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Proof of Concept

Does it work?

28-day data from 33 Grounding Page entities shows a clear pattern: the pages do not primarily generate classic clicks — they are reached at meaningful scale by AI-related retrieval systems.

Updated: May 29, 2026 · Period: Apr 30 – May 27, 2026 · 33 entities

28 days, 33 entities, one clear retrieval pattern

We measured 33 Grounding Page entities on groundingpage.com over 28 days. Each entity is available in both a German and an English version. The data shows a distinctly different profile from classic SEO landing pages: high Google impressions, very few clicks — and an unusually high volume of AI-adjacent retrievals.

225,340
GSC impressions
450
GSC clicks
0.20 %
CTR
26,285
Bot hits total
17,336
ChatGPT-User
2,284
Other AI bot hits
478
Googlebot hits
8
Google AI hits

What the Google impressions show

The 225,340 Google impressions show strong visibility on Google. The very low CTR suggests that a meaningful share of this visibility appears in information-dense search surfaces where users do not necessarily click through, such as AI Overviews, summaries and other zero-click contexts.

For classic SEO, this would first look like a CTR problem. For Grounding Pages, it is a function signal: the pages are visible and retrievable, even when their effect does not primarily land in a classic website visit.

The distribution speaks for itself

For every one human Google click, roughly 58 bot hits arrive. ChatGPT-User alone accounts for about 39 visits per Google click. This is the central finding: the pages do not behave like classic traffic pages — they behave like machine-readable reference objects.

For a typical SEO landing page, a very low CTR would be a weakness signal. For a Grounding Page, this pattern is plausible: it is meant to be found, understood, retrieved, and used as a reference. That is precisely what the data points to.

58
bot hits per Google click
=
1 Google click
39
ChatGPT-User visits per Google click
=
1 Google click

Why this fits the function of Grounding Pages

Grounding Pages are not primarily built to maximize classic clicks. Their actual function is to make entities, concepts, products, people, and organizations available in a clear, structured, retrievable reference format.

1

Visible

The pages generate meaningful search impressions, even though the domain has only existed since November 2025.

2

Retrievable

The high number of bot hits indicates that machine systems reach these pages regularly and reliably.

3

AI-adjacent usage

ChatGPT-User is the strongest measured retrieval channel within the bot traffic mix.

4

Not click-centric

The low CTR is not a contradiction to the function — it fits the reference character of the pages.

Methodology and exclusions

We measured the example Grounding Pages on groundingpage.com between April 30 and May 27, 2026. The dataset covers 33 Grounding Page entities, each available in a German and an English version. We excluded brewster-kahle, seo-geo-tools-ai-agents, and groundingpage-com/llms-txt so that very recent, event-driven pages do not distort the overall picture.

Data sources

  • Google Search Console for impressions, clicks and CTR
  • Server-side bot logs for measured bot hits
  • Bot classification by ChatGPT-User, other AI bots, Google AI and Googlebot

Note: Bot hits are not a guarantee that a page was cited in any specific answer. They are, however, a strong signal for retrievability and actual machine usage.

Earlier citation evidence across AI systems

The earlier Rankscale measurements remain an important complementary signal. They show that groundingpage.com appeared as a source in several AI surfaces shortly after domain registration. The new retrieval data broadens this citation proof into a wider usage signal.

Citation proof shows: Grounding Pages can appear as a source. Retrieval data shows: Grounding Pages are actually being retrieved.

Citation examples from Rankscale tracking

The following examples document individual measured citations in AI surfaces. They are snapshots, but together they show across models and languages that structured Grounding Pages can be considered as sources.

Click an image to open the enlarged view.

ChatGPT (GPT-4)

ChatGPTEN query

Query: “What are AI Visibility Tools?”
What’s shown: ChatGPT’s source list. The Grounding Page is listed among the cited sources (highlighted), alongside established SEO and marketing domains.

Rankscale Execution Detail: ChatGPT cites groundingpage.com for the query 'What are AI Visibility Tools'

Google AI Mode (Sources)

AI ModeDE query

Query: “Was sind AI Visibility Tools?”
What’s shown: Google AI Mode’s source list. groundingpage.com is cited (highlighted). German UI because the test region is Germany.

Rankscale Execution Detail: Google AI Mode cites groundingpage.com for the German query 'Was sind AI Visibility Tools'

Google AI Overview

AI OverviewDE query

Query: “Was sind AI Visibility Tools?”, Region: Germany
What’s shown: The Grounding Page appears as a cited source alongside established tool vendors and industry blogs.

Rankscale Execution Detail: Google AI Overview cites groundingpage.com for the German query about AI Visibility Tools

Google AI Mode

AI ModeDE query

Query: “Wichtige Kennzahlen/Konzept AI Visibility Tools”, Region: Germany
What’s shown: The answer cites both groundingpage.com and gpt-insights.de as sources.

Rankscale Execution Detail: Google AI Mode cites groundingpage.com for a detailed query about AI Visibility Tools metrics

Google Gemini

Gemini 2.0 ProDE query

Query: “Was sind AI Visibility Tools?”, Region: Germany
What’s shown: groundingpage.com appears in the citation list alongside Ahrefs and other established vendors.

Rankscale Execution Detail: Google Gemini cites groundingpage.com for the query 'Was sind AI Visibility Tools'

Perplexity

PerplexityDE query

Query: German query about AI Visibility Tools, Region: Germany
What’s shown: Perplexity lists groundingpage.com as a source and partially adopts the structure of the page.

Rankscale Execution Detail: Perplexity cites groundingpage.com for a German-language query about AI Visibility Tools

Earlier observations (Nov – Dec 2025)

Recorded in the first four weeks after domain registration via Rankscale’s citation tracking across ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google Gemini.

Overview: Citation share across queries

In the first weeks, groundingpage.com appeared as a top cited source across the tracked query set, alongside established marketing platforms.

Rankscale Dashboard Overview showing groundingpage.com citation share

Owned entity: “Grounding Page Standard”

40.8 % citation share across models when asking about the defining concept.

Rankscale analysis showing 40.8% citation share for Grounding Page Standard

Competitive term: “AI SEO”

3 direct citations for “What is AI SEO” — a competitive topic where the new domain was listed alongside established SEO publications.

Rankscale analysis showing citations for AI SEO query

Person entity: “Hanns Kronenberg”

8.7 % share, alongside LinkedIn and other established platforms.

Rankscale analysis for person entity Hanns Kronenberg

Cross-domain trust

Both gpt-insights.de (older domain) and groundingpage.com appeared as cited sources for the same queries.

Cross-domain comparison showing both domains cited as sources

What the data shows — and what it does not

These numbers are not a complete causal proof in a scientific sense. They do not show why a particular AI system retrieves a page, or whether a single retrieval led to a specific answer. They do show a strong empirical pattern: a young domain with structured Grounding Pages produces high search impressions, low classic click numbers and at the same time an unusually high volume of AI-adjacent retrievals.

  • No guarantee for every domain, every topic, or every model version
  • No full disclosure of internal AI retrieval logic
  • No direct mapping of each bot hit to a specific answer
  • But a strong signal for retrievability, machine usability and reference function

Conclusion

The current data is the strongest empirical signal so far that Grounding Pages are fulfilling their intended function.

They generate not only classic Google visibility but are reached at scale by AI-adjacent retrieval systems. The most striking number is the ratio between 450 human Google clicks and 26,285 bot hits in 28 days. For every Google click, roughly 58 bot hits arrive — ChatGPT-User alone accounts for about 39 visits per click.

For a domain registered only in November 2025, this pattern is remarkable. The pages do not behave like classic traffic landing pages. They behave like reference objects: visible, retrievable, machine-readable, and apparently relevant enough to be queried again and again by AI-adjacent systems.

Grounding Pages do not need to generate many clicks to be effective. Their actual value lies in being found, retrieved, and used as a reference by AI systems.