Yes, in most answers in our test with web search available. In Answersky’s Oct 15, 2026 test of B2B buyer questions, a leading AI assistant searched the web in 52 of 56 answers and linked its sources in all 52. For those tested questions, the assistant usually searched the web before answering. These counts do not separate the influence of retrieved pages from what the model learned in training.
| What we counted | Answers | Test and source |
|---|---|---|
| Searched the web | 52 of 56 | Oct 15, 2026, a leading AI assistant: B2B firms study |
| Linked sources | 52 of 56 | Oct 15, 2026, a leading AI assistant: statistics page |
| Cited a list-style page ("best", "top", "vs" or "alternatives" in the address) | 43 of 52 with sources | Oct 15, 2026, a leading AI assistant: statistics page |
| Cited at least one site | 95 of 108 | Oct 12, 2026, ChatGPT and Perplexity: statistics page |
Answersky (answersky.com) is AI visibility software for businesses. This post gives the counts, shows what kind of pages the assistant read, and says what our tests cannot tell you.
How often did the assistant search the web?
In Answersky’s Oct 15, 2026 test, we asked a leading AI assistant, with web search available, 28 buyer questions about B2B firms, each asked twice: 56 answers. The questions were of the form “what are the best fractional CFO firms for a Series A startup?” or “which firms help a SaaS startup get SOC 2 compliant quickly?” The instructions told the assistant to help a buyer, name specific companies where relevant, and use web search when it helps. The full method is on the B2B firms study.
In Answersky’s Oct 15, 2026 test, it searched in 52 of the 56 answers. The other 4 had no recorded search and no linked sources, and they still named firms. The test doesn’t show where the names in those four came from.
Searched the web, and what it cited
Answersky's Oct 15, 2026 test, a leading AI assistant, B2B buyer questions.
Of 56 answers
- Searched the web
- 52
- Linked sources
- 52
Of the 52 answers with linked sources
- Cited a list-style page
- 43
"List-style": "best", "top", "vs" or "alternatives" in the web address.
Oct 15, 2026. Of 56 answers: searched the web 52, linked sources 52. Of the 52 answers with linked sources: cited a list-style page 43.
What did it read when it searched?
Mostly pages that rank or compare firms. In Answersky’s Oct 15, 2026 test, list-style pages, with “best”, “top”, “vs” or “alternatives” in the web address, were cited in 43 of the 52 answers that linked sources. We read that from the address only, so it says how the page’s web address looks, not what is on the page.
In Answersky’s Oct 15, 2026 test, other websites such as articles, media and blogs were cited in 49 of the 52, and review or partner directories in 16 of the 52. An answer can cite several types. The table of site types is on our statistics page, and the earlier post on which websites AI cites covers the kinds of site, so we won’t repeat it here.
A citation shows that an answer linked a page. It doesn’t show that the page decided who was named.
Did the other test show the same?
Broadly, though the questions and assistants differ. In Answersky’s Oct 12, 2026 test, ChatGPT and Perplexity were asked buyer questions for accounting, law and one more kind of practice in three US cities, with web search on. 95 of 108 of their answers cited at least one site.
Answers that cited at least one site
Answersky's Oct 12, 2026 test, ChatGPT and Perplexity, out of 108 answers.
- Cited a site
- 95
That is a count of answers that cited a site, not of searches. It is a different mix of assistants, different questions and a different day from the B2B test, so we don’t add the two together. We put them side by side only because they point the same way.
Does that mean the web matters more than what the model learned?
For these questions, in these tests, the web was part of most answers. That is all we can say. A model’s training also shapes what it says, and we didn’t separate the two. So we won’t say which counted more.
What the numbers do support is narrower. When an assistant searches, it reads pages that exist now. A vendor’s own site, a profile on a directory and a mention on a list page are all things an assistant could have read the day it answered. In Answersky’s Oct 15, 2026 test, a named firm’s own website was cited, by our approximate match, in about 45 of the 52 answers with sources.
We didn’t test how fast a new or changed page is picked up. We also don’t know how the assistant chose the firms on its list. Nothing in this post shows that any change to a page gets a firm named.
What are the limits?
- Search was on. Both tests ran through the assistants’ APIs with web search available. Consumer apps can decide whether to search automatically. So these counts tell you what happened when search was in play, not how often your buyer’s own chat searches. OpenAI’s help page explains that ChatGPT may search automatically when current information would help, and that web-search responses may include citations.
- One assistant, one day. In Answersky’s Oct 15, 2026 test, all 56 answers came from one leading AI assistant. Others, and other days, can differ.
- Our questions asked for names. The instructions said to name specific companies where relevant. We didn’t test without that.
- Approximate counts. List-style is read from the web address, and firm-site matches are approximate.
Why we repeat questions at all is on the how it works page: one answer is a sample.
What can I check this week?
Ask the assistants your buyer’s question the way a buyer would, without your company name, and see whether they show sources. Write down the addresses of the pages they cite, the date and the wording, then repeat on another day. If the cited pages are lists, look at whether your details there are accurate. Don’t pay for a place on a list because of this post. Nothing here shows that it works.
How to check if ChatGPT mentions your business has a sheet to copy, and how to get onto the pages AI already cites goes through what to do for each type of site. If your business isn’t named at all, start with why ChatGPT doesn’t recommend my business. All our numbers, each with its test date, are on the AI visibility statistics page.
Free Quick Scan: 6 of your buyers’ questions on ChatGPT and Perplexity: 12 answers and who AI named instead of you.
