Walker Sands Launches B2B AI Search Visibility Benchmark to Measure Enterprise Brand Presence in AI-Generated Search Results

Analysis highlights the growing gap between search rankings and AI-driven visibility, highest performers and leading and lagging industry sectors

CHICAGO, April 01, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Generative AI is rapidly reshaping how enterprise buyers discover and evaluate vendors. Yet according to the B2B AI Search Visibility Benchmark, released today by Walker Sands, an integrated B2B growth services agency, most enterprise brands rarely appear in the AI Overviews buyers increasingly rely on for research.

The analysis found that AI Overviews appear in nearly 50% of search results pages for keywords where enterprise B2B companies rank, yet the typical enterprise B2B brand is cited in just 3% of AI-generated answers that they are relevant for. This suggests a growing disconnect between traditional search visibility and influence within AI-powered discovery experiences.

Walker Sands developed the B2B AI Search Visibility Benchmark to establish a market-wide benchmark for how enterprise B2B brands perform in this emerging AI search environment. The firm analyzed nearly 45 million relevant search keywords across 828 enterprise B2B companies spanning 14 technology industries, evaluating how often brands rank for relevant keywords, how frequently those keywords trigger AI Overviews and how often a brand’s owned content is cited within those responses.

“AI-generated answers are quickly becoming a primary gateway to information for enterprise buyers, but most brands are unaware if they or their competitors are shaping those AI responses,” said John Fairley, senior vice president of marketing operations and SEO at Walker Sands. “As adoption accelerates, these systems will increasingly determine which brands and perspectives buyers encounter during research. Traditional SEO strategy has focused on expanding keyword coverage and ranking for more keywords. The B2B AI Search Visibility Benchmark shows that ranking breadth alone doesn’t predict citation inclusion.”

Additional key trends that emerged from the research:

• Keyword coverage alone doesn’t guarantee AI search visibility — The median enterprise B2B company ranks for 9,700 keywords, yet many brands that rank broadly still rarely appear within AI-generated answers. Companies that consistently influence AI responses tend to demonstrate deep topic authority, structured content and clear explanations that directly address buyer questions.
• Some brands are completely absent from AI answers — 4.6% of enterprise B2B companies are not cited in AI-generated search responses for the keywords they are relevant for, meaning potential buyers may never encounter those brands during early research stages.
• The cybersecurity industry leads with the highest share of brand citations in AI-generated results, while professional services ranks lowest — showing that brands in some industries are successfully shaping AI narratives, while others are losing visibility to publishers and third-party sources.
  
  

“Companies that already demonstrate strong topic authority and structured content in organic search are better positioned to influence those answers,” Fairley said. “To improve visibility, brands should prioritize specificity, clarity and consistent coverage across related content areas to build topical relevance and authority. Search AI systems surface relevant, authoritative content that is optimized for consumption and analysis by search and generative AI systems.”

See the top performers in your industry and learn how to increase your visibility in AI-generated search results. Explore the full B2B AI Search Visibility Benchmark and best practices guide here.

About Walker Sands
Walker Sands is an integrated B2B growth services agency with expertise in strategy, data, content, creative, strategic communications and digital marketing. The agency’s Outcome-based Marketing approach helps B2B brands grow, build reputation, generate demand, drive engagement and strengthen market position. A 10-time Inc. 5000 honoree, Walker Sands is one of the fastest-growing B2B agencies in the world, proudly serving 100+ clients from offices in Chicago, Seattle and Boston. Learn more at walkersands.com.

Contact Information:
Rachel Cullitan
rachel.cullitan@walkersands.com 

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