Live Results · GEO Visibility
AI Search Proof: Where Our Videos Get Cited
Our whole thesis is that the right video earns citations from AI search. So we check it on ourselves, out in the open. Here is the question, the method, the dates, and the citations we've already earned.
Status: Active, measurement window open
The Hypothesis
If a B2B video is built to a specific formula: a named third-party expert on camera, high entity density in the description, buyer-question chapter titles, and a 10–15 minute runtime, AI search engines will cite it directly. And structured blog posts that embed the same video plus a full transcript should carry that citation from Google over to Gemini and Perplexity.
The Methodology
Six buyer questions. Three platforms. Logged out.
- 1.Pick 6 real buyer questions a B2B company would type before hiring a video agency.
- 2.Ask each question, logged out, on Google Search, Gemini, and Perplexity, exactly how an unknown buyer would find you.
- 3.Record where Digital Accomplice shows up: AI Overview citation, video carousel, Shorts shelf, or nowhere.
- 4.Compare the full metadata of every video that did and didn't get cited to isolate what actually drives a citation.
- 5.Re-run the identical 6 questions at Day 30 and Day 60 to watch whether new content propagates Google → Gemini → Perplexity.
Platforms checked: Google Search, Google Gemini, Perplexity. ChatGPT and Claude require login, so they're excluded. An anonymous buyer can't reach them.
The Proof
Google AI Overview
Buyer asks: “What should B2B companies look for in a GEO video agency?”
Dane is cited directly inside Google's AI Overview, and the same video sits #1 in the video carousel. This is the ideal result: the AI is pulling from the video to answer the buyer's question.
Proof pack
Seven Google AI Overview wins buyers can inspect.
When leads ask for examples, this is the compact answer: the exact buyer question, the visible Google AI Overview surface, the asset that was cited, and the pattern we would repeat for a client.
Google prompts
32
buyer-style questions checked in the Google AI Overview lane
Direct wins
7
matching DA/Dane YouTube assets surfaced inside AI Overview
Citation rate
21.9%
for Google AI Overview in this checkpoint
Other engines
0
visible DA citations in ChatGPT, Gemini, or Perplexity at baseline
Buyer question
Does video help AI search rankings?
Cited asset: Does video help AI search rankings?
Repeat this: Answer one clear buyer question with a helpful clip and a transcript-backed page.
Inspect example→Buyer question
Why do zero-click results matter for SEO?
Cited asset: Why do zero-click results matter for SEO?
Repeat this: Use video to earn visible brand credit even when the buyer does not click through.
Inspect example→Buyer question
How do videos get attributed in Google AI Overviews?
Cited asset: How do videos get attributed in Google AI Overviews?
Repeat this: Make the video title, page heading, transcript, and answer all line up around the same question.
Inspect example→Buyer question
Should B2B marketers chase video trends or plan first?
Cited asset: Should B2B marketers chase video trends or plan first?
Repeat this: Tie the answer to a durable buyer decision instead of a temporary platform rumor.
Inspect example→Buyer question
Is video-first better, and does more clips mean more value?
Cited asset: Is video-first better, and does more clips mean more value?
Repeat this: Show how one source recording becomes multiple useful assets without pretending volume is the strategy.
Inspect example→Buyer question
Why does video build trust at the bottom of the sales funnel?
Cited asset: Why does video build trust at the bottom of the sales funnel?
Repeat this: Use video where buyers need proof, specificity, and a human explanation before they decide.
Inspect example→Buyer question
Is go-to-market a launch or an ongoing process?
Cited asset: Is go-to-market a launch or an ongoing process?
Repeat this: Answer category questions with concrete operating guidance, not generic thought leadership.
Inspect example→Cross-Platform Scorecard
Only platform with visibility. One gold-standard AI Overview citation.
Gemini
Answers all 6 in detail but cites no one by name.
Perplexity
Inline source tags visible: a high-value surface once we break through.
| Buyer question | Gemini | Perplexity | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q1Does YouTube content show up in AI answers? | Shorts shelf | None | None |
| Q2Why is video important for AI search visibility? | None | None | None |
| Q3How do you optimize YouTube videos to get cited by AI? | None | None | None |
| Q4Is YouTube or website video better? | None | None | None |
| Q5How much does it cost to hire a B2B video agency? | #1 video | None | None |
| Q6What should B2B companies look for in a GEO video agency? | AI Overview | None | None |
The Citation Formula
Expert interview + named entities in the description + buyer-question chapters + 10–15 min runtime = AI citation
Why It Got Cited
Four things separated the cited video from the rest.
A named third-party expert on camera
The cited video is an interview with Adrian Dahlin of Search to Sale, a real, verifiable SEO/GEO agency owner. Google's knowledge graph can confirm he exists and cross-reference his company. An interview with a verifiable expert creates entity relationships a solo talking-head doesn't.
The highest entity density
The description names 7+ real, lookup-able entities (Adrian Dahlin, Search to Sale, Anne Smarty, Peec AI, Profound, Gumshoe, Ahrefs). It reads like a research-paper bibliography. The videos that weren't cited mention concepts, not verifiable entities.
A ~14-minute runtime
At 13:57 it hits the sweet spot: long enough for real substance, short enough that the transcript is a digestible document. A 28-second Short was too thin to extract reasoning from; a 24-minute video was harder to parse efficiently.
Chapter titles that are buyer questions
Its chapters read like the questions a buyer types: "How to make the case to a CEO," "What kind of video actually gets cited." Google can match each chapter to a user's prompt. Topic-label chapters don't map the same way.
The Evidence
Six videos, side by side.
| Video | Cited? | Duration | Views | Tags | Desc | Chapters | Captions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Audit Before You Build (Q6) | AI Overview | 13:57 | 9 | 25 | 1,260 | 7 | ASR |
| B2B video agency cost (Q5) | Carousel | 0:28 | 4 | 6 | 343 | 0 | Manual + ASR |
| AI Overviews Pull YT (Q1) | Shorts | 0:54 | 49 | 16 | 414 | 0 | ASR |
| Live GEO session w/ Jess (Q1) | Shorts | 24:46 | 6 | 20 | 1,573 | 6 | Manual + ASR |
| Video for AI search (Q2) | None | 2:19 | 10 | 15 | 1,163 | 4 | ASR |
| B2B Video Gets Cited (Q3) | None | 6:32 | 7 | 24 | 2,588 | 9 | ASR |
What Surprisingly Doesn't Matter
- View count. The cited video had only 9 views. Google cited it anyway.
- Manual transcripts. The winner has only auto-generated captions. A video with a hand-built transcript wasn't cited.
- Description length. The longest description (2,588 chars) wasn't cited. The winner's was 1,260.
- Number of tags. 24 vs. 25 tags between a non-cited and the cited video. Not the differentiator.
What We're Doing About It
The plan between now and the Day 30 check.
Replicate the formula
Record expert interviews targeting the questions that came up empty (Q2, Q3, Q4). Each one needs a named third-party guest, a 10–15 minute runtime, buyer-question chapters, and an entity-dense description.
Build the Gemini & Perplexity bridge
Publish blog posts with the embedded video plus a full transcript on digitalaccomplice.com. These platforms pull from web pages more than from YouTube directly. The structured blog post is the missing link from Google-only to multi-platform.
Check again at Day 30 and Day 60
Run the identical 6 questions on the same platforms and track whether new content propagates from Google to Gemini and Perplexity. This scorecard is the measurement framework.
Add VideoObject schema to blog posts
Gemini's own answer named "VideoObject schema markup" as a thing to look for in a GEO agency. Shipping it on the blog post pages signals exactly the technical optimization these platforms reward.
Want to know where you show up in AI search?
We run this same check on your company, free. Six buyer questions, three platforms, a one-page scorecard of where you're cited and where you're invisible.
Get your free AI visibility snapshot →