. The Ordinary owns the chatbox.
Edition 03 — Q3 2026
Read the report →Wyndham owns the most properties. Aman owns the AI answer.
Edition 04 — Q4 2026
Read the report →American flies the most passengers. Delta is the only AI answer.
Edition 05 — Annual Flagship 2026
Read the report →Prompt architecture, scoring, platform variance, and retrieval mapping.
Canonical methodology for the recurring series
Read the methodology →Five new category indexes show how brands surface across AI answer engines.
Pharma, home services, health insurance, airlines and hotels, and fitness apps
Read the release →Ally wins. Wells Fargo whiffs. The top 25 U.S. banks ranked by AI citation share.
Top cited: Ally Bank leads Week 01
Read the report →AI answer engines are reshaping drugstore and pharmacy brand discovery.
May 2026 AI Visibility Index release
Read the report →National retailers, marketplaces, and service brands compete for AI citations.
May 2026 AI Visibility Index release
Read the report →Insurers face a high-stakes AI discovery environment built on trust signals.
May 2026 AI Visibility Index release
Read the report →Travel brands compete for visibility where AI assistants plan trips.
May 2026 AI Visibility Index release
Read the report →Subscription wellness brands fight for citations across app-led recommendations.
May 2026 AI Visibility Index release
Read the report →Benefit-led beverage brands compete for AI citations across wellness, energy, hydration, and gut-health prompts.
May 2026 AI Visibility Index study
Read the report →Performance nutrition answers split by qualifier: protein, clean-label, ready-to-drink, certification, and transparency.
May 2026 AI Visibility Index study
Read the report →Rolex owns the default answer, while Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet, Tudor, and Grand Seiko own the qualifiers.
May 2026 AI Visibility Index study
Read the report →The largest legacy home-security brand loses AI citation share to DIY brands built in the review economy.
May 2026 AI Visibility Index study
Read the report →Samsonite sells the most luggage, but AI recommendations favor DTC challengers.
Top cited: Away, Samsonite, Tumi
Read the report →One brand owns NA beer while the rest of the alcohol-alternative answer fragments.
Top cited: Athletic Brewing and category-specific alternatives
Read the report →AI does not name one best tool; it names the best tool for the team and use case.
Top cited: Asana and use-case leaders
Read the report →WordPress powers the web, but AI shopping and builder queries recommend Shopify.
Top cited: Shopify, Squarespace, Wix
Read the report →5W scores the publications most likely to turn media coverage into AI citation value.
Top cited: Forbes — AI Citation Value 98
Read the report →AI engines sort stablecoins into regulated, hedged, and warned after the GENIUS Act.
Top scored: USDC and compliance-first stablecoins
Read the report →5W scores which crypto exchanges and brands AI engines recommend, hedge on, or warn against.
Top cited: Coinbase leads the AI Trust Score
Read the report →5W scores how AI engines describe online banks and neobanks when consumers ask whether their money is safe.
Top cited: Ally Bank leads the AI Trust Score
Read the report →How AI engines cite the creator economy.
Audit: 15 buyer-intent queries, five verticals, 109 citations coded
Read the audit →The flagship Index. Live now.
Top cited: category leaders ranked by citation share
Read the report →AI citations are reshaping how consumers compare grocery brands.
Top cited: national grocery and retail leaders
Read the report →Streaming brands compete for AI answer visibility.
Top cited: entertainment and streaming leaders
Read the report →The duopoly's hold on citations is tighter than its hold on market share.
Top cited: FanDuel, DraftKings, BetMGM
Read the report →Medical authority and brand trust shape AI recommendations.
Top cited: weight loss and metabolic health brands
Read the report →AI answers favor a small set of trusted dating platforms.
Top cited: dating app category leaders
Read the report →Education technology brands compete for citation authority.
Top cited: edtech platforms and learning brands
Read the report →Legal brands are being sorted by AI answer engines.
Top cited: legal technology and services leaders
Read the report →Dentists use AI to read X-rays, but directories own the patient discovery layer.
Top cited: Google Business Profile, Healthgrades, Zocdoc, Yelp, WebMD
Read the report →The public figures most visible in the AI era.
Top cited: celebrities, athletes, founders, and creators
Read the report →Startup Nation visibility across AI answer engines.
Top cited: Israeli technology and innovation leaders
Read the report →What AI remembers when direct-to-consumer brands disappear.
Focus: defunct, distressed, and forgotten DTC brands
Read the report →Citation consolidation reshaping U.S. crypto.
Top cited: Coinbase, Kraken, Gemini
Read the report →JPMorgan dominates AI banking visibility while most regional banks are barely there.
Top cited: JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs, Chime
Read the report →Debt relief, lending, and credit brands compete for AI answer visibility.
Top cited: SoFi, National Debt Relief, Freedom Debt Relief
Read the report →Andreessen Horowitz dominates the VC answer layer.
Top cited: a16z, Sequoia Capital, Y Combinator
Read the report →Every major AI assistant shows self-citation lift except one.
Top cited: OpenAI, Anthropic, Google DeepMind
Read the report →Defense-tech challengers outperform the legacy primes in AI citation share.
Top cited: Anduril, Palantir, SpaceX
Read the report →Long-form, transcript-anchored video is the new institutional citation asset.
Top cited: YouTube, long-form explainers, structured transcripts
Read the report →How AI engines price, rank, and cite cannabis brands across 10 U.S. markets.
Top cited: Cookies, STIIIZY, Jungle Boys
Read the report →The ingredient-transparency moat.
Top cited: The Ordinary, CeraVe, Sephora
Read the report →78% of local-services brands are invisible to AI.
Top cited: national chains and platform aggregators
Read the report →73% citation duopoly post-ChatGPT app launch.
Top cited: The Knot, Zola, WeddingWire
Read the report →87% contractor invisibility gap.
Top cited: ServiceTitan, Roto-Rooter
Read the report →The family-controlled premium cigar moat.
Top cited: Padron, Arturo Fuente, Davidoff
Read the report →The $21B backyard category.
Top cited: Leslie's, Pinch A Penny, Pentair
Read the report →Publisher domains dominate the AI answer surface for cards and issuers.
Top cited: cards, issuers, and publisher recommendation surfaces
Read the report →Mister Car Wash, Tommy's Express, Quick Quack — and the Zips bankruptcy fallout.
Top cited: Mister Car Wash, Tommy's Express, Quick Quack
Read the report →88% independent funeral home invisibility.
Top cited: SCI / Dignity Memorial, Trust & Will, Eterneva
Read the report →The AI answer surface where scientific authority beats revenue rank.
Top cited: Thorne, Nature Made, Optimum Nutrition
Read the report →How AI engines recommend prestigious island destinations to affluent travelers.
Joint Haute Living Black and 5W AI Visibility Intelligence report
Read the report →WGU leads at 14%; seven schools are functionally invisible.
Top cited: WGU, SNHU, ASU Online
Read the report →Recommendation share is becoming the new market share.
Top cited: PING, TaylorMade, Callaway, Titleist
Read the study →A standardized framework for measuring brand-risk errors in AI answers.
Fashion pilot: accuracy, drift, and brand hallucination risk
Read the report →A joint 5W and Haute Wealth audit of UHNW wealth answers in AI engines.
Focus: premium financing, PPLI, ILITs, estate liquidity
Read the audit →Corporate veterinary groups dominate AI citation surfaces.
Top cited: Mars Petcare, Banfield, VCA
Read the report →Chicken, coffee, and Mediterranean brands reshape AI citations.
Top cited: McDonald's, Starbucks, Chick-fil-A
Read the report →Premium and retail pet brands lead AI-mediated consumer research.
Top cited: Chewy, The Farmer's Dog, Purina
Read the report →A Q2 2026 pilot study across high-intent buyer queries.
Top cited: category vendors ranked by citation share
Read the report →Find out where your brand sits on the citation surface across ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Gemini, and Google AI Overviews. Delivered in 10 business days.
Request auditQuote, cite, and distribute 5W's proprietary AI Visibility Index data inside your reports, decks, and earned media.
License terms5W will build an AI Visibility Index for your category, your competitive set, or your geography. Branded or co-branded.
Start a custom IndexGeneral inquiries — [email protected]
The 5W AI Visibility Index Series is a research franchise published by 5W, the AI Communications Firm. Each Index ranks the top brands in a single consumer or B2B category by citation share across ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Gemini, and Google AI Overviews. The series is the most extensive body of multi-engine Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) research produced by a U.S. communications firm.
5W runs a standardized prompt set across ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Gemini, and Google AI Overviews, captures every brand mentioned in generated answers, and calculates each brand's share of total citations within the category. Each Index publishes its methodology and version date.
The 5W AI Visibility Index tracks five engines: ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Gemini, and Google AI Overviews. These represent the dominant generative answer surfaces shaping consumer and B2B discovery in 2026.
The Series covers 39+ categories including Pickleball, Crypto & Digital Assets, Beauty, Banking, Venture Capital, Defense & Aerospace, AI Companies, Cannabis, Wedding Industry, HVAC & Plumbing, Pool & Spa, Funeral Services, Supplements, Online Universities, Restaurants & Chains, Pet Industry, Cybersecurity, Health Insurance, and Veterinary. A new category Index publishes monthly.
A new category Index publishes monthly. Existing Indexes are refreshed on a published cadence — AI engine citation behavior can shift month to month, and the version date on each report reflects the most recent measurement.
Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) is the practice of earning citation authority inside AI answer engines — ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Gemini, and Google AI Overviews. GEO combines schema, structured content, earned media, and source-mix engineering to make a brand readable, trustable, and citable by large language models. 5W operates a dedicated GEO practice for B2C and B2B clients.
SEO optimizes for ranked links inside a Google search results page. GEO optimizes for brand inclusion inside the AI-generated answer itself. Different ranking signals, different citation surfaces, different competitive sets. More than a third of consumers now begin product research with AI, not Google — making citation share inside AI answers a separate channel from organic search.
Yes. 5W builds custom, branded, or co-branded AI Visibility Indexes for clients across consumer and B2B categories. The same methodology used in the published Index Series is applied to a client-defined competitive set, geography, or product line.
A 5W GEO audit benchmarks a brand's current citation share across ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Gemini, and Google AI Overviews against a defined competitive set, identifies citation gaps and source-mix weaknesses, and delivers a prioritized GEO roadmap. Audits deliver in 10 business days.
Brands cited inside AI-generated answers enter the buyer's consideration set earlier. Brands invisible to AI engines are excluded from the consideration set entirely — regardless of paid media, search rank, or category leadership. Citation share is becoming the new market share in categories where AI answers shape consumer research.
Yes. 5W licenses Index data, charts, and findings for use in client reports, investor decks, earned media, and analyst briefings. Licensing terms vary by use case and distribution scope.
For GEO engagements, AI Visibility Index licensing, custom category research, or category-specific PR and communications, visit 5wpr.com/practice/geo-optimization or email [email protected].