Forbes was named in 60 of 288 four-engine answers (20.8%) and NerdWallet in 46 (16%), with overlapping intervals. Of 2,449 four-engine citations, review and comparison publishers supplied 813 (33.2%), company and brand sites 546 (22.3%) and general news and business press 439 (17.9%). Google AI Overviews appeared for 66 of 72 lookups and cited reddit.com in 29 of them.
RESEARCH · Published May 23, 2026 · Updated October 30, 2026
AI Citation Sources: Which Publishers AI Engines Name and Cite
Published May 23, 2026 · Updated October 30, 2026
288
AI answers analyzed across ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Perplexity
20.8%
of answers named Forbes, the most-named (60 of 288)
25
tracked sources named at least once (of 26)
91.7%
of Google searches showed an AI Overview (66 of 72)
Version 2. This version replaces the first version of this study, first published May 23, 2026. It uses measured counts, so the two versions are not comparable. Version 2 asks 24 questions three times each on ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Perplexity (288 answers) and adds Google AI Overviews. Every rate comes with its count and a 95% interval.
What the data shows
01
60/288 (20.8%)
Forbes was named in 60 of 288 four-engine answers (20.8%, CI 16.5–25.9%). NerdWallet followed with 46 of 288 (16%, CI 12.2–20.6%). The intervals overlap, so the two are statistically tied.
02
49.7%
Company and brand sites accounted for 1,217 of 2,449 four-engine citations (49.7%). Review and comparison publishers supplied 473 (19.3%) and general news media 249 (10.2%).
03
91.7%
A Google AI Overview appeared for 66 of 72 lookups (91.7%, CI 83–96.1%). Six lookups returned no overview.
04
29/66 (43.9%)
reddit.com was cited in 29 of 66 AI Overviews (43.9%). YouTube was named in 46 of 66 overviews (69.7%) but in only 2 of 288 four-engine answers (0.7%).
05
17/72 (23.6%)
Wikipedia was named in 17 of 72 ChatGPT answers (23.6%) and in 0 of 72 answers from each of Claude, Gemini and Perplexity.
06
33.3%
Gemini named Forbes in 24 of 72 answers (33.3%), the highest single-engine rate for any tracked source. Perplexity named Forbes in 8 of 72 (11.1%).
07
2/72 (2.8%)
Perplexity named NerdWallet in 2 of 72 answers (2.8%), compared with 20 of 72 for Gemini (27.8%) and 14 of 72 for ChatGPT (19.4%).
08
9/12 (75.0%)
Some questions had a clear first-named source. Kayak was named first in 9 of 12 answers on cheap flight timing, and PCMag in 7 of 12 answers on college laptops.
09
28/288 (9.7%)
Mayo Clinic was named in 28 of 288 four-engine answers (9.7%). When it appeared, its average first position was 1.4. It was the most-named source on diabetes symptoms (8 of 12) and statin side effects (8 of 12).
10
33.2%
Of 2,449 four-engine citations, review and comparison publishers supplied 813 (33.2%), company and brand sites 546 (22.3%) and general news and business press 439 (17.9%).
Appearance rate across 288 four-engine answers. The bar is the 95% confidence interval; overlapping bars cannot be told apart at this sample size.
Which sources AI engines name
Forbes
20.8%
NerdWallet
16.0%
PCMag
12.2%
RTINGS
10.4%
Mayo Clinic
9.7%
TechRadar
8.0%
Bankrate
7.3%
Wirecutter
5.9%
Wikipedia
5.9%
Consumer Reports
5.6%
The Points Guy
5.2%
CDC
4.5%
Kayak
4.5%
CNBC
4.5%
NIH / NCBI
3.5%
| # | Name | Named in | Appearance rate | 95% interval |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Forbes | 60/288 | 20.8% | 16.5–25.9% |
| 2 | NerdWallet | 46/288 | 16.0% | 12.2–20.6% |
| 3 | PCMag | 35/288 | 12.2% | 8.9–16.4% |
| 4 | RTINGS | 30/288 | 10.4% | 7.4–14.5% |
| 5 | Mayo Clinic | 28/288 | 9.7% | 6.8–13.7% |
| 6 | TechRadar | 23/288 | 8.0% | 5.4–11.7% |
| 7 | Bankrate | 21/288 | 7.3% | 4.8–10.9% |
| 8 | Wirecutter | 17/288 | 5.9% | 3.7–9.2% |
| 9 | Wikipedia | 17/288 | 5.9% | 3.7–9.2% |
| 10 | Consumer Reports | 16/288 | 5.6% | 3.4–8.8% |
| 11 | The Points Guy | 15/288 | 5.2% | 3.2–8.4% |
| 12 | CDC | 13/288 | 4.5% | 2.7–7.6% |
| 13 | Kayak | 13/288 | 4.5% | 2.7–7.6% |
| 14 | CNBC | 13/288 | 4.5% | 2.7–7.6% |
| 15 | NIH / NCBI | 10/288 | 3.5% | 1.9–6.3% |
The full list
Own-domain citation is the share of 288 grounded answers that cited the entity's own domains (subdomains included). Citation share is of all 2,449 citations.
| # | Source | Named in | Appearance rate | 95% interval | First mention | Own-domain citation | Citation share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Forbes | 60/288 | 20.8% | 16.5–25.9% | 1.8 | 28.8% (83/288) | 4.2% |
| 2 | NerdWallet | 46/288 | 16% | 12.2–20.6% | 1.7 | 24% (69/288) | 3.1% |
| 3 | PCMag | 35/288 | 12.2% | 8.9–16.4% | 1.5 | 13.5% (39/288) | 2% |
| 4 | RTINGS | 30/288 | 10.4% | 7.4–14.5% | 1.9 | 12.5% (36/288) | 2% |
| 5 | Mayo Clinic | 28/288 | 9.7% | 6.8–13.7% | 1.4 | 11.1% (32/288) | 1.9% |
| 6 | TechRadar | 23/288 | 8% | 5.4–11.7% | 1.9 | 11.8% (34/288) | 1.5% |
| 7 | Bankrate | 21/288 | 7.3% | 4.8–10.9% | 1.8 | 8% (23/288) | 0.9% |
| 8 | Wirecutter | 17/288 | 5.9% | 3.7–9.2% | 2.2 | 3.1% (9/288) | 0.4% |
| 9 | Wikipedia | 17/288 | 5.9% | 3.7–9.2% | 1.9 | 6.3% (18/288) | 1.1% |
| 10 | Consumer Reports | 16/288 | 5.6% | 3.4–8.8% | 1.9 | 4.9% (14/288) | 0.7% |
| 11 | The Points Guy | 15/288 | 5.2% | 3.2–8.4% | 1.9 | 5.9% (17/288) | 0.9% |
| 12 | CDC | 13/288 | 4.5% | 2.7–7.6% | 1.4 | 3.1% (9/288) | 0.4% |
| 13 | Kayak | 13/288 | 4.5% | 2.7–7.6% | 1.2 | 3.1% (9/288) | 0.5% |
| 14 | CNBC | 13/288 | 4.5% | 2.7–7.6% | 2.2 | 10.8% (31/288) | 1.6% |
| 15 | NIH / NCBI | 10/288 | 3.5% | 1.9–6.3% | 2.2 | 8.7% (25/288) | 1.4% |
| 16 | G2 | 8/288 | 2.8% | 1.4–5.4% | 2.4 | 6.3% (18/288) | 0.9% |
| 17 | WebMD | 7/288 | 2.4% | 1.2–4.9% | 1.4 | 4.9% (14/288) | 0.7% |
| 18 | Cleveland Clinic | 7/288 | 2.4% | 1.2–4.9% | 1.4 | 3.5% (10/288) | 0.4% |
| 19 | Healthline | 7/288 | 2.4% | 1.2–4.9% | 2.3 | 3.8% (11/288) | 0.4% |
| 20 | Tripadvisor | 5/288 | 1.7% | 0.7–4% | 1.2 | 1.4% (4/288) | 0.3% |
| 21 | Capterra | 4/288 | 1.4% | 0.5–3.5% | 1.8 | 2.4% (7/288) | 0.3% |
| 22 | Investopedia | 4/288 | 1.4% | 0.5–3.5% | 1.5 | 4.2% (12/288) | 0.5% |
| 23 | YouTube | 2/288 | 0.7% | 0.2–2.5% | 1 | 8.7% (25/288) | 1% |
| 24 | 2/288 | 0.7% | 0.2–2.5% | 2.5 | 5.9% (17/288) | 0.7% | |
| 25 | Allure | 0/288 | 0% | 0–1.3% | – | 1% (3/288) | 0.1% |
The top eight, side by side
| # | Name | Appearance rate | Answers and interval | Other measures |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Forbes | 20.8% | 60/288 answers · 95% CI 16.5–25.9% | first-mention position: 1.8; owned-domain citation (83/288): 28.8%; citation share: 4.2% |
| 2 | NerdWallet | 16.0% | 46/288 answers · 95% CI 12.2–20.6% | first-mention position: 1.7; owned-domain citation (69/288): 24%; citation share: 3.1% |
| 3 | PCMag | 12.2% | 35/288 answers · 95% CI 8.9–16.4% | first-mention position: 1.5; owned-domain citation (39/288): 13.5%; citation share: 2% |
| 4 | RTINGS | 10.4% | 30/288 answers · 95% CI 7.4–14.5% | first-mention position: 1.9; owned-domain citation (36/288): 12.5%; citation share: 2% |
| 5 | Mayo Clinic | 9.7% | 28/288 answers · 95% CI 6.8–13.7% | first-mention position: 1.4; owned-domain citation (32/288): 11.1%; citation share: 1.9% |
| 6 | TechRadar | 8.0% | 23/288 answers · 95% CI 5.4–11.7% | first-mention position: 1.9; owned-domain citation (34/288): 11.8%; citation share: 1.5% |
| 7 | Bankrate | 7.3% | 21/288 answers · 95% CI 4.8–10.9% | first-mention position: 1.8; owned-domain citation (23/288): 8%; citation share: 0.9% |
| 8 | Wirecutter | 5.9% | 17/288 answers · 95% CI 3.7–9.2% | first-mention position: 2.2; owned-domain citation (9/288): 3.1%; citation share: 0.4% |
All four engines returned grounded answers for 72 of 72 prompts each. ChatGPT was the only engine that named Wikipedia (17 of 72, 23.6%). It also named G2 in 7 of 72 answers and Consumer Reports in 10 of 72, more often than any other engine. Gemini named the large publishers most often, including Forbes 24 of 72 (33.3%), NerdWallet 20 of 72 (27.8%) and PCMag 18 of 72 (25%).
ChatGPT
72 asked · 72 returned · 72 grounded
Same questions, different answers
Wikipedia
23.6%
NerdWallet
19.4%
Forbes
16.7%
RTINGS
16.7%
TechRadar
16.7%
Consumer Reports
13.9%
Claude
72 asked · 72 returned · 72 grounded
Forbes
22.2%
NerdWallet
13.9%
CNBC
9.7%
WebMD
8.3%
Healthline
8.3%
RTINGS
6.9%
Gemini
72 asked · 72 returned · 72 grounded
Forbes
33.3%
NerdWallet
27.8%
PCMag
25.0%
RTINGS
15.3%
Mayo Clinic
11.1%
Bankrate
11.1%
Perplexity
72 asked · 72 returned · 72 grounded
Forbes
11.1%
PCMag
11.1%
Mayo Clinic
8.3%
Bankrate
6.9%
The Points Guy
4.2%
Kayak
4.2%
Google AI Overviews were captured through 72 U.S. desktop searches and scored only where an overview appeared, so five-engine figures use 288 + 66 = 354 answers.
The fifth engine
92%
Trigger rate: 66 of 72 searches
Google showed an AI Overview for 66 of 72 lookups (91.7%, CI 83–96.1%). Three questions triggered an overview in only 1 of 3 lookups: noise-cancelling headphones, Paris family hotels and college laptops. Of 233 Google AI Overview citations, community and social sites supplied 66 (28.3%) and company and brand sites 58 (24.9%). The four-engine figures were 546 of 2,449 (22.3%) for company and brand sites and 68 of 2,449 (2.8%) for community and social sites. YouTube was named in 46 of 66 (69.7%). Among publishers, NerdWallet was named in 16 of 66 overviews (24.2%) and Forbes in 10 of 66 (15.2%).
| Five-engine rank | Name | Five-engine rate | Four-engine rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Forbes | 19.8% | 1 |
| 2 | NerdWallet | 17.5% | 2 |
| 3 | YouTube | 13.6% | 23 |
| 4 | PCMag | 12.1% | 3 |
| 5 | Mayo Clinic | 9.9% | 5 |
| 6 | 9.3% | 24 | |
| 7 | RTINGS | 8.8% | 4 |
| 8 | Bankrate | 6.8% | 7 |
Who each question surfaces first
Six questions from the set. Each tile uses that question's own four-engine answers as the denominator.
| Question | Leader | Next | AI Overview |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q01 · 12 answers | Mayo Clinic 66.7% | CDC 58.3%; Cleveland Clinic 25.0% | AI Overview shown on 3 of 3 searches |
| Q02 · 12 answers | NerdWallet 66.7% | Forbes 66.7%; Bankrate 58.3% | AI Overview shown on 3 of 3 searches |
| Q03 · 12 answers | NerdWallet 25.0% | Investopedia 16.7%; Forbes 8.3% | AI Overview shown on 3 of 3 searches |
| Q04 · 12 answers | Mayo Clinic 8.3% | NIH / NCBI 8.3% | AI Overview shown on 3 of 3 searches |
| Q05 · 12 answers | Forbes 41.7% | YouTube 8.3% | AI Overview shown on 3 of 3 searches |
| Q06 · 12 answers | TechRadar 58.3% | Forbes 50.0%; PCMag 50.0% | AI Overview shown on 3 of 3 searches |
The four engines produced 2,449 citations. forbes.com was the most-cited domain with 99 occurrences (4%), appearing in 79 answers (27.4%). nerdwallet.com followed with 75 occurrences (3.1%) in 69 answers (24%), then rtings.com with 49 (2%).
Four AI engines · share of 288 grounded answers
Most-cited domains
forbes.com
27.4%
nerdwallet.com
24.0%
rtings.com
12.5%
techradar.com
11.8%
cnbc.com
10.8%
pcmag.com
10.4%
mayoclinic.org
10.1%
tomsguide.com
9.0%
youtube.com
8.7%
en.wikipedia.org
5.6%
Google AI Overviews · share of 66 overviews
reddit.com
43.9%
nerdwallet.com
13.6%
youtube.com
12.1%
pcmag.com
12.1%
facebook.com
9.1%
mayoclinic.org
9.1%
nytimes.com
6.1%
instagram.com
4.5%
tsa.gov
4.5%
quickbooks.intuit.com
4.5%
Citation share by source type
Share of all citations by the type of site cited. Source types were reclassified on October 29, 2026. 'Company / brand sites' now covers only the official sites of companies, brands and schools; publishers, directories, trade bodies and other sites have their own types, and sites that could not be placed are 'Other / unclassified'.
| Source type | Four AI engines (of 2,449 citations) | Google AI Overviews (of 233 citations) |
|---|---|---|
| Review / comparison publishers | 813 (33.2%) | 36 (15.5%) |
| Company / brand sites | 546 (22.3%) | 58 (24.9%) |
| General news / business press | 439 (17.9%) | 32 (13.7%) |
| Health publishers | 151 (6.2%) | 15 (6.4%) |
| Official / government | 142 (5.8%) | 17 (7.3%) |
| Trade / specialist press | 72 (2.9%) | 1 (0.4%) |
| Institutions / trade bodies | 71 (2.9%) | 6 (2.6%) |
| Community / social | 68 (2.8%) | 66 (28.3%) |
| Directories / rankings | 56 (2.3%) | 0 (0%) |
| Reference | 43 (1.8%) | 0 (0%) |
| Research / data providers | 24 (1%) | 2 (0.9%) |
| Other / unclassified | 24 (1%) | 0 (0%) |
How can sources improve their AI visibility?
These steps follow from the measured results above. They describe what the engines cited in this study and are not a guarantee of results.
| Step | What this study measured |
|---|---|
| Put your facts on your own domain. | Forbes's own domains were cited in 28.8% of grounded answers, NerdWallet's in 24.0% and PCMag's in 13.5%. Forbes was named in only 20.8% of answers, yet its own domains were cited in 28.8%. |
| Keep your facts accurate on the sites engines cite. | The most-cited sites other than the tracked names' own were tomsguide.com (in 9.0% of grounded answers), nbcnews.com (6.6%), money.com (5.6%), cnn.com (5.2%) and cnet.com (5.2%). Review and comparison publishers supplied 33.2% of citations and general news and business press 17.9%. |
| Check each engine separately. | Gemini named PCMag in 25.0% of answers against 0.0% on Claude. Gemini named NerdWallet in 27.8% of answers against 2.8% on Perplexity. |
| Do not ignore video and community sites. | Community and social sites supplied 28.3% of Google AI Overview citations against 2.8% in the four chat engines. reddit.com was cited in 43.9% of overviews, youtube.com in 12.1% and facebook.com in 9.1%. |
| Re-run the same questions every month. | Compare counts and intervals, not ranks. The 24 questions are in the appendix. |
Frequently asked questions
Which source did AI engines name most often?
Forbes was named in 60 of 288 four-engine answers (20.8%) and NerdWallet in 46 of 288 (16%). Their 95% intervals (16.5–25.9% and 12.2–20.6%) overlap, so the data cannot separate them.
How often did Google show an AI Overview?
An AI Overview appeared for 66 of 72 lookups (91.7%, CI 83–96.1%). Six lookups had no overview.
Do AI engines rely on Reddit?
It depends on the surface. Reddit was named in 2 of 288 four-engine answers (0.7%). In Google AI Overviews, reddit.com was cited in 29 of 66 overviews (43.9%) and was the top-cited domain with a 12.4% share.
What kinds of sites get cited most?
Of 2,449 four-engine citations, review and comparison publishers supplied 813 (33.2%), company and brand sites 546 (22.3%) and general news and business press 439 (17.9%). Review and comparison publishers followed with 473 (19.3%), then general news media with 249 (10.2%).
Does Wikipedia appear in AI answers?
Only ChatGPT named it, in 17 of 72 answers (23.6%). Claude, Gemini and Perplexity each named it in 0 of 72. en.wikipedia.org made up 26 of 2,449 citations (1.1%).
Which sources appeared on health questions?
Mayo Clinic was the most-named source on diabetes symptoms (8 of 12), statin side effects (8 of 12), back pain (5 of 12) and adult sleep needs (6 of 12). CDC was named first on diabetes symptoms in 6 of 12 answers.
How this study was measured
24 questions × 3 runs each × 4 AI engines = 288 answers + 72 Google searches · 66 AI Overviews
24 questions, each asked 3 times on each engine, measured October 26, 2026. Market: United States, English. The destination site was not mentioned to any engine. Entities count as named when they appear in the answer text or the extracted entity list; products, imprints and research arms roll up to their parent.
| Engine | Model IDs called | Asked | Returned | Grounded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT | gpt-5-mini | 72 | 72 | 72 |
| Claude | claude-sonnet-5-5 | 72 | 72 | 72 |
| Gemini | gemini-3.7-flash | 72 | 72 | 72 |
| Perplexity | sonar-pro | 72 | 72 | 72 |
| Google AI Overviews | DataForSEO Google SERP (live, advanced) | 72 | 66 shown | 66 |
Own-domain citations count a domain plus all its subdomains, with the same rule in every table.
Definitions
- Appearance rate: answers naming the entity ÷ answers returned, with Wilson 95% intervals.
- First mention: average order in which the entity first appears (1 = first).
- Own-domain citation: grounded answers citing the entity's domains ÷ grounded answers.
- Citation share: citations to the entity's domains ÷ all citations.
Limits
- Measured on one day, October 26, 2026. Answers came from each engine's API (model IDs above); the consumer apps can answer differently.
- The question set has 24 questions with 12 answers each, which gives 72 answers per engine. Per-engine rates therefore carry wide intervals.
- Named-source rates count mentions in answer text. Citation shares count linked domains. The two measures can differ for the same source, as with YouTube.
- Google AI Overviews are scored only for the 66 of 72 lookups where an overview appeared.
- Only 26 tracked sources are ranked. Names outside the tracked list, such as CeraVe and Fidelity Investments, are not ranked, and that list also contains extraction artifacts such as section labels.
- Intervals treat each answer as independent, so they understate uncertainty for the 24 repeated questions.
Appendix: The 24 questions
Questions marked "Core question" are the original study questions, asked word for word. The others are added neutral questions.
| # | Question | Group | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | What are the early symptoms of type 2 diabetes? | AI Citation Sources | Core question |
| 02 | Best high-yield savings account | AI Citation Sources | Core question |
| 03 | How should I start investing with little money? | AI Citation Sources | Core question |
| 04 | Best skincare routine for acne-prone skin | AI Citation Sources | Core question |
| 05 | Best retinol serum for beginners | AI Citation Sources | Core question |
| 06 | Best CRM software for small business | AI Citation Sources | Core question |
| 07 | Best project management tool for a remote team | AI Citation Sources | Core question |
| 08 | Best noise-cancelling headphones | AI Citation Sources | Core question |
| 09 | Best robot vacuum | AI Citation Sources | Core question |
| 10 | Best time to book flights for cheap fares | AI Citation Sources | Core question |
| 11 | Best travel credit card | AI Citation Sources | Core question |
| 12 | Best hotels in Paris for families | AI Citation Sources | Core question |
| 13 | How to treat lower back pain at home | AI Citation Sources | Core question |
| 14 | Best budgeting app | AI Citation Sources | Core question |
| 15 | How much sleep do adults need? | AI Citation Sources | Added question |
| 16 | What are the side effects of statins? | AI Citation Sources | Added question |
| 17 | How much should I keep in an emergency fund? | AI Citation Sources | Added question |
| 18 | Best moisturizer for dry skin | AI Citation Sources | Added question |
| 19 | Best accounting software for small business | AI Citation Sources | Added question |
| 20 | Best password manager for a business | AI Citation Sources | Added question |
| 21 | Best laptop for college students | AI Citation Sources | Added question |
| 22 | Best air purifier for allergies | AI Citation Sources | Added question |
| 23 | Best travel insurance for international trips | AI Citation Sources | Added question |
| 24 | How do I get TSA PreCheck? | AI Citation Sources | Added question |
Related 5W research
Where a statistic comes from matters as much as which publisher repeats it. The 5W PR Statistics Citation Audit checked 100 claims in five PR statistics roundups and found that 46 linked directly to the organization that produced the research or data.
About 5W
5W is an independent PR, creative and GEO agency founded in 2003, and we get you in the chatbox. All of our work is done in house, including media relations, site building and content. Learn more about our GEO practice or write to info@5wpr.com.
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