The AI Search Demand Report
Most AEO and GEO advice has no demand data behind it. We pulled the numbers to build our own content, so we are sharing them. What people actually search across AI search, the protocols, and agentic commerce, as of mid-2026.
The landscape
What people actually search
Demand for the core terms in AI search. Volume is monthly US searches. Difficulty is 0 to 100. CPC is the average cost per click, a proxy for buyer intent.
| Term | Volume | Difficulty | CPC |
|---|---|---|---|
| ai seo | 6,600 | 68 | $10.86 |
| schema markup | 3,200 | 76 | $0.47 |
| ai search engine optimization | 1,900 | 69 | $10.86 |
| model context protocol mcp | 1,300 | 77 | $1.99 |
| chatgpt for seo | 590 | 31 | $5.81 |
| llms.txt generator | 590 | 26 | $1.61 |
| model context protocol server | 540 | 56 | $1.99 |
| generative engine optimization services | 480 | 39 | $15.24 |
| agentic commerce protocol | 410 | 52 | $5.34 |
| answer engine optimization services | 390 | 23 | $10.80 |
| what is answer engine optimization | 260 | 51 | $1.38 |
| what is generative engine optimization (geo) | 140 | 59 | $2.00 |
The headline terms (ai seo, ai search engine optimization, schema markup, MCP) carry the most volume but also the most competition. The winnable demand is a tier down, on the specific AEO, GEO, llms.txt, and platform terms.
Follow the money
The highest commercial intent in the space
CPC is what advertisers pay per click. It is the clearest signal of where buyers, and budgets, are. The surprise: AI visibility, not AEO or GEO, carries the highest intent.
| Term | Volume | Difficulty | CPC |
|---|---|---|---|
| ai search visibility | 390 | 33 | $16.18 |
| ai visibility tracking tool | 210 | 29 | $16.30 |
| generative engine optimization services | 480 | 39 | $15.24 |
| ai visibility platform | 590 | 30 | $13.66 |
| ai visibility tools | 590 | 34 | $12.66 |
| answer engine optimization services | 390 | 23 | $10.80 |
| ecommerce ai agents | 110 | 19 | $8.45 |
| ai agent for ecommerce | 170 | 21 | $7.24 |
The AI visibility cluster is the sleeper. It carries the highest CPCs in the entire space at very winnable difficulty, which means strong buyer intent and little entrenched competition. Ecommerce-agent terms are not far behind on intent.
Quick wins
Real demand, low difficulty
| Term | Volume | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|
| answer engine optimization agency | 140 | 10 |
| ai discoverability | 390 | 12 |
| ecommerce ai agents | 110 | 19 |
| ai agent for ecommerce | 170 | 21 |
| llms.txt generator | 590 | 26 |
| perplexity ai seo | 40 | 26 |
The honest part
The terms with no demand
Not every important idea has search volume, and chasing volume that does not exist is a waste. Some of the most strategically important terms in this space are category-creation plays: real concepts, near-zero search.
- agent legibility: effectively zero volume. The framing matters, but you do not rank for it, you build the category around it.
- webmcp, google ai overviews optimization: nascent, tens of searches. Thought-leadership plays, not traffic plays.
- model context protocol consulting: near zero. The demand is in understanding MCP, not yet in buying help with it.
The lesson is to separate the brand frame from the SEO target. Lead with the category-defining language in your voice, and capture traffic through the terms people actually type.
The opening
Who owns what, and what is open
| Topic | Who ranks | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Schema and structured data | SchemaApp, Lumar, Onely | Entrenched |
| Technical SEO foundations | Onely, Lumar | Entrenched |
| llms.txt | No clear owner | Open lane |
| MCP / WebMCP for brands | No clear owner | Open lane |
| Agentic commerce | No clear owner | Open lane |
| AI visibility | A crowded but young field of tools | Contested |
The established players own the schema and technical-SEO conversation. Nobody yet owns llms.txt, MCP-for-brands, or agentic commerce as a content topic. Those are the open lanes, which is exactly where we have pointed this site.
Methodology
Figures are from SE Ranking's US keyword database, pulled in mid-2026. Volume is estimated average monthly searches. Difficulty is SE Ranking's 0 to 100 keyword difficulty score. CPC is the average advertiser cost per click. Search demand is seasonal and tools disagree, so these are directional. We will refresh this report as the space matures. If you cite it, please link back to this page.