Research — measured honestly
steek is an honesty-first brand: every number we publish is real and sourced, and every figure we can't stand behind carries its hedge. This is where we show the working. No fabricated statistics, no invented ratings, no borrowed numbers passed off as our own — where a figure comes from an outside study, we name the study; where it's our own data, we say exactly how we pulled it. Two data-driven pieces to start.
The real search demand behind GEO (2026)
How many people actually search for “generative engine optimization”, “answer engine optimization” and “AI visibility tool” — with the honest caveat about IP-geolocation intent polluting bare “geo” terms.
What AI visibility actually costs (2026)
A transparent price teardown of the leading GEO tools — Peec, Profound, Otterly, Semrush, Ahrefs, Athena, Scrunch and steek — each stamped verified or reported, with pricing hedged exactly as we found it.
Want the practical guides instead? Read what generative engine optimization is, browse the best AI visibility tools, or see the full set of honest comparisons.
FAQ
What AI visibility data does steek publish?
Our research publishes two things we can stand behind with sources: the real search demand behind GEO terms — pulled from Google Ads Keyword Planner (US/English) — and a transparent teardown of what the leading AI-visibility tools actually cost. Every figure is stamped: our own data says exactly how we pulled it, and any outside statistic names the study it came from. No fabricated numbers, no invented ratings.
How much search demand is there for GEO and AI visibility?
Our search-demand piece measures how many people actually search for terms like “generative engine optimization,” “answer engine optimization” and “AI visibility tool,” using Google Ads Keyword Planner (US/English, pulled 2026-07-31). One honest caveat we flag prominently: bare “geo” terms are polluted by IP-geolocation intent, so we separate genuine generative-engine-optimization demand from geography searches rather than inflating the numbers.
What does AI visibility (GEO) tooling actually cost?
It ranges from about $29/mo to several thousand, and much of it is demo-gated. Our pricing teardown stamps each vendor verified or reported: Otterly Lite ($29/mo, verified), Semrush AI Toolkit ($99/mo per domain, verified), Peec (~€89/mo, reported), Scrunch (~$250–300/mo, reported), Athena HQ (~$295/mo, reported) and Ahrefs Brand Radar ($398–$699/mo, verified) — while Profound publishes no public pricing at all. steek is a flat price from €19/mo billed annually (€29.90 monthly) with every major engine included.
Is steek's research trustworthy — are any stats invented?
No invented stats. steek is an honesty-first brand: every number we publish is real and sourced, every figure we can't stand behind carries its hedge, and we never present a borrowed number as our own. Where a figure comes from an outside study we name the study; where it's our own data we say exactly how we pulled it. Rival pricing is stamped verified (read on the vendor's live page) or reported (secondhand).
Why do AI visibility numbers need confidence intervals?
Because AI answers are noisy — ask the same question twice and the set of sources an engine cites can change — a single confident-looking visibility number can send you chasing sampling noise. That is why steek puts a 95% confidence interval on every metric, so you can tell a real movement from randomness before acting on it. It's the same honesty standard we hold our published research to.
See where you stand across every AI engine
Run steek's free checker with no signup, or start the 10-day trial — every number with its confidence interval.