AI-powered search has become part of daily life for hundreds of millions of people. OpenAI announced that ChatGPT reached more than 900 million weekly active users as of February 27, 2026 (OpenAI). Google has told investors its AI driven search features now reach billions of people each month. For business owners and marketers, this means customer research is increasingly happening inside AI conversations, not just traditional search making visibility in these tools a growing priority alongside classic SEO.
Ready to grow your online presence? Explore our digital marketing agency for tailored growth strategies.
Why AI Brand Visibility Matters Now
The numbers below measure different things, so it’s worth being precise about each one before comparing platforms. ChatGPT reached 900 million weekly active users in February 2026, up from 800 million in October 2025 (OpenAI). That’s a weekly figure, and it shouldn’t be compared directly to platforms reporting monthly numbers.
Google told investors on its Q2 2025 earnings call that AI Overviews had reached more than 2 billion monthly users across over 200 countries and 40 languages (Alphabet). A year later, Google said it had merged AI Overviews and AI Mode into one combined search experience, with AI Mode alone surpassing 1 billion monthly active users since its global expansion.
Perplexity doesn’t publish official monthly active user figures the way OpenAI and Google do. Third-party trackers estimate it reached roughly 34–45 million monthly active users in 2026, more than double the ~22 million it had at the start of 2025. In India, Sensor Tower data reported by Storyboard18 found ChatGPT led the market with 180 million monthly active users in January 2026, followed by Google’s Gemini at 118 million and Perplexity at 19 million (Storyboard18).
| Platform | Latest Verified User Figure | Growth / Usage Data | Why It Matters for Brands |
| ChatGPT | 900M weekly active users (OpenAI, Feb 2026) | Up from 800M (Oct 2025) | Large, growing pool asking for recommendations and research |
| Google AI Overviews / AI Mode | 2B+ monthly users (Alphabet, Jul 2025); AI Mode passed 1B MAU (Google, Jul 2026) | Merged into one combined Search experience | Citations can influence what users see during research |
| Perplexity | ~34–45M monthly active users (third-party estimates, 2026) | More than doubled from ~22M (early 2025); 19M MAU in India (Sensor Tower, Jan 2026) | Smaller but fast-growing, citation-heavy audience |
Independent research also shows AI summaries change click behavior. Pew Research Center found searches with an AI Overview produced an 8% click-through rate to outside websites, versus 15% without on a reminder that appearing in an AI answer doesn’t automatically bring a website visit.
How to Get Your Brand Mentioned in ChatGPT
There’s no submission system that guarantees a mention. Focus on being genuinely easy for the model and the sources it draws on to find and trust:
- Publish content that directly answers specific customer questions
- Earn mentions and links from credible, relevant third-party sites
- Keep your business name, description, and details consistent everywhere online
- Share original research, data, or first hand expertise
- Collect genuine, verifiable customer reviews
ChatGPT’s answers vary by model version, whether browsing is active, and how a question is worded, so no single tactic guarantees results.
How to Improve Your Chances of Appearing in Google AI Overviews
Traditional SEO fundamentals still apply, and inclusion is never guaranteed. What helps:
- Match content to real search intent with clear, direct answers
- Demonstrate E-E-A-T: experience, expertise, authority, and trust
- Use structured content headings, lists, schema markup
- Build quality backlinks and sensible internal linking
- Keep technical SEO and page experience solid, and update content regularly
How to Get Your Brand Cited by Perplexity
Perplexity is built around citations, so credibility carries more weight than keyword tactics:
- Prioritize factual accuracy and cite your own sources clearly
- Publish original research or statistics others can reference
- Structure pages so answers are easy to extract
- Earn coverage on authoritative third-party sites through digital PR
- Keep information current outdated content is less likely to be cited
7 Ways to Improve Your AI Search Visibility
- Create content that answers real questions. Build pages around the exact queries your customers ask.
- Build topical authority. Cover your niche in depth across multiple pages, not just one post.
- Publish original research and data. Original numbers get cited more than recycled summaries.
- Earn credible third-party mentions. Digital PR carries more weight than self-published claims.
- Strengthen your brand reputation. Genuine reviews and consistent details build trust.
- Keep business information consistent. Mismatched details confuse both search engines and AI models.
- Monitor how AI platforms describe your brand. Check regularly and adjust your strategy based on what you find.
What AI Visibility Can Mean for Your Business
AI mentions create additional opportunities for discovery, awareness, and influence during customer research they do not guarantee traffic, leads, or sales. Outcomes depend on your industry, competition, content quality, and how users act on what they read. Treat AI visibility as one more channel for consideration, not a replacement for search rankings or reviews.
You can track this manually by asking AI platforms questions like “What are the best digital marketing agencies in India?” or “What companies specialize in performance marketing?” Record whether your brand appeared, its position, whether a citation was given, which sites were cited, and which competitors showed up. This isn’t a formal ranking system, but tracking it over time builds a useful picture.
Turn your marketing goals into measurable results with a trusted full service marketing agency
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get my brand mentioned in ChatGPT?
Build genuine authority through helpful content, credible third-party mentions, and consistent business information there’s no guaranteed submission process.
Does SEO help with Google AI Overviews?
Yes. Strong E-E-A-T signals, structured content, and quality backlinks improve overall discoverability, though inclusion is never guaranteed.
How can I check whether AI platforms mention my brand?
Manually ask AI tools relevant questions about your industry and record whether, where, and how your brand appears compared to competitors.
