We Analyzed 90 GEO Companies. The Authority Gap Is Brutal.

We pulled live backlink data on 90 companies in the Generative Engine Optimization space. The result is the most uncomfortable finding in the GEO market: the companies that understand AI visibility best have the least domain authority to actually be cited by AI search engines.

The Study

Using the DataForSEO Backlinks API, we collected domain authority rank, total backlinks, referring domains, spam score, and link profile data for 90 companies across seven categories: dedicated GEO platforms, SEO tools adding GEO features, GEO agencies, AI search engines, content AI tools, enterprise SEO platforms, and emerging players.

Every data point is from a live crawl on April 8, 2026. No surveys. No self-reported numbers. Just raw backlink infrastructure.

The Authority Gap

Here's what the data says:

Dedicated GEO platforms average a domain authority rank of 227. SEO incumbents adding GEO features average 455. That's a 2x gap.

This matters because domain authority is one of the seven LLM ranking factors — the very thing GEO companies are supposed to help their clients improve. If your GEO tool can't rank in AI search results itself, that's a credibility problem.

Who Leads Among Pure GEO Platforms

Now compare that to the SEO giants claiming GEO territory:

• Semrush: rank 625, 22.1 million backlinks, 143K referring domains
• Ahrefs: rank 592, 9.7 million backlinks, 101K referring domains
• Moz: rank 542, 4.1 million backlinks, 131K referring domains

Semrush's AI Visibility Toolkit — a feature they added to an existing platform — has more domain authority than every dedicated GEO platform combined.

Why This Matters for Your Brand

If you're choosing a GEO tool, you need to understand this dynamic. The tools with the deepest GEO expertise are fighting an uphill battle for credibility. The tools with the most authority are treating GEO as a bolt-on feature.

The sweet spot? A tool that combines genuine GEO expertise with a strategy to build authority fast. That's the gap we're building 99Visibility to fill — starting from a position of full transparency about where we stand (domain authority: 0) and what we're building toward.

FAQ

What is domain authority rank?

Domain authority rank is a metric (0-1000) that measures a website's backlink strength. Higher numbers mean more authoritative. It's a key signal that AI search engines use when deciding which sources to cite in their responses.

Why do GEO platforms have lower authority than SEO tools?

Most GEO platforms launched in 2023-2025. SEO tools like Semrush and Ahrefs have been building backlinks for 10-15 years. Authority compounds over time — newer companies start at a structural disadvantage regardless of product quality.

Does low domain authority mean a GEO tool is bad?

No. Domain authority measures web presence, not product quality or feature depth. A new platform with better features can still have lower authority. But it does affect whether AI search engines cite that platform — which is ironic for tools that sell AI visibility.