New categories are almost empty when they launch. When @G2 launched AEO in early 2026, only 9 of 150+ listed products made the Grid Report.
ποΈFirst movers got Leader status β https://t.co/ZAbTyvWlSY
Gong spent months building "Revenue Intelligence" as a new software category. Their former CMO @UdiLedergor even wrote a book about it β Courageous Marketing. It was a deliberate strategic play.
Now it feels like a routine Tuesday problem for AI founders.
@damjanmb Such a good distinction. For B2B SaaS, being selected by AI comes down to directory presence β G2 reviews, Capterra listings, third-party signals. Ranking gets you found. Reviews get you chosen.
@JohnPXCronin Smart framing. And one of the clearest signals AI uses when recommending B2B software is directory presence β G2 reviews, Capterra listings, third-party validation. If that layer is empty, the AI doesn't have enough to confidently recommend to you.
@yoav_nativ Exactly β and for B2B SaaS, a big part of how you define yourself to AI is your directory presence. Your G2 categories, your descriptions, your reviews. That's the structured, consistent signal AI reads when deciding what you are and who you're for.
@MeditServices This is exactly why directory presence matters. G2, Capterra, SourceForge β these are what AI reads before making that decision. If your listings are empty or missing, you're not in the response. And you never get the visit.
@gauchecouscous Exactly this. And software directories are one of the most underrated sources of that context β G2, Capterra, and SourceForge provide AI with structured, verified, categorized data about your product. If you're not there, you're not in the context AI cites.
@rankaidigital Totally agree on the systems thinking. One underrated layer: software directories. G2, Capterra, SourceForge β these are exactly what AI pulls from when recommending B2B tools. Reviews and listings aren't just social proof; they're AI training data.
@Lambdagentcom Sounds familiar. Same blindness hits directory listings β founders write their G2 description from the inside. Features, tech, their own language. A cold buyer lands there and sees nothing that speaks to them. Outside eye matters there, too.
@ThatStartup_ Good call. And before that human touchpoint, enterprise buyers are already checking your G2 reviews, your directory presence, your third-party signals. The trust-building starts way earlier than most founders think.
@lumeneze_com Same with directory presence. Adding AI discovery to listings with zero reviews and wrong categories just amplifies the gap. Clean up the foundation first β then let AI do its thing.
@serp_forge This is so real. And directories are one of the most underrated organic channels β G2, Capterra, SourceForge. They compound over time just like SEO, but most SaaS teams treat them as an afterthought.
@syedsimanta03 First impression starts before your website. It's what shows up on G2, Capterra, or when an AI tool recommends software in your category. Most founders don't control that layer at all.
@DevBrows So true. And proof isn't just compliance docs β it's also what shows up when a buyer Googles you. Reviews on G2, directory listings, third-party signals. Procurement teams check all of it.
@DevBrows So true. And proof isn't just compliance docs β it's also what shows up when a buyer Googles you. Reviews on G2, directory listings, and third-party signals. Procurement teams check all of it.
@syedsimanta03 Real talk. The same thing happens with directory presence β listed on 10 platforms, zero reviews. Looks like visibility, doesn't act like it.
Most teams think AEO requires a dedicated tool. It doesn't. When AI answers that question, it draws on @G2dotcom, @Capterra, @trustradius, and @Trustpilot. Your listings, your reviews, your responses. That's already your AEO footprint.
AEO didn't exist as a @G2dotcom category a year ago. Today it has 248 products listed. That's 2,000% growth in 12 months. Half of B2B buyers now start their search in an AI chatbot, not Google. The market just told you something.
AEO = Answer Engine Optimization. Not ranking on Google β getting recommended by AI. When a buyer asks ChatGPT or Perplexity, "What's the best tool for X," your product either shows up or it doesn't. A whole software category exists now just to fix that.
@deysanjay74 True β but there's a layer before UX that most founders ignore. How your product looks on G2, Capterra, or when an AI tool recommends software. Churn starts earlier than the first login.