More software buyers now start with “what’s the best tool for…” in ChatGPT, Claude or Perplexity. The answer is usually a short list, and in an Ahrefs study of 26,283 cited URLs, “best X” listicles were 43.8% of the page types AI engines cited for software, and brands ranked higher on those lists were mentioned more.
Set up
- Prompts. Cover three intents, which are problem (“how do i automate release notes”), category (“best changelog tools for startups”) and comparison (“globex alternatives”). Add a buyer detail such as team size or stack to each one.
- Competitors. Add direct competitors and the indirect ones buyers consider, like spreadsheets or an in-house build, and mark the indirect ones as Indirect.
- Personas. Generate personas for each buying role, such as the engineering lead and the founder, so you can compare where each one hears about you.
- Search Console. Connect it so prompt suggestions come from the queries you already rank for.
What to work on
Metrics to watch
- Share of voice on category prompts.
- Position on comparison prompts, because being first matters more than being listed.
- AI referrals reaching
/signup or /pricing, which you can add as Conversion paths.
Last modified on October 8, 2026
