Research and Original Studies
Original research from SEOCompare covering UK AI search visibility. We audit business websites, track platform market share, and publish quarterly industry reports. Every dataset is sourced and reproducible. Data informs our statistics hub and our agency rankings.
We publish raw findings, methodology, and limitations. Read our methodology for how we score and evaluate.
UK SEO Agency AI Readiness Audit 2026
We audited 12 of the UK SEO agencies dominating Google for 'ai seo agency' queries. Average score 2.8/8 (35%). Only 1/12 has FAQ schema. Only 2/12 explicitly allow AI bots. Most sell AI search optimisation but have not implemented it on their own sites.
50 UK Websites Tested for AI Visibility
We audited 50 UK business websites across 6 AI platforms. 23% block AI crawlers, 53% have unclear H1s, and only 4% use Person schema.
AI Search Industry Report Q2 2026
State of AI search optimisation in Q2 2026. Platform market share, adoption rates, and what is changing for UK businesses.
How we do research
Our research falls into two buckets: original audits of UK business websites (primary data), and curated industry tracking (secondary data). Primary audits test real websites against each of the 6 AI platforms. Secondary tracking aggregates published data from Google, OpenAI, Anthropic, and independent SEO tools.
Every study names the sample size, the date range, and the limitations. We do not cherry-pick numbers, and where two sources disagree we report both.
What we publish
- Website audits. Findings from crawling UK business sites. Example: 50 UK websites tested for AI visibility.
- Quarterly industry reports. State of AI search optimisation across the UK. Example: Q2 2026 industry report.
- Stat deep-dives. Individual statistics with methodology. See the stats directory or the 2026 statistics pillar.
- Platform-specific tracking. How citations shift across ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Claude, Copilot, and AI Overviews month over month.
How to use our research
Cite us freely with attribution. If you are writing for a client, we recommend linking to the specific study URL rather than summarising. If you want the raw dataset, contact us.
Want a snapshot of your own business?
Our free AI visibility audit applies the same methodology as our research to your specific website across all 6 AI platforms.