Observatory · Source type
Rankings and comparisons: the source AI engines trust to choose
Rankings, "best of", comparison and "alternatives" pages make up 29.9% of the sources AI engines cite on buying questions, and 88.1% for Claude. Data: 406,626 answers from six engines, July 12 to October 11, 2026.
Updated
30%
of all cited sources
88%
for Claude
45%
in marketing agencies
When a buyer asks an AI engine which provider to choose, the engine often answers by summarizing lists others have already made. Across the Observatory, rankings and comparison pages make up 29.9% of cited sources, by far the largest third-party category ahead of reviews and directories (4.0%).
The weight varies by engine: 88.1% for Claude, 61.6% for Gemini, 48.5% for Copilot, 33.4% for Perplexity, 28.5% for ChatGPT and 25.1% for Google AI Overviews. On Claude, listicles alone are 55.7% of cited pages.
It also varies by sector: 45.0% for marketing agencies, 42.8% in finance, 33.9% in B2B software and 33.7% in retail and fashion, down to 9.7% in real estate and 6.3% in coaching and advisory.
On ChatGPT, the share fell from 36.8% in July to 28.8% in October; on Copilot it held around 48.5%. Getting into the rankings that cover your category, by contacting their publishers and giving them verifiable facts, is the core of our authority and citations work.
Method
406,626 AI answers collected every day from July 12, 2026 to October 11, 2026 on over 1,700 purchase-intent questions tracked by Archipel (mostly in French, plus the United States and the Netherlands). ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Perplexity and Copilot: Profound data. Claude and Gemini: Peec AI data. Sources are classified automatically from their address and title. Figures are aggregated: no brand or client is published. Free to reuse with a link to this page.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
What share of AI citations come from rankings and comparison pages?
Which AI engine cites rankings and "best of" lists the most?
In which sectors do rankings matter most for AI visibility?
Is ChatGPT citing fewer rankings over time?
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