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CMO Survey: The State of AI Search & Answer Engine Optimization 2026

About This Report LeadWalnut is partnering with enterprise marketing and growth leaders to create a definitive industry report on AI search optimization in 2026. Building on proven success: Our previous report- State of B2B SEO ROI 2025 featured leaders from Fortinet, Wipro, Freshworks, Dealfront, Customer.io, Nscale, and 40+ enterprises—reaching 5,000+ marketers with downloads from Amazon, LinkedIn, Spiralyze, and top B2B companies.
This time, we're going bigger. Your insights will be: ✓ Distributed to 10,000+ marketing and growth leaders ✓ Featured at Martech events and B2B industry conferences ✓ Showcased in top marketing podcasts and newsletters
What's In It For You ✓ Shape the industry conversation on AI search in 2026 ✓ Get featured alongside industry leaders – We'll quote and tag you (with permission) ✓ Early access & review – Preview the report before publication ✓ Massive visibility – Reach thousands of B2B marketing professionals
Your Voice Matters We're gathering real-world experiences from practitioners leading this transformation. Your quotes, metrics, and insights help create an authentic, valuable resource for the entire industry. The mic is in your hands. Help us create the most comprehensive AI search optimization report of 2026.

Your Name

Role/Designation

Company Name

Section A: Current State Assessment

A1. Traffic & Discovery Patterns

1. Since AI tools became mainstream (ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity), what changes have you observed in:

Organic search Traffic

1. Since AI tools became mainstream (ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity), what changes have you observed in:
A
B
C

Direct Traffic

Untitled multiple choice field
A
B
C

Branded Search Volume

Untitled multiple choice field
A
B
C

Lead quality from organic

Untitled multiple choice field
A
B
C
D

2. Which AI tools do you use for competitive and vendor research? (Check all that apply)

2. Which AI tools do you use for competitive and vendor research? (Check all that apply)

3. The Million Dollar Question: Have you lost a deal because an AI tool provided incorrect information about your company?

3. The Million Dollar Question: Have you lost a deal because an AI tool provided incorrect information about your company?
A
B
C
D

A2. The AI Information Crisis

4. How often do you check what AI tools say about your company?

4. How often do you check what AI tools say about your company?
A
B
C
D
E
F

5. What incorrect information have you found about your company in AI responses?

5. What incorrect information have you found about your company in AI responses?

Section B: Strategic Response

B1. Current AEO/GEO Efforts

6. How would you rate your organization's readiness for AI search optimization?

1 (Not started) to 10 (Industry leading)
6. How would you rate your organization's readiness for AI search optimization?

7. Which AEO/GEO tactics are you currently implementing?

8. What's your primary goal with AI search optimization?

B2. Resource Allocation

9. What percentage of your SEO/organic growth budget is now allocated to AEO/GEO?

9. What percentage of your SEO/organic growth budget is now allocated to AEO/GEO?
A
B
C
D
E
F

10. Rank the challenges in implementing AEO/GEO (1 = biggest challenge)

Below are a few challenges. Please click on the options in order of priority, starting with the biggest challenge. The first option you click will be ranked #1. The second option you click will be ranked #2, and so on. (Continue until all options are ranked from highest to lowest priority)
10. Rank the challenges in implementing AEO/GEO (1 = biggest challenge)
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1

Section C: Performance & ROI

C1. Metrics & KPIs

11. How do you currently measure AI search visibility?

11. How do you currently measure AI search visibility?
A
B
C
D
E
F

12. Which metrics matter most for AEO/GEO success? (Select top 3)

12. Which metrics matter most for AEO/GEO success? (Select top 3)

C2. Competitive Intelligence

13. Compared to your top 3 competitors, how would you rate your AI search visibility?

13. Compared to your top 3 competitors, how would you rate your AI search visibility?
A
B
C
D
E
F

Section D: Future Strategy

15. How are your marketing, growth, and GTM teams building AEO/GEO capabilities?

15. How are your marketing, growth, and GTM teams building AEO/GEO capabilities?

15. What would most accelerate your marketing or growth team's AEO/GEO success?

Bonus Questions

In one sentence, what advice would you give to marketing/growth leaders just starting with AEO/GEO?