Cited in every usable brand answer. The gap sits one question earlier.
All four usable brand checks cited O8. None of the six category checks did—the normal starting position for almost every brand we measure, and the specific gap this work closes. Below: three brand questions and three unbranded category questions, each run once in ChatGPT Search and once in Google Search—twelve checks in all, two ending in provider errors and reported separately. Every captured answer and returned source is included.
What the two question types measure
A brand question tests whether an engine can find and cite you when the buyer already knows your name. A category question tests whether you appear before the buyer has a vendor shortlist—which is where new pipeline is won or lost.
Usable brand checks cited O8
All four usable checks named and cited O8. Two additional Google checks ended in provider errors and are reported separately—not counted as misses.
Category checks named O8
Across three category questions and both engines, O8 was absent from all six answers. This is the usual starting point rather than an outlier—category presence is earned deliberately, and it is what the engagement is built to change.
How the evidence works: “Cited” means an o8.agency URL appeared in the returned source list. Each card shows up to five cited domains in the engine’s returned order; order does not indicate ranking or prominence. Each card’s complete URL list is under “View returned evidence.”
The returned sources linked to O8-owned service and company pages.
Across all three category questions, both engines named other agencies and cited third-party sources.
Question-by-question evidence
Brand checks ran as one batch at 19:36 UTC; category checks ran as one batch at 20:51 UTC. Expand any card for the captured answer and complete returned sources.
Brand checks
What does O8 (o8.agency) do, and who is it for?
O8 appeared and an o8.agency URL was cited. 3 returned sources.
What does O8 (o8.agency) do, and who is it for?
Google returned an internal provider error. We could not distinguish a suppressed AI Overview from a tooling failure, so we cannot determine whether O8 was named or cited in this check.
View returned evidence
What services or solutions does O8 (o8.agency) offer?
O8 appeared and an o8.agency URL was cited. 4 returned sources.
What services or solutions does O8 (o8.agency) offer?
O8 appeared and an o8.agency URL was cited. 11 returned sources.
View returned evidence
All returned source URLs
- https://www.o8.agency/
- https://www.o8.agency/about-us
- https://www.linkedin.com/company/o8
- https://www.mobileappdaily.com/company/o8-agency
- https://www.o8.agency/our-work
- https://www.o8.agency/services
- https://ecosystem.hubspot.com/marketplace/solutions/o8
- https://www.o8.agency/services/seo
- https://www.o8.agency/services/personalization-solutions
- https://www.o8.agency/pricing
- https://www.o8.agency/es
When should a buyer consider O8 (o8.agency)?
O8 appeared and an o8.agency URL was cited. 2 returned sources.
View returned evidence
When should a buyer consider O8 (o8.agency)?
Google returned an internal provider error. We could not distinguish a suppressed AI Overview from a tooling failure, so we cannot determine whether O8 was named or cited in this check.
View returned evidence
Category checks
What is GEO (generative engine optimization) and which agencies offer it?
O8 did not appear in the answer or returned citations. 14 returned sources.
View returned evidence
All returned source URLs
- https://arxiv.org/abs/2311.09735?utm_source=chatgpt.com
- https://www.firstpier.com/resources/generative-engine-optimization-geo-services?utm_source=chatgpt.com
- https://arxiv.org/abs/2509.08919?utm_source=chatgpt.com
- https://directiveconsulting.com/
- https://www.siegemedia.com/
- https://www.animalz.co/
- https://ipullrank.com/
- https://gofishdigital.com/
- https://interodigital.com/
- https://graphite.com/
- https://userp.io/
- https://omnius.so/
- https://skale.so/
- https://thedigitalelevator.com/blog/best-generative-engine-optimization-geo-agencies/?utm_source=chatgpt.com
What is GEO (generative engine optimization) and which agencies offer it?
O8 did not appear in the answer or returned citations. 11 returned sources.
View returned evidence
All returned source URLs
- https://thriveagency.com/news/top-generative-engine-optimization-geo-agencies/
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKkaAVLD5yk
- https://www.seerinteractive.com/insights/what-is-generative-engine-optimization-geo
- https://powerdigitalmarketing.com/services/generative-engine-optimization-services/
- https://www.1digitalagency.com/generative-engine-optimization/
- https://www.semrush.com/blog/generative-engine-optimization/
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGI3TKBcH6A&t=75
- https://www.stryde.com/ai-search-optimization/
- https://firstpagesage.com/seo-blog/the-top-generative-engine-optimization-geo-agencies/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generative_engine_optimization
- https://www.reddit.com/r/digital_marketing/comments/1l8t628/ive_been_hearing_a_lot_about_generative_engine/
Which digital marketing agencies are leading in AI search optimization?
O8 did not appear in the answer or returned citations. 7 returned sources.
View returned evidence
All returned source URLs
- https://schmitdy.com/en-us/blog/best-geo-agencies-2026?utm_source=chatgpt.com
- https://pikaseo.com/articles/best-ai-seo-agencies?utm_source=chatgpt.com
- https://www.loudface.co/blog/best-aeo-agencies-2026?utm_source=chatgpt.com
- https://joinappear.com/blog/best-aeo-agencies?utm_source=chatgpt.com
- https://www.reddit.com/r/SearchTides/comments/1uu5d0d/10_best_geo_agencies_for_brands_that_want_to_win/?utm_source=chatgpt.com
- https://arxiv.org/abs/2605.25517?utm_source=chatgpt.com
- https://arxiv.org/abs/2509.08919?utm_source=chatgpt.com
Which digital marketing agencies are leading in AI search optimization?
O8 did not appear in the answer or returned citations. 6 returned sources.
View returned evidence
All returned source URLs
- https://www.yesoptimist.com/best-ai-seo-agencies/
- https://wowbix.com/best-seo-and-web-design-agencies-for-ai-search/
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_L-DeEimo0&t=886
- https://thriveagency.com/digital-marketing-services/ai-seo-services/
- https://emarketed.com/ai/top-rated-ai-search-marketing-agencies-versus-traditional-seo-firms/
- https://www.quora.com/Which-agencies-are-leading-in-AI-driven-SEO-today
Which agencies specialize in GEO and AI citation building?
O8 did not appear in the answer or returned citations. 21 returned sources.
View returned evidence
All returned source URLs
- https://thedigitalelevator.com/blog/best-generative-engine-optimization-geo-agencies/?utm_source=chatgpt.com
- https://www.tryprofound.com/
- https://ipullrank.com/
- https://www.siegemedia.com/
- https://directiveconsulting.com/
- https://www.animalz.co/
- https://userp.io/
- https://graphite.com/
- https://gofishdigital.com/
- https://www.geoagency.net/
- https://www.geoagency.net/?utm_source=chatgpt.com
- https://geoq.ai/
- https://geoq.ai/?utm_source=chatgpt.com
- https://www.sequoiageo.com/geo-agency
- https://www.sequoiageo.com/geo-agency?utm_source=chatgpt.com
- https://lureon.ai/
- https://lureon.ai/about/?utm_source=chatgpt.com
- https://red-engage.com/
- https://red-engage.com/?utm_source=chatgpt.com
- https://www.reddit.com/r/GenEngineOptimization/comments/1qab4rt/what_are_the_top_geo_agencies_and_what_softwares/?utm_source=chatgpt.com
- https://www.businessinsider.com/daydream-raises-15-m-ai-human-seo-expertise-2026-4?utm_source=chatgpt.com
Which agencies specialize in GEO and AI citation building?
O8 did not appear in the answer or returned citations. 14 returned sources.
View returned evidence
All returned source URLs
- https://www.loudface.co/blog/best-geo-agencies-b2b-saas-2026
- https://www.trustsignals.com/blog/why-your-geo-agency-cant-do-what-a-pr-agency-can-the-ai-visibility-gap-b2b-marketers-are-missing?hsLang=en
- https://firstpagesage.com/seo-blog/the-top-law-firm-generative-engine-optimization-geo-agencies/
- https://firstpagesage.com/seo-blog/the-top-generative-engine-optimization-geo-agencies/
- https://www.fieldtrip.agency/post/top-geo-agencies
- https://grizzle.io/blog/best-generative-engine-optimization-agencies-for-b2b
- https://www.yesoptimist.com/best-geo-agencies/
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_L-DeEimo0&t=633
- https://www.nutshell.com/blog/top-geo-agencies
- https://gofishdigital.com/blog/generative-engine-optimization-agencies/
- https://digitalagencynetwork.com/agencies/usa/geo/
- https://discoveredlabs.com/blog/geo-content-strategy-how-to-write-for-ai-search-and-citations
- https://www.ntddigital.com/geo/
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9t3MC34mL4&t=840
Domains cited in the six category answers
Each count shows how many of the six category answers cited that domain at least once—not how many URLs it contributed.
Three evidence-led actions before the November re-test
Category answers relied on other agencies’ sites, third-party roundups, Reddit, and YouTube—not o8.agency. The first actions follow the sources that actually appeared.
- Publish one evidence page around the three tested category questions. It will define GEO, state who O8 serves, and document one delivered project with client, timeframe, result, and before-and-after citation count.
- Start with the cited agency roundups that omit O8. thedigitalelevator.com appeared in two category answers; firstpagesage.com appeared in one, and both publish agency lists. We will pitch those editors first and report whether O8 is included by the re-test.
- Test the two community formats the engines cited. Reddit appeared in two ChatGPT answers and one Google AI Overview; YouTube appeared in all three Google AI Overviews and no ChatGPT answers. We will publish one disclosed, useful Reddit answer and one O8 video addressing a tested question, then track whether either URL is returned in November. No planted testimonials or anonymous promotion.
We will re-run all twelve checks on November 4, 2026—and publish whatever comes back.
Method and limits: The three brand questions are a fixed set used for this sample. Category questions came from a fixed list of unbranded buyer questions, not an exhaustive market corpus. Checks used ChatGPT Search and Google Search in US English on August 6, 2026. Two Google brand checks returned provider errors, so no mention or citation conclusion was recorded for them. Results can vary by engine, model, location, personalization, and date. This is not market-wide share of voice.
