Every answer here follows the same discipline CiteHQ.io builds for clients: a direct, self-contained answer first — no burying the point three paragraphs down.
AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) and GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) are the disciplines of making a brand the answer AI systems cite — not just a link on a search results page. As buyers increasingly ask ChatGPT, Perplexity, or Google AI Overviews instead of scrolling search results, being cited by name in the AI's answer matters more than ranking on a page few people scroll to anymore.
The pattern isn't new — it's the same one that let Google, three years late to search, overtake AltaVista's head start and hold 80–90% of the market for two decades while AltaVista shut down entirely. It wasn't about moving first. It was about building the new compounding mechanism first. AI/AEO/GEO is that same kind of breakthrough now — and citation share is the mechanism it compounds through.
Left: a conceptual illustration, not a forecast for any specific brand. Right: a real historical case — AltaVista launched in 1995 and was still the most-visited search engine as late as 2000; Google's 1998 PageRank breakthrough let it overtake both AltaVista and Yahoo within a few years and sustain global dominance for two decades, while AltaVista was shut down in 2013.
CiteHQ.io is a pure-play AEO/GEO specialist, not a full-service agency splitting attention across SEO, PPC, social, and web design. Every engagement is measured against a documented citation-share baseline across six AI platforms, scored on a fixed 0–4 scale, with results reported as a number — not a promise.
CiteHQ.io’s DNA is pattern recognition, not hype — founder David Maruyama lived through the internet’s infrastructure buildout and the mobile handset revolution before applying that same discipline to AI. In practice, that means pure-play AEO/GEO specialization, genuine native bilingual work, and CiteRE — a proprietary model built to decode whether a citation builds trust or costs it. Every claim is measured and reported as a number, never a promise, and every engagement is a commitment to become the genuine expert for that brand, not a vendor running a checklist.
Every CiteHQ.io strategy is built in English and in genuine, native Spanish — not translated after the fact. Houston sits at the center of $800 billion in Latin American trade and 500,000-plus Spanish-speaking businesses, and CiteHQ is built specifically to serve that market natively.
CiteHQ.io was founded by David Maruyama, who holds an MBA from Columbia Business School and spent 25 years building ventures across telecom, mobile money, and retail distribution in the United States, Latin America, and the Caribbean before founding CiteHQ.io. Read the full story →
AI Citation Pulse is a free check, with results in 48–72 hours — 5 fixed queries across 3 platforms, pass/fail only. The AI Visibility Gap Audit is the full diagnostic — 15 to 25 custom queries across all 6 platforms, full 0–4 scoring, competitor mapping, and a prioritized fix list, delivered in 14 days.
The AI Visibility Gap Audit is a 14-day engagement, including query approval, testing across all six platforms, scoring, and a live strategist walkthrough.
Yes. AI Citation Pulse is offered free under CiteHQ.io's current Launch Promotion, through December 31, 2026. After that date, CiteHQ.io will evaluate whether to continue offering it at no cost based on competitive positioning and funnel performance.
Most engagements start with a free AI Citation Pulse check or the paid AI Visibility Gap Audit. From there, most clients move into one of the three retainer tiers. Contact david@citehq.io to begin.
Every query is scored from 0 to 4: 0 means the brand is absent entirely, 1 means mentioned with no context, 2 means cited accurately but not favored, 3 means positioned as a genuine recommendation, and 4 means the leading citation — the primary answer AI gives for that query.
CiteHQ.io tests across six platforms: ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews, Microsoft Copilot, Gemini, and Claude. See the full methodology →
No. Citation-share scores are determined in part by third-party AI systems outside CiteHQ.io's control, so specific outcomes cannot be guaranteed. CiteHQ commits to delivering the methodology, deliverables, and reporting specified in each engagement, executed to the standard described on this site. Full disclaimer →
CiteRE, the Resonance Engine, is CiteHQ.io's proprietary model for decoding audience sentiment in AI-generated answers — not just whether a brand is cited, but whether that citation builds trust or costs it. The core model is functional today, and its precision builds with every engagement it learns from.
Starter is the foundation tier for teams proving the model works. Growth adds monthly thought leadership, expert placements, and full six-platform monitoring. Authority adds competitive citation intelligence, digital PR, entity building, and priority strategy access — for teams ready to own their category, not just be visible in it.
The Launch Promotion offers 20% off every service on the site — all retainer tiers, First Movers Engagements, and category pricing — for the full 12-month contract term, for businesses in the Greater Houston region who sign by December 31, 2026.
Launch pricing locks in for the full 12-month term of your contract, regardless of when the promotion window closes. New contracts signed after December 31, 2026 are priced at standard rates. See full pricing →
Yes. CiteHQ.io has a dedicated focus on early-stage ventures in Houston, including medtech and biotech founders in the Texas Medical Center ecosystem, with a purpose-built Early-Stage Venture Visibility Sprint for pre-Series A founders.
CiteHQ.io is based in Houston, Texas, and works primarily with Greater Houston-area businesses, with a specific focus on medtech/biotech and bilingual Latin American trade relationships.
david@citehq.io — usually the fastest way to get a direct answer.
Start with a free AI Citation Pulse