April 7, 202620 min read

AI Visibility Rating: Q1 2026 Results for Russian Brands

The complete AI visibility rating across 5 niches for Q1 2026: who grew, who fell, who leads in ChatGPT, Alice, Perplexity, and other AI systems. GEO Scout monitoring data across 10 AI providers.

Vladislav Puchkov

Founder of GEO Scout, GEO optimization expert

The first quarter of 2026 was a turning point for AI search in Russia. Google AI Mode exited beta and started generating responses in Russian. DeepSeek updated its model, shifting the positions of dozens of Russian brands. Grok integrated real-time search — and began recommending brands it had previously ignored. Meanwhile, users increasingly turn to neural networks instead of search engines: AI-driven traffic to websites has grown to 15% according to our clients' data.

At GEO Scout, we summarize the results of Q1 2026: which brands grew in AI visibility, which fell, which niches became more competitive, and what awaits us in the second quarter. The data is based on daily monitoring of 716+ brands across 5 niches and 10 AI providers for the period January–March 2026.

Methodology

The rating is based on data from the GEO Scout platform for the period January 1 — March 31, 2026.

Study parameters:

Key metrics:

• Mention Rate — percentage of AI responses where the brand is mentioned
• Share of Voice (SoV) — share of brand mentions out of all mentions in the niche
• Avg Position — average position in the recommendation list (1 = first)
• Recommendation Rate — how often AI directly recommends the brand
• Positive Rate — share of positive mentions
• Domain Citation — how often AI cites the brand's domain

Full interactive rankings with daily updates are available at the GEO Scout ratings page.

Key Findings of Q1 2026

1. Google AI Mode became the biggest discovery of the quarter for Russian brands

In January, Google AI Mode exited the testing phase for Russian-language queries. The result: virtually all top brands receive 90–100% Mention Rate. Timeweb — position 1.43 (almost always first). Skillbox — 100% Mention Rate. Aviasales — recommended in 50% of responses. Google AI Mode leverages the Google Search index, and years of SEO optimization by Russian sites are finally paying off in the AI channel.

For brands, this means: SEO and GEO work together. Strong positions in Google directly increase visibility in Google AI Mode.

2. Grok is the most generous AI with recommendations

While most neural networks recommend brands cautiously (average recommendation rate of 2–5% across all niches), Grok changed the rules of the game. After integrating real-time search, Grok began recommending brands aggressively: Aviasales — 70%, CDEK.Market — 80%, Timeweb — 45%. These are the highest figures among all providers.

For marketers, the takeaway is clear: Grok is an underrated GEO optimization channel. With a smaller audience than ChatGPT, Grok delivers stronger recommendations that directly influence user decisions.

3. DeepSeek: same brand, different results before and after the update

In February 2026, DeepSeek updated its model — and positions of Russian brands in its responses shifted by 10–15%. Megamarket dropped from 55% to 40.7% Mention Rate. Wildberries, on the other hand, strengthened — domain citation grew to 25.9%. AI model updates are a factor that cannot be controlled but must be tracked.

4. The gap between top-3 and the rest is growing

Across all five niches, the concentration of Share of Voice in the hands of the top three leaders increased during the quarter. In January, top-3 captured 34–41% SoV; by March, it was 35–43%. Mid-tier players (positions 4–10) are losing share. The AI market structures itself according to a power law: the rich get richer.

5. ChatGPT still weakly knows the Russian market

Despite Q1 passing, the situation with ChatGPT has not changed. AdminVPS — 0% Mention Rate in ChatGPT. SprintHost — 3.3%. SkillFactory — 6.7%. Skypro — 0%. Meanwhile, Coursera gets 86.7%, and DigitalOcean — 56.7%. ChatGPT is trained primarily on English-language data, and without targeted work on English-language content, Russian brands will not appear in it.

Niche Ratings: E-commerce

E-commerce remains the most concentrated niche in AI responses. Three marketplaces capture almost 43% of all AI attention.

Top 10 E-commerce Brands Q1 2026

Key insight: the gap between 3rd and 4th place is 25 percentage points. This is not a gradual decline but a cliff. AI systems clearly separate "major marketplaces" from "the rest."

Best quarterly result: Megamarket grew by +4.2 p.p. Mention Rate, primarily through Google AI Mode (96.7%) and Gemini (100%).

Paradox: Wildberries with a position of 1.31 — when AI mentions it, it puts it first. But by overall Mention Rate — only third. Different metrics yield different leaders.

Niche Ratings: FinTech

FinTech demonstrates the largest discrepancy between real market share and AI visibility.

Top 10 FinTech Brands Q1 2026

The main paradox of the quarter: Sberbank — Russia's largest bank with assets exceeding 40 trillion rubles — occupies only 4th place. Its SoV (10.81%) is 1.72 p.p. lower than Alfa-Bank's. Yandex with Alice mentions Sberbank in only 36.7% of responses — a paradoxically low figure for a Russian AI provider.

Best domain citation: T-Bank — 26.7% in ChatGPT. This means that every fourth ChatGPT response about banks contains a link to T-Bank's website.

The top three are neck and neck: the difference between first and third place is only 0.53 p.p. SoV (12.53% vs 12.00%). Any of the three could become the leader with a change in content strategy.

Niche Ratings: EdTech

EdTech is the most "democratic" niche in AI responses with the lowest concentration at the top.

Top 10 EdTech Brands Q1 2026

Netology vs Skillbox: the Mention Rate gap is only 0.42 p.p. (86.55% vs 86.13%). But in recommendations, Skillbox outperforms Netology by 5.7x (7.14% vs 1.26%). Netology is mentioned more often; Skillbox is recommended more — two different types of leadership.

Quarterly growth: Skillbox gained +3.8 p.p. Mention Rate, primarily through Google AI Mode (100%) and Grok.

ChatGPT's weak spot: SkillFactory — 6.7%, Skypro — 0%, ProductStar — 0%. Meanwhile, Coursera gets 86.7% in ChatGPT. International brands dominate ChatGPT's training data.

Niche Ratings: Hosting

Hosting is a technical niche where AI gives specific recommendations for specific queries.

Top 10 Hosting Providers Q1 2026

The Timeweb phenomenon: 94.09% positive rate — a record across all niches and providers. 94 out of 100 mentions are positive. Perplexity mentions Timeweb in 100% of hosting responses.

Quarterly growth: AdminVPS gained +5.1 p.p. Mention Rate — the maximum growth in the niche. Yet ChatGPT still gives AdminVPS 0%.

The HostingHUB paradox: Mention Rate of only 22.45%, but Domain Citation of 49.39%. AI cites the site's content as a knowledge source but does not mention the brand as a hosting provider. This is pure content GEO in action.

Niche Ratings: Tourism

Tourism is the niche with the most even distribution and the highest recommendation rate among leaders.

Top 10 Travel Brands Q1 2026

Absolute record: Aviasales — 36.6% recommendation rate. This is 18x more than the fintech leader (2.07%) and 43x more than the EdTech leader (0.85%). AI readily recommends a flight search service but does not take responsibility for choosing a bank or school.

Blocks kill visibility: Booking.com — positive only 8.86%, Airbnb — 12.24% negative mentions. Neural networks know about blocks and warn users. In YandexGPT: Booking — 0%, Google Flights — 0%.

Small but cited: HowTrip — Mention Rate 13.62%, Domain Citation 20.85%. AI considers HowTrip content an authoritative source, even though the brand itself is little known.

Q1 Dynamics: Who Grew, Who Fell

The table shows changes in key metrics over the quarter (January to March 2026).

Top 15 Brands by Mention Rate Dynamics

Brands with the Largest Declines

AI Provider Rankings: Who Recommends Russian Brands Most

Not all AI providers know the Russian market equally well. We compiled a "friendliness" ranking for Russian brands based on Q1 data.

The best trio for the Russian market: Google AI Mode, Gemini, YandexGPT. These three providers know Russian brands best and show consistently high Mention Rates for niche leaders.

The weak trio: ChatGPT, Claude, DeepSeek. ChatGPT systematically prefers international brands. Claude poorly knows the Russian market (MTS Bank — 0%). DeepSeek shows high volatility.

Strategic takeaway: monitoring only ChatGPT gives a distorted picture. Your brand may be invisible in ChatGPT but lead in Google AI Mode and Gemini. A multi-provider approach is needed — and this is exactly what GEO Scout provides.

Surprises and Paradoxes of Q1

HostingHUB: Invisible but Cited

Mention Rate — 22.45%. Domain Citation — 49.39%. AI uses HostingHUB content as a source of knowledge about hosting but does not mention the brand itself as a provider. In Perplexity — 90% domain citation. This proves: content GEO works independently of brand recognition. Create expert reviews, guides, and comparisons — and AI will cite your domain.

SberMarket: Growth Through Ecosystem

SberMarket gained +4.2 p.p. Mention Rate during the quarter. The driver is integration into the Google ecosystem: Google AI Mode (96.7%) and Gemini (100%) actively mention SberMarket, relying on data from Google Search. Russian ecosystem (Sber) + international AI (Google) = an unexpected synergistic effect.

Wildberries: First by Position, Third by Mention Rate

Wildberries shows the best average position among all 716 brands — 1.31. When AI mentions Wildberries, it puts it first in the recommendation list almost always. Yet by overall Mention Rate — only third. Different metrics yield different leaders. For GEO strategy, this means: working on Mention Rate (getting into the response) and working on position (being first in the response) are two different tasks.

Aviasales: 36.6% Recommendations with 10.59% SoV

Aviasales is a unique case. With a Share of Voice of "only" 10.59% (second place in tourism), the recommendation rate reaches 36.6%. AI does not just mention Aviasales — it directly recommends it. In Grok — 70% recommendations. This is 18x more than the fintech leader (2.07%). AI readily recommends a flight search service because the recommendation risk is minimal: the user still chooses the flight themselves.

Forecast for Q2 2026

Based on Q1 data and observed trends, we forecast:

1. Google AI Mode will continue to gain weight

Google AI Mode's share of AI traffic to Russian websites is growing by 3–5% monthly. By the end of Q2, it could become the second most important AI provider for the Russian market (after YandexGPT). Brands that have not yet optimized for Google AI Mode need to do so now.

2. ChatGPT GPT-5 may change the balance of power

OpenAI is expected to release a model update with more current data in Q2. If GPT-5 knows the Russian market better, brand positions in ChatGPT could change dramatically. Real-time monitoring will become critically important.

3. Top-3 concentration will intensify

The Q1 trend — growing concentration of Share of Voice in the hands of three leaders in each niche — will continue. In Q2, we expect top-3 to capture 37–46% SoV (up from 35–43% in Q1). Mid-tier players (positions 4–10) will have to fight for a shrinking remainder.

4. Recommendation rate will grow across all niches

AI providers are becoming less cautious with recommendations. In Q1, the recommendation rate for leaders grew by 1–3 p.p. compared to the beginning of the year. In Q2, we expect further growth, especially in low-risk niches (tourism, hosting).

5. Domain citation will become a key metric

The HostingHUB phenomenon (49.39% domain citation with 22.45% Mention Rate) is not an exception but a trend. AI providers increasingly cite content sources rather than simply mentioning brands. Brands with strong content marketing will gain an advantage.

FAQ

What is the AI visibility rating and why does it matter?

The AI visibility rating shows how often neural networks (ChatGPT, Gemini, Alice, and others) mention a brand in responses to user queries. According to 2026 data, over 51% of users rely on AI when making decisions. If a neural network does not mention your brand, you lose the customer before they even visit your website.

Which AI providers are included in GEO Scout monitoring?

GEO Scout monitors 10 AI providers daily: ChatGPT, Claude, DeepSeek, Gemini, Google AI Mode, Google AI Overview, Grok, Perplexity, YandexGPT (Yandex with Alice), and Alice AI. Each has different knowledge of the Russian market — from Gemini with nearly 100% coverage of top brands to ChatGPT, which overlooks many Russian brands.

Why is Sberbank only 4th in the fintech AI rating?

AI generates responses based on content, not revenue. Alfa-Bank (SoV 12.53%), T-Bank (12.07%), and VTB (12.00%) are more actively represented in expert publications, reviews, and rankings that neural networks use to form responses. Sberbank (10.81%) lags due to weaker presence in AI training data — content on authoritative platforms.

How did brand AI visibility change in Q1 2026?

The main trend of Q1 was the rise of Google AI Mode and Grok as AI recommendation channels. SberMarket gained +4.2 p.p. Mention Rate, Skillbox +3.8 p.p., AdminVPS +5.1 p.p. DeepSeek showed the highest volatility: after a February model update, positions of Russian brands shifted by 10-15%.

How can I improve my brand AI visibility?

Five key actions: 1) create expert content on authoritative platforms (vc.ru, Habr, industry media); 2) implement Schema.org structured data on your website; 3) ensure presence in rankings and comparative reviews; 4) manage reviews on independent platforms; 5) monitor dynamics through GEO Scout and adjust strategy based on data.

Where can I view the current AI visibility rating for my niche?

Full interactive rankings with daily updates are available at geoscout.pro/ratings. Data can be filtered by niche, AI provider, and metrics. Detailed breakdowns for each of the 5 niches are also published — with comparison tables, provider-level analysis, and practical recommendations.

How stable are brand positions in the AI rating?

AI responses are subject to fluctuations. Leader Mention Rates are usually stable (1-3% variations), but positions and Share of Voice can change by 2-5% per week. The highest volatility is shown by newer AI providers: DeepSeek and Google AI Mode change responses more frequently than established models (ChatGPT, Gemini). Therefore, adequate AI visibility assessment requires daily monitoring, not a one-time snapshot.

Conclusion

Q1 2026 confirmed: AI visibility is a new competitive advantage that cannot be bought with money. Business size does not determine AI position. Advertising budgets do not help. ChatGPT may not know your brand, even if you are the market leader.

But if you create the right content, publish on authoritative platforms, work on the technical side of GEO, and monitor dynamics in real time — AI will mention you, recommend you, and cite you.

Five takeaways from Q1:

1. Google AI Mode — the biggest discovery of the quarter for the Russian market. 90–100% Mention Rate for leaders.
2. Grok — the most generous AI with recommendations. Aviasales receives 70% recommendations in Grok.
3. Top-3 captures 35–43% SoV across all niches — and this gap is growing.
4. DeepSeek — a source of volatility. The February model update shifted positions by 10–15%.
5. Domain Citation — the metric of the future. HostingHUB receives 49.39% citations with a Mention Rate of 22.45%.

We continue daily monitoring of all 716+ brands across 10 AI providers. Full monitoring data is available on the geoscout.pro platform. And to avoid parsing metrics manually — the Command Center GEO Scout automatically turns monitoring data into a prioritized action plan: what content to create, which platforms to strengthen, and what to fix technically.