Reddit tops AI citations in Australian buying advice, Findrix study finds

Findrix’s Australian AI Source Index looked at 23,000 buying questions across nine markets and found Reddit cited more than any other site by ChatGPT and Google AI tools. The study suggests brands need to optimize their own pages and the external sources AI trusts if they want to show up in answers.

Why it matters: - Australians are using AI assistants to compare options before buying, and the sites those systems cite can shape what gets seen, trusted and shortlisted. - The study suggests the old playbook of relying on brand websites and media coverage is not enough in many categories. - Findrix says companies need to treat AI visibility as a direct part of search and demand generation.

What happened: - Findrix published the Australian AI Source Index on September 30, 2026. - The study analyzed 23,000 shortlist questions asked across ChatGPT, Google AI Mode and Google AI Overviews. - The questions covered nine Australian markets, including law firms, banks and sunscreen. - The study counted 228,000 citations, defined as links in AI answers to sources the engine used. - Reddit was cited more than any other site, with more than 3,000 citations. - Legal 500 and Chambers ranked second and third. - Facebook, YouTube and the ATO also placed in the top ten. - The full index is available at the Australian AI Source Index.

The details: - In fashion, Reddit was cited four times as often as Vogue Australia. - In beauty, Reddit and Adore Beauty each outranked every brand-owned website. - Across the study, when an engine pulled in a Reddit thread, it named the thread in the answer seven times out of ten. - In finance, Canstar was cited more often than any bank. - In legal, three of the top four sources were international directories. - No Australian directory or press title reached the top twenty in legal. - In home services, Yellow Pages ranked below 1,000. - More than 85% of citations in clinics, home services and finance went to .au domains. - Product categories were less local: about half of citations in fashion and beauty came from non-Australian sources, and about one third in B2B software did. - Two thirds of what AI read came from a company’s own website. - Businesses, competitors and retailers accounted for about 65% of all sources the engines pulled in. - Publishers made up about 11% of sources. - Only one source in five was a place a brand can reach through press, directories, forums or review sites.

Between the lines: - The findings point to a gap between where brands think visibility comes from and where AI systems actually look. - Reddit, comparison sites and directories appear to act as trust signals that can outweigh brand-owned content in some categories. - The data also suggests category behavior matters more than broad marketing assumptions, especially in legal, finance, beauty and fashion. - Findrix co-founder Yosif Meerman said brands often have not checked what AI finds on their own websites, and that Reddit and directories can determine who gets a second look. - Tom Wells, Findrix’s lead research advisor, said the research matters because it reflects the market as a whole rather than a small sample of prompts.

What’s next: - Findrix says companies should check all three engines because fewer than half of the top twenty sources appear on all three in most markets. - Findrix recommends fixing owned pages first by answering the buyer’s question in the first 60 words and putting price, specs and credentials in the text rather than in images or behind forms. - Findrix says brands should work the sources each market trusts, including Reddit and beauty media in fashion and beauty, directories in legal and comparison sites in finance. - Findrix also advises product brands to plan across borders because about half the sources in fashion, beauty and software are not Australian.

The bottom line: - If a brand wants AI to recommend it, the website, the supporting sources and the category-specific trust network all have to line up.