Who Is Most Visible When SMBs Use AI Search?

September 18, 2026

More than half of SMBs say they’re very likely to use an AI assistant such as ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot or Gemini to first learn about products or services for their business.

That made us wonder which companies are most visible when SMBs use AI search. So we asked SMB decision-makers which companies do the best job of coming up when they search for business products and services using AI tools. Here are the leaders across seven categories.

The companies most visible in AI search

Table of the companies SMBs see as most visible in AI search, by category. Google Workspace leads office productivity at 37.6%, Intuit QuickBooks Payroll leads payroll/HR at 30.6% and PayPal leads payments at 30.0%. Capital One leads banks at 17.5%.
Source: Bredin, 2026, n=500 U.S. SMB decision-makers.

The AI search leaders in each category

  • Apple leads PCs and tablets at 26.0%, and Google Ads leads marketing and eCommerce at 21.2%.
  • Visibility is lowest in telco and internet and in banking, where AT&T Business (17.6%) and Capital One (17.5%) lead with fewer than one in five SMBs.

For more, see our press release on which companies are winning in AI search with SMBs, what SMBs ask AI and our hub on SMB AI adoption and usage.

‍Need expert SMB insight? With an exclusive focus on the SMB market, decades of research experience, and advanced data tools, Bredin delivers actionable custom, omnibus, and syndicated research. Contact us to learn how we can support your 2026 GTM, product, content, PR, and sales goals.

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