Sourced notes on how answer engines decide who gets recommended, and what that means for the brands left out.
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Short, sourced notes on how answer engines choose what to recommend. Every claim links to its source. When we have tested something ourselves we say how. When we have not, we say that too. Nothing here is a client result.
· Research note · 5 min read
We read two of the most visible 2026 rankings of generative engine optimization agencies. In both, the publisher ranked itself first and did not disclose that. Here is why that matters more in AI search than it ever did in Google.
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