AI search benchmarks for B2B marketers in 2026
Forrester reports that 94% of business buyers now use AI in their buying process, and 6sense's 2026 study found 81% used a large language model during an evaluation and 26% used one to discover vendors. On Google, Seer Interactive measured organic CTR on queries with AI Overviews falling 61% between June 2024 and September 2025, while brands cited inside the overview kept 35% more organic clicks and 91% more paid clicks than brands that were not cited.
Being cited is becoming as important as ranking.
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Key benchmarks
| Metric | Value | Context | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Business buyers using AI in the buying process | 94% (up from 89%) | Forrester, 2025 | [1] Forrester |
| Buyers using private AI tools from their organization | 61% | Forrester, 2025 | [1] Forrester |
| Buyers who used an LLM during an evaluation | 81% (94% the year before) | 6sense 2026 survey | [2] 6sense via MarTech Edge |
| Buyers who used an LLM to discover vendors | 26% | 6sense 2026 survey | [2] 6sense via MarTech Edge |
| Buyers citing LLMs as an influence before contacting sellers | 21% | 6sense 2026 survey | [2] 6sense via MarTech Edge |
| Organic CTR change on queries with AI Overviews | 1.76% to 0.61% (down 61%) | June 2024 to September 2025 | [3] Seer Interactive |
| Paid CTR change on queries with AI Overviews | 19.70% to 6.34% (down 68%) | Same period | [3] Seer Interactive |
| Organic clicks, cited vs not cited in the AI Overview | 35% more for cited brands (0.70% vs 0.52%) | Q3 2025 | [3] Seer Interactive |
| Paid clicks, cited vs not cited in the AI Overview | 91% more for cited brands (7.89% vs 4.14%) | Q3 2025 | [3] Seer Interactive |
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Our recommendation
Buyers are not replacing research with AI; they are compressing it. An assistant summarizes reviews, compares vendors and drafts a shortlist, and the buyer arrives at your site later and better informed, if at all. That makes the facts AI assistants repeat about you part of your pipeline.
We treat generative engine optimization as a measurement problem first: a fixed set of buyer prompts, tested across ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Claude and Google AI Overviews, with the cited sources recorded. Fixes then go to the pages and third-party profiles those answers actually cite, and results are tracked as share of answers and AI-referred pipeline.
Three moves for this quarter
Build a buyer prompt set
Shortlist, comparison and requirement questions by category and market, tested monthly.
Fix facts at the source
Consistent capabilities, integrations, pricing context and proof across your site and listings.
Track AI-referred pipeline
Tag AI referrals in analytics and the CRM so the program is judged on opportunities.
Related service Generative engine optimization (GEO)
Where these figures matter GEO for AI and machine learning companies · GEO for enterprise SaaS · GEO agency in San Francisco · GEO agency in Toronto · How B2B brands earn Google AI Overview citations · How to measure share of answer
More benchmarks B2B buying journey benchmarks · LinkedIn Ads benchmarks for B2B · Google Ads benchmarks for B2B · Landing page conversion benchmarks for B2B
AI search benchmarks for B2B: answers
How many B2B buyers use AI in the buying process?
Forrester reports 94% of business buyers use AI in their buying process (up from 89%). 6sense's 2026 survey found 81% used a large language model during an evaluation and 26% used one to discover vendors.
How much do AI Overviews reduce clicks?
Seer Interactive measured organic CTR on queries with AI Overviews falling from 1.76% to 0.61% (down 61%) and paid CTR from 19.70% to 6.34% (down 68%) between June 2024 and September 2025.
Does being cited in an AI Overview help?
In Seer Interactive's Q3 2025 data, cited brands had 35% more organic clicks and 91% more paid clicks than brands that were not cited. Seer notes this may reflect brand authority rather than cause higher CTR.
What should B2B marketers do about AI search?
Our recommendation: build a fixed set of buyer prompts, test it monthly across the main assistants, fix facts at the sources they cite and track AI-referred pipeline in the CRM.
Caveats
- Forrester's post does not state the sample size behind the 94% figure.
- 6sense's LLM figures fell year over year while Forrester's rose; the surveys ask different questions of different samples.
- Seer Interactive studied informational queries for its own clients and notes that citation may reflect brand authority rather than cause higher CTR. The article also contains some conflicting figures.
Sources
- Forrester: B2B Buyers Make Zero-Click Buying Number One (analyst research). Blog summary of Forrester buyer research, 2025. Sample size not stated in the post.
- 6sense via MarTech Edge: 2026 Global B2B Buyer Experience Report (trade press report of vendor research). 4,611 recent B2B buyers in North America, Asia-Pacific, Continental Europe, and the UK and Ireland.
- Seer Interactive: AI Overview impact on Google CTR, September 2025 update (independent research). 3,119 informational queries across 42 client organizations, June 2024 to September 2025.
Figures checked against the linked sources on 2026-11-07. PlanConversion did not produce this research.
