The AI-driven transformation of B2B software discovery has accelerated dramatically, with buyers increasingly turning to large language models and chatbots for recommendations instead of traditional search engines. G2, the world's largest and most trusted software marketplace, reports that its Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) software category has expanded from 7 products at launch in March 2025 to over 150 today, representing more than 2000% growth. This surge reflects the urgent need for B2B companies to maintain visibility and influence in AI-powered search environments.
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The shift in buyer behavior is compressing the traditional purchasing journey and redefining how brands win attention. Rather than competing for clicks in conventional search results, organizations must now secure favorable mentions, accurate descriptions, and strong citations directly within AI-generated responses.
"The modern buying journey is compressed by AI, and winning today means winning the answer, not just the click," said Emily Greathouse, Director, Market Research at G2. "Companies need tools that move beyond traditional search engine optimization (SEO) metrics to focus on AI visibility and LLM ranking factors. The rapid growth of AEO software on G2 signals that go-to-market (GTM) leaders recognize the need for this new layer of data to accurately track their brand's presence in the age of AI-powered search."
AEO software addresses this by providing visibility into how brands appear in AI outputs, monitoring for potential biases or inaccuracies in AI interpretations, offering transparency on ranking influences, and enabling competitive benchmarking. These capabilities help vendors reduce uncertainty in the AI "black box" and strengthen credibility in conversational search interfaces.
G2's Winter 2026 Grid Report, which became eligible with sufficient reviews and products, groups solutions into Leaders, High Performers, Contenders, and Niche quadrants based on customer satisfaction and market presence. Profound earned Leader status, reflecting strong performance in delivering actionable insights for AI visibility and control.
"The way people discover, evaluate, and trust software has fundamentally changed. As buyers turn to answer engines for fast, direct guidance, there's a rising demand from companies for software solutions that power their AEO strategies," said Trevor Pyle, Head of Marketing, Profound. "At Profound, we've built our platform around the real questions customers ask and how AI interprets and cites brands. The recent recognition as a Leader in G2's Winter 2026 Grid Report for this emerging category reflects both the momentum of AEO innovation and the results our customers are seeing as they gain greater visibility, accuracy, and control in the age of AI."
G2 itself remains a highly cited source in LLMs, ranking among the top 20 most-referenced domains per a Semrush study from October 2025. This positions the marketplace as a critical reference for both buyers seeking authentic peer insights and vendors optimizing for AI-driven discovery.
As AI continues reshaping B2B software evaluation, AEO emerges as an essential discipline alongside traditional SEO, empowering brands to adapt to a future where answers, not links, drive decisions.
About G2
G2 is the world's largest and most trusted software marketplace. More than 100 million people annually — including employees at all Fortune 500 companies — use G2 to make smarter software decisions based on authentic peer reviews. Thousands of software companies partner with G2 to build their reputation and grow their business — including Salesforce, HubSpot, Zoom, and Adobe.
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