Without benchmarks, you can’t know if your AI citation rate of 22% is excellent or terrible. Industry context matters — the same rate could put you in the top 10% in healthcare or the bottom 30% in technology. This guide provides citation rate benchmarks across major industries based on aggregated data from GEO monitoring platforms and our own research.
Key takeaway: AI citation rates vary by 3-4x across industries. Your competitive set within your specific industry matters more than cross-industry averages. Use these benchmarks to set realistic goals and identify whether you’re ahead or behind. Our Landing Pages for AI-Referred Visitors guide covers this in detail.
How Were These Benchmarks Calculated?
Data sources:
We aggregated data from multiple sources:
- Our 10M AI search results study (see linked article)
- Anonymized data from GEO monitoring platforms
- Direct surveying of 200+ marketing teams across industries
- Independent testing of 50 queries per industry vertical
Measurement methodology:
For each industry, we identified 50 representative queries (mix of informational, commercial, and navigational) and tested across ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews. Citation rate = percentage of queries where a given domain was cited.
We measured citation rates at three levels: As we discuss in How Do AI Search Engines Decide What to Cite?, this is a critical factor.
- Domain-level: Was the domain cited for any query?
- Query-level: For a specific query, was the domain cited?
- Engine-level: Which AI engine cited the domain?
Important caveats:
- These are 2026 benchmarks and will change as AI search evolves
- Citation rates are higher for market leaders and lower for newer sites
- The query set significantly impacts measured citation rates
- AI response variability means these are averages, not deterministic numbers
What Are the Citation Rate Benchmarks by Industry?
Technology / SaaS:
| Metric | Bottom 25% | Median | Top 25% | Top 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall citation rate | < 10% | 22% | 38% | 52% |
| Perplexity | < 12% | 26% | 42% | 58% |
| ChatGPT | < 7% | 18% | 32% | 45% |
| Google AIO | < 8% | 20% | 35% | 48% |
Technology has the highest citation rates because tech content is well-structured, frequently updated, and AI training data is rich in this domain. SaaS comparison and review content is particularly well-cited.
eCommerce / Retail:
| Metric | Bottom 25% | Median | Top 25% | Top 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall citation rate | < 6% | 15% | 28% | 40% |
| Perplexity | < 8% | 18% | 32% | 44% |
| ChatGPT | < 4% | 12% | 22% | 35% |
| Google AIO | < 5% | 14% | 26% | 38% |
eCommerce citation rates are driven by product comparison and recommendation queries. Sites with buying guides and structured product data outperform pure product-listing sites.
Healthcare / Medical:
| Metric | Bottom 25% | Median | Top 25% | Top 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall citation rate | < 4% | 10% | 18% | 28% |
| Perplexity | < 5% | 12% | 20% | 30% |
| ChatGPT | < 3% | 8% | 15% | 24% |
| Google AIO | < 3% | 9% | 16% | 25% |
Healthcare has lower citation rates because AI engines apply strict YMYL filters, preferring .gov, .edu, and major medical institution sources. Private healthcare sites need strong E-E-A-T signals to compete.
Finance / Fintech:
| Metric | Bottom 25% | Median | Top 25% | Top 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall citation rate | < 5% | 12% | 22% | 32% |
| Perplexity | < 6% | 14% | 24% | 35% |
| ChatGPT | < 3% | 10% | 18% | 28% |
| Google AIO | < 4% | 11% | 20% | 30% |
Finance follows a similar pattern to healthcare — YMYL filters reduce citation rates for smaller sites. Established financial publications (NerdWallet, Bankrate, Investopedia) dominate AI citations in this space. If you want to go deeper, How to Run a GEO Competitor Analysis breaks this down step by step.
Education / EdTech:
| Metric | Bottom 25% | Median | Top 25% | Top 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall citation rate | < 8% | 18% | 30% | 42% |
| Perplexity | < 10% | 22% | 34% | 48% |
| ChatGPT | < 6% | 15% | 26% | 38% |
| Google AIO | < 7% | 16% | 28% | 40% |
Education content is well-suited for AI citation because it’s inherently informational and structured. Tutorial-style content with step-by-step instructions performs particularly well. (We explore this further in How to Write Answer Units — Paragraphs AI Can Quote.)
Marketing / Digital Services:
| Metric | Bottom 25% | Median | Top 25% | Top 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall citation rate | < 7% | 17% | 30% | 44% |
| Perplexity | < 9% | 20% | 34% | 48% |
| ChatGPT | < 5% | 14% | 26% | 38% |
| Google AIO | < 6% | 15% | 28% | 40% |
Marketing content is moderately well-cited. The space is competitive with many authoritative sources (HubSpot, Moz, Search Engine Journal, Ahrefs) dominating AI citations.
How Do Citation Rates Differ by Query Type?
Across all industries, citation rates vary significantly by query intent:
| Query Type | Average Citation Rate | Most Cited Source Type |
|---|---|---|
| ”What is [concept]“ | 45% | Authoritative definitions, encyclopedia-style |
| ”How to [task]“ | 38% | Tutorial sites, documentation |
| ”Best [product category]“ | 32% | Review sites, comparison pages |
| ”[Product A] vs [Product B]“ | 35% | Comparison articles |
| ”[Specific question]“ | 28% | Niche experts, forums |
| ”[Brand name]“ | 52% | Brand’s own website |
Key insight: Definitional queries (“what is X”) have the highest citation rates across all industries. If you can become the authoritative definitional source for terms in your industry, you’ll capture citations at higher rates than for any other query type. This relates closely to what we cover in Future of Search: What to Expect in 2026-2027.
How Should You Use These Benchmarks?
Step 1: Find your industry baseline.
Locate your industry in the tables above. Your target should be the median initially, then top 25%.
Step 2: Measure your current rate.
Track your citation rate for 50+ queries over 4 weeks. Use the methodology described in our GEO dashboard guide.
Step 3: Set realistic goals.
| Your Current Rate | 3-Month Goal | 6-Month Goal |
|---|---|---|
| Below bottom 25% | Reach bottom 25% | Reach median |
| Around median | Reach top 25% | Maintain top 25% |
| At top 25% | Reach top 10% | Maintain and expand query coverage |
| At top 10% | Maintain and expand | Dominate — increase query set |
Step 4: Identify your biggest gaps.
Compare your per-engine rates to benchmarks. If you’re at the median for Perplexity but bottom 25% for Google AIO, focus on the factors that drive Google AIO citations (traditional rankings, structured data).
Step 5: Track monthly progress.
Plot your citation rate against industry benchmarks monthly. Celebrate crossing benchmark thresholds — these are meaningful milestones that demonstrate GEO program progress.
Important reminder: These benchmarks are a snapshot of 2026. AI search is evolving rapidly, and citation rates across all industries are trending upward as AI search adoption grows and more sites optimize for GEO. Revisit external benchmarks every 6 months, but focus primarily on your own trend line — consistent improvement matters more than hitting a specific number.
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