AEO for security orchestration automation and response software: AI search visibility ranking
How AI search engines rank security orchestration automation and response software by visibility and citations. 18 brands measured quarterly across Google AI Mode: which brands the AI names in answers, which domains it cites as sources, and how the leaders compare. SOAR software used by security teams to automate investigations, orchestrate response workflows, connect security tools, and reduce incident handling time. Composite score: 70% visibility (% of AI answers naming the brand) + 30% citation rate (% citing the brand's domain). Full methodology →
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When AI engines are queried about Security orchestration automation and response software, Splunk SOAR leads with a visibility rate of 12.5 percent. Other notable brands include Exabeam and IBM QRadar SOAR. Splunk's top position highlights its prominence in this sector, reflecting its broad recognition across AI-driven platforms.
The rankings are influenced by the top cited sources like Google, Gartner, and YouTube, as well as aggregator and review sites such as Softwarereviews and G2. These platforms shape AI responses by providing comprehensive insights and reviews, which enhance a brand's visibility when AI engines deliver answers.
For a buyer, understanding what influences AI engine responses can guide decision-making. Consider brands that receive consistent third-party validation and have high visibility in recent reviews. This indicates topical authority and relevance, ensuring you choose a solution recognized as a leader in the specific subcategory of Security orchestration automation and response.
At a glance
What we observed in this category
Splunk SOAR is the only brand in this category with a composite score above zero that carries both visibility and citation at the same level, scoring 12.5 percent on each metric. That makes it the sole brand achieving balanced AEO performance across Google AI Mode. The gap between Splunk SOAR and the rest of the 18-brand field is substantial: the category average visibility sits at just 0.7 percent, meaning Splunk SOAR is operating at nearly 18 times the average, and no other brand has any measurable visibility at all.
A notable divergence between citation and visibility emerges with Exabeam and IBM QRadar SOAR. Both carry a 12.5 percent citation rate, matching Splunk SOAR on that metric, yet both register 0.0 percent visibility. This pattern means AI is referencing those brands as sources or supporting evidence without surfacing them as named answers in responses. For answer engine optimisation purposes, being cited is not equivalent to being visible, and those two brands illustrate the gap precisely.
Google AI Mode is the sole engine recorded across all 18 brands in this audit. The top cited external sources are gartner.com, g2.com, softwarereviews.com, and trustradius.com, indicating that AI responses in this category anchor heavily on third-party review and analyst platforms rather than vendor-owned content. Tracecat and UnderDefense also appear in the cited source list, suggesting niche or practitioner-oriented sites are contributing to how Google AI Mode constructs answers in this space.
Movers & shakers since last refresh
Biggest visibility fallers
-
Splunk SOAR 38% → 12% · rank #1 → #1-25pp
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Tines 25% → 0% · rank #6 → #7-25pp
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Swimlane 25% → 0% · rank #7 → #8-25pp
The AEO ranking
| # | Brand | Visibility | Citation | Top engine |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
splunk.com
|
12% | 12% | Google AI Mode |
Splunk SOAR is the only brand with non-zero visibility at 12.5 percent, though that figure has fallen sharply from 37.5 percent in the prior period. |
||||
| 2 |
exabeam.com
|
0% | 12% | Google AI Mode |
Exabeam holds a 12.5 percent citation rate equal to Splunk SOAR but records 0.0 percent visibility, placing it in a cited-but-not-named position with a composite score of just 3.8. |
||||
| 3 |
ibm.com
|
0% | 12% | Google AI Mode |
IBM QRadar SOAR mirrors Exabeam exactly, with 12.5 percent citation and 0.0 percent visibility, sharing a composite score of 3.8 and no engine outside Google AI Mode. |
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| 4 |
dflabs.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
DFLabs scores 0.0 across visibility, citation, and composite, returning no measurable AEO signal in Google AI Mode despite holding rank four in the category. |
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| 5 |
resolvesystems.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
Resolve Systems also scores 0.0 on all three metrics, ranking fifth but generating no detectable presence in AI-generated responses or citations for this category. |
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| 6 |
paloaltonetworks.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 7 |
tines.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 8 |
swimlane.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 9 |
microsoft.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 10 |
torq.io
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 11 |
cloud.google.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 12 |
servicenow.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 13 |
securonix.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 14 |
rapid7.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 15 |
logrhythm.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 16 |
blinkops.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 17 |
d3security.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 18 |
fortinet.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
Sources AI engines trust in this category
Across the 8 buyer-intent queries we ran on security orchestration automation and response software, these are the domains Google AI Mode cited most often. If you're not on this list — or if your competitors are — that's a concrete PR / linkbuilding target.
How to read this AEO ranking
Four things worth knowing before you act on the numbers above. These are the same definitions across every industry page — for category-specific observations, see the What we observed section above (where available) and the per-brand insights inline in the ranking.
Visibility = being named
A brand's visibility % is the share of AI answers that mention it by name in the response prose. This is who AI engines actively recommend to the buyer. More on visibility →
Citation rate = being trusted
Citation rate is the share of AI answers that include the brand's domain as a clickable source link. This is what the AI treats as authoritative evidence, different from being named. More on citation rate →
Top engine differs by brand
The "top engine" column shows which AI surface each brand performs best on. Big gaps between a brand's score across engines usually points to specific content or schema gaps. How AI engines pick sources →
AEO rankings move month to month
AI engines re-crawl and re-rank on shorter cycles than classical search. We re-audit every brand on this list at least every 90 days and refresh this page automatically. How AI search ranking works →
Run an AEO audit on your own security orchestration automation and response software brand
The brands above were curated from public market-leader lists. Want the same answer engine optimisation measurement against your own brand — including the queries you appear on, which competitors get named instead, and a prioritised fix list? Run a free preview.
Frequently asked about AEO for security orchestration automation and response software
Who leads AEO in Security orchestration automation and response software?
Splunk SOAR leads with a composite score of 12.5 and is the only brand in the category with measurable visibility in Google AI Mode, though its visibility has dropped from 37.5 percent to 12.5 percent in the most recent period.
What sources does AI cite most for Security orchestration automation and response software research?
Google AI Mode draws most heavily on gartner.com, g2.com, softwarereviews.com, and trustradius.com in this category, alongside niche practitioner sources such as tracecat.com and underdefense.com.
Which brands are cited by AI but not surfaced as visible answers in this category?
Exabeam and IBM QRadar SOAR both achieve a 12.5 percent citation rate but record 0.0 percent visibility, meaning the AI references them without naming them as primary answers.
How concentrated is AEO performance in Security orchestration automation and response software?
Performance is highly concentrated: only one of the 18 brands tracked has any visibility at all, and the category average visibility is just 0.7 percent, with an average citation rate of 2.1 percent.
Which brands have lost the most AI visibility recently in this category?
Splunk SOAR, Tines, and Swimlane each saw visibility fall by 25 percentage points in the latest period, with Tines and Swimlane dropping to zero and Splunk SOAR falling from 37.5 to 12.5 percent.
Does owning a strong brand name guarantee AEO visibility in this category?
No: well-known platforms including Microsoft Sentinel, Palo Alto Cortex XSOAR, and IBM QRadar SOAR all score 0.0 percent visibility in Google AI Mode despite their market presence.