ChatGPT answers, unedited

If you're a freelance writer trying to make clients' articles more likely to be cited or surfaced by ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, and Google AI Overviews, I'd look at AEO/GEO platforms that actually analyze citations and content gaps, rather than tools that simply generate “AI-friendly” copy.

Platforms worth trying

• Otterly.ai — a relatively low-cost entry point for tracking whether sites/brands appear in AI answers. One current industry comparison lists it at about $29/month, making it interesting for a freelancer who wants to experiment without a large commitment. The Answer Engine Report
• Peec AI — focused specifically on AI-search visibility and competitor/citation analysis. It is useful if your job is to diagnose why a client's content isn't being mentioned and turn that into content recommendations. cloro
• Profound — considerably more enterprise-oriented, with broad AI-engine monitoring and large-scale citation data. Probably more than you need as an individual writer, but worth knowing if you're eventually working with larger clients/agencies. cloro The Answer Engine Report
• Surfer — worth considering if you want one workflow combining conventional SEO/content optimization with emerging AI-search optimization. A recent TechRadar evaluation specifically highlighted its real-time content optimization for Google and AI. TechRadar

For a freelancer, I'd start with Otterly or Peec

The important distinction is that you don't really “optimize an article for ChatGPT” in isolation. AI systems retrieve and synthesize information from the wider web. Google, for example, says its AI search features continue to rely on core Search systems and emphasizes unique, valuable, non-commodity content rather than special AEO tricks. Google for Developers Google for Developers

So your client service could be:

Traditional SEO research → identify questions AI users ask → write genuinely original answers → strengthen evidence/entities/sources → publish → monitor AI citations → revise based on what the models actually cite.

That's a much more defensible freelance offering than promising clients “I'll make ChatGPT recommend your article.”

If you're specifically looking for one platform I'd test first as a solo freelance writer, I'd start with Otterly.ai, then consider Peec AI if you need deeper analysis. The current tool landscape changes quickly, so I'd test both against 2–3 real client articles before committing to a subscription. The Answer Engine Report Elmo

And one important point: Google itself now has an official 2026 guide to optimizing for generative AI search. It's worth reading before buying any AEO platform because some vendors imply that proprietary “AI optimization” tricks are necessary when Google's guidance emphasizes fundamentals like originality, first-hand expertise, useful structure, and people-first content. Google for Developers Google for Developers

If you tell me your typical client niche (e.g. SaaS, healthcare, finance, travel, local businesses) and roughly what you can spend per month, I can narrow this down to the 2–3 tools that make the most sense for your freelance workflow.

If you’re a freelance writer selling AI-answer optimization as a client service, I’d start with Otterly.AI rather than an enterprise platform like Profound.

Why:

• Otterly.AI is positioned around prompt tracking, AI-search analytics, content audits, and GEO optimization, and it’s specifically described as suitable for marketing teams/agencies. Current comparisons put its entry pricing around $29/month, making it relatively accessible for a freelancer. technologyadvice.com
• It lets you show clients something concrete: “Here are the questions people ask AI, here’s whether your company/article gets mentioned or cited, and here are the competitors that appear instead.” That's much easier to sell than vague promises about “optimizing for ChatGPT.”
• Profound is considerably more sophisticated, particularly for large-scale prompt/citation intelligence, but its positioning is much more enterprise-oriented. technologyadvice.comwww.tryprofound.com
• If your main job is actually producing articles, rather than monitoring clients' AI visibility, there are newer freelancer/agency-focused tools such as Upword that combine article optimization with AI-citation workflows and client workspaces. www.goupword.com

What I'd do in your position

One important distinction: no AEO platform can guarantee that ChatGPT or another chatbot will recommend an article. These tools primarily measure whether and how AI systems mention/cite content and identify opportunities. omnicite.co

For a freelance writer, I'd actually make your service “AI visibility + content”, rather than simply “AEO.” For example:

Research the questions your client's customers ask ChatGPT → identify what sources AI currently cites → write/revise the article to provide highly extractable, well-sourced answers → publish → monitor whether AI starts citing it.

That gives you a much more tangible deliverable than simply saying you're going to “make their article rank in AI.”

If you tell me what kind of clients you write for (SaaS, local businesses, finance, health, ecommerce, etc.) and roughly what you can spend per month, I can narrow this to 2–3 platforms and compare their current pricing/features.

If you’re a freelance writer trying to get clients’ articles cited or recommended by AI assistants (ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Claude, Google AI Overviews), you’re looking for Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) or Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) tools. These help you understand what AI systems cite, which competitors appear, and how to structure content so it is more “citable.” CiteFlow HubSpot

For a freelancer, I would not start with expensive enterprise platforms. I’d test one of these:

Best starting options for a freelance writer

1. Semrush AI Visibility tools — best if you already do SEO

Best for: writers who already offer keyword research, content briefs, and SEO packages.

Why it fits:

• Combines traditional SEO with AI visibility tracking.
• Helps you show clients “your article appears in AI answers for these prompts.”
• Easier to bundle into a content strategy service. geoaeo Index

Good freelance offer:

“I’ll optimize your articles for Google + AI search visibility.”

2. Otterly.ai — best budget-friendly AI monitoring

Best for: solo writers testing AEO services.

Why it fits:

• Designed around tracking AI answers and mentions.
• More accessible than enterprise tools.
• Useful for creating before/after reports for clients. HubSpot

3. Peec AI — best for agency-style reporting

Best for: freelancers managing several client brands.

Why it fits:

• Focuses on AI search visibility monitoring.
• Useful if you want recurring monthly “AI presence reports.” CiteFlow

4. Profound — best if you move upmarket

Best for: writers working with larger companies.

Why it fits:

• Stronger tracking depth across multiple AI engines.
• More suited to marketing teams than individual writers. cloro

My recommendation for a freelance writer

I’d build a service stack like this:

1. Research

• Traditional SEO: Semrush, Ahrefs, Google Search Console (if you have client access)
• AI research: manually test prompts in ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini
• Optimization

• Write articles that: - answer specific questions directly
• include clear definitions
• use expert quotes/data
• cite authoritative sources
• include FAQs
• demonstrate first-hand experience
• Measurement

• Use Otterly.ai or Semrush AI visibility features to create client reports.

A good freelance positioning angle is not:

“I write AI-optimized articles.”

It is:

“I create content designed to earn visibility in both Google search and AI-generated answers.”

One caution: no tool can guarantee that ChatGPT or another chatbot will recommend an article. These platforms can only help you measure visibility signals and improve the odds; AI systems choose sources based on factors like relevance, authority, freshness, and trustworthiness. CiteFlow

If you’re trying to sell AEO writing as a freelance service, I’d also consider building a sample case study (one article → tracked prompts → AI mentions/citations over time), because clients understand proof better than the terminology.

If your goal as a freelance writer is to make your clients’ articles more likely to be cited or recommended by ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Claude, and Google’s AI results, I’d start with OtterlyAI.

The key distinction is that you don't just want an AI writing tool. You want a platform that lets you measure AI visibility, identify the prompts where a client is missing, see which sources competitors are getting cited, and then improve the content accordingly. That is what dedicated GEO/AEO platforms are increasingly built for. Otterly AI Otterly AI

My picks for a freelance writer

• 🥇 OtterlyAI — best starting point. It covers ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews/AI Mode, Gemini, Perplexity, Copilot and Claude, and combines prompt research, citation monitoring, content audits and optimization recommendations. It also explicitly supports agencies, which makes it relevant if you're doing this for multiple clients. Otterly
• 🥈 Frase — best if your main job is writing/optimizing articles. It's more of a content-optimization platform than a pure AI-visibility tracker and is particularly attractive for solo writers. One 2026 comparison puts its entry price around $49/month and identifies it as a strong value option for solo writers. The AI Rankings
• 🥉 Profound — best for serious client/agency work. It's much more oriented toward professional AI-visibility measurement across numerous AI surfaces, but I'd consider it overkill until you're handling larger clients or selling GEO as a service. xSeek Novelty SEO
• Surfer — best if you want traditional SEO + AI optimization together. It's useful if your clients still care heavily about Google rankings as well as AI citations. The AI Rankings

What I'd actually do in your position

I'd try OtterlyAI first, rather than buying an expensive enterprise GEO platform.

Your service could become:

"I don't just write SEO articles—I optimize them for visibility in AI answers."

For each client article, you could:

1. Identify the questions/prompt clusters their customers ask AI.
2. Check which competitors and publications AI currently cites.
3. Write the article around those questions.
4. Make claims specific, self-contained and well-sourced.
5. Add authoritative sources, statistics, original information and clear answers.
6. Monitor whether the client's URL starts appearing in AI citations.
7. Report the results to the client.

That's considerably more defensible as a freelance service than simply saying "I use AI to optimize your articles." Otterly's own workflow emphasizes exactly this loop: find prompt/content gaps → make pages citable → act on citation opportunities → measure the result. Otterly AI

One important caveat: no platform can guarantee that ChatGPT or another AI will recommend an article. These tools measure and improve the factors associated with AI visibility; they don't control the underlying models.

If you tell me your monthly budget (e.g. $0, $50, $100, $200+) and how many clients/articles you typically handle, I can narrow this down to the best 1–2 platforms for your freelance business and explain exactly how I'd use them.

If your goal is specifically “I write articles for clients, and I want those articles to be cited/recommended by ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, etc.”, I’d start with Otterly.AI rather than jumping straight to an expensive enterprise GEO platform.

My picks for a freelance writer

• 🥇 Otterly.AI — best starting point. It’s relatively inexpensive (reported from $29/month), tracks specific prompts, shows whether AI engines mention/cite your content, and lets you compare competitors. That makes it useful for turning GEO into a concrete writing service for clients. Semrush TechnologyAdvice
• 🥈 Semrush AI Visibility Toolkit — best if you already use Semrush. It combines conventional SEO research with AI visibility, so you can identify the search queries and AI prompts worth writing for. Reported pricing starts around $99/month. Semrush
• 🥉 Peec AI — worth considering as you scale. It's more focused on deep GEO/AI-visibility analysis and is positioned as a strong mid-market option. StayFound
• Profound — overkill for most freelancers. Very powerful for enterprise-level monitoring and citation analytics, but I'd only consider it once you're managing substantial GEO programs for larger clients. TechnologyAdvice Alkali

The important distinction

I'd actually market your service as GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) or AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) rather than simply "AI SEO."

The workflow I'd use is:

Client → identify questions buyers ask AI → analyze which sources AI currently cites → find citation/content gaps → write the article → optimize it for extraction/citation → monitor whether AI starts citing it.

That's much more compelling to a client than “I write articles optimized for ChatGPT.”

And don't fall into the trap of thinking there's a magic article format that guarantees ChatGPT recommendations. The tools are primarily measurement and diagnostic systems; you still need strong, independently credible content and sources. Current research/tool comparisons emphasize tracking actual prompts, mentions, and citations rather than treating GEO like a traditional keyword-ranking exercise. Austin Heaton AI Did It For You

If I were you, I'd trial Otterly first, pick 2–3 existing client articles, establish their current AI citation visibility, then use the data to create a before/after case study. That gives you something you can actually sell: “I increased this client's visibility in AI answers for X buyer questions.”

If you tell me what type of clients you write for (SaaS, healthcare, finance, travel, etc.) and roughly what you charge per article, I can recommend the specific GEO stack I'd use as a freelance writer.

If your goal is specifically to help your clients’ articles get cited/recommended by ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Google AI Overviews, etc., I’d look at Peec AI first.

The important distinction is that you’re not really looking for another SEO writing tool. You want an AEO/GEO (Answer Engine Optimization / Generative Engine Optimization) platform that can tell you:

• Which prompts people are asking AI.
• Whether your client is mentioned in the answers.
• Which articles/domains AI is citing.
• Which competitors are being cited instead.
• What content gaps you can address.
• Whether your changes actually increase AI visibility.

My shortlist for a freelance writer

Recent 2026 comparisons consistently put Peec, Otterly and Profound among the leading dedicated AEO platforms. Peec is particularly interesting for agencies because it emphasizes visibility, position, sentiment and citation-source reporting, while Otterly is positioned as the inexpensive entry point. Profound AEO Labs AEO Labs

Why I'd pick Peec for a freelance writer

The really useful thing for your business isn't simply telling a client "your brand appeared in ChatGPT."

It's being able to say:

"For the question 'best accounting software for freelancers', AI is recommending these five companies and repeatedly citing these 12 websites. Your company isn't being cited. Here's the content we're going to create/update to give AI a stronger source to cite."

That's much closer to a sellable freelance service.

Peec's citation-source reporting is specifically useful here because it can show which domains are being cited by AI answers. AEO Labs

But there's an important catch

No AEO platform can guarantee that an AI chatbot will recommend an article.

The platforms mostly measure and diagnose AI visibility; the actual work still involves producing authoritative, well-sourced content that AI systems have reasons to cite. One 2026 comparison makes this distinction explicitly: most AEO products are trackers, and the harder part is turning a visibility gap into a content change and then measuring whether it worked. Linkeddit

That's actually good news for you as a freelancer.

You could position yourself as something like:

"I write AI-search-optimized articles designed to become citation sources for ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google AI."

Then use Peec (or Otterly initially) as your measurement layer.

What I'd do if I were starting today

Start with Otterly if you're experimenting with your own money. Its entry tier is reported at about $29/month, making it a relatively low-risk way to learn how AI visibility tracking works. AEO Labs AEO Labs

Move to Peec when you're selling AEO as a client service. It gives you more useful reporting for demonstrating results to clients, and its agency-oriented plans are designed around multiple users/workflows. AEO Labs

Don't start with Profound unless you land substantial clients. It is positioned much more toward enterprise AEO programs and has substantially deeper data and functionality. Profound

If you tell me what kind of clients/articles you write (SaaS, healthcare, finance, travel, ecommerce, etc.), I can also recommend the specific AEO workflow I'd use to make your articles more likely to be cited by AI, including what to put in the articles that conventional SEO writers usually miss.

If you’re a freelance writer and your goal is to get clients’ articles cited or recommended by AI chatbots (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity, etc.), you’re looking for AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) or GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) tools—not just traditional SEO tools. These platforms help you understand what AI systems cite and how to structure content so it has a better chance of being surfaced. Novelty SEO Humanswith.AI

For a freelancer, I’d prioritize tools that help you create better briefs and prove value to clients, rather than expensive enterprise monitoring.

Best options for a freelance writer

1. Writesonic — best all-around starting point

Good fit if you want one tool for:

• AI-search-friendly content briefs
• article optimization
• keyword/topic research
• some AI visibility tracking

It’s useful when your workflow is: “Find what AI engines want → write the article → optimize structure.” Conductor AEO Rankings

Best for: freelance writers adding “AI visibility optimization” as a service.

2. Surfer SEO — best if you already write SEO articles

Surfer is stronger for:

• content structure
• topical coverage
• headings
• entities and related terms
• improving existing drafts

It is less of a pure AI-citation tracker, but strong writing optimization still matters because AI systems tend to favor clear, authoritative, well-structured sources. Conductor Trustable Labs

Best for: writers who already sell SEO blog posts and want to upgrade their offering.

3. Frase — best budget-friendly writing assistant

Frase is useful for:

• finding questions people ask
• building answer-focused outlines
• creating FAQ sections
• improving topical completeness

Best for: solo freelancers who need a lighter tool.

4. Profound — best for proving AI visibility results (but expensive)

Profound focuses more on monitoring:

• whether brands appear in AI answers
• which prompts trigger citations
• competitor visibility

This is closer to what agencies use for reporting, but it may be overkill unless clients pay you for AI-search strategy. Novelty SEO HubSpot

Best for: freelancers moving into consulting or retainers.

5. Semrush — best if clients already use it

If your clients already have Semrush, adding AI visibility work there can make your service easier to sell. Semrush has been expanding into AI visibility tracking alongside its traditional SEO features. Conductor

My recommended freelancer stack

If I were building a freelance “AI-ready content” service, I’d start with:

1. Writesonic or Frase → research + briefs
2. Surfer SEO → optimize the article
3. Manual ChatGPT/Perplexity testing → check whether the article answers real prompts well
4. Later add Profound or another AI visibility tracker when clients pay for reporting

The bigger opportunity is not just saying “I write SEO articles.” A stronger positioning is:

“I create articles structured to be discoverable in Google and cited by AI answer engines.”

AEO is still developing, so no tool can guarantee that ChatGPT will recommend an article. The practical goal is to increase the signals AI systems tend to reward: clear answers, trustworthy sources, strong topical coverage, structured content, and original expertise. Humanswith.AI

For a freelance writer, I’d probably start with Writesonic + Surfer (or Frase if budget matters) before paying for enterprise AEO tracking.

If you're a freelance writer selling “AI-answer-optimized” articles to clients, I’d start with Ahrefs rather than a niche GEO platform.

My pick: Ahrefs

ahrefs.com is particularly useful because you can show clients something tangible: which AI systems mention their brand, what topics trigger those mentions, and which websites/pages AI systems cite. It tracks ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Copilot and Google's AI search features. Ahrefs Ahrefs

That's valuable for a freelancer because your pitch becomes:

“I don't just write SEO articles. I identify the questions your customers ask AI, analyze what sources AI currently cites, and create content designed to become a useful source for those answers.”

Ahrefs' current research also suggests that getting mentioned across the web matters more than simply publishing lots of articles. Their 75,000-brand study found strong correlations between AI visibility and branded web mentions, while sheer content volume had little relationship with visibility. Ahrefs

What I'd use for different purposes

• Ahrefs — best overall for a freelance writer. Great combination of traditional SEO + AI visibility research, so you can sell both services together.
• OptimizeGEO — interesting if you want a more dedicated GEO workflow. It focuses specifically on generating/structuring content for LLM citation and identifying content gaps from observed AI prompts. OptimizeGEO
• Foglift — worth testing if you want technical GEO auditing. Its current offering emphasizes AI crawler access, technical audits, AI visibility monitoring and prioritized fixes. Foglift
• GeoCopy — worth looking at if you want an end-to-end GEO platform, including content optimization and citation tracking. GeoCopy

One important caveat

I wouldn't market the service as “I'll make ChatGPT recommend your article.” AI answers aren't conventional Google rankings; outputs can vary between queries and users. Ahrefs Ahrefs

I'd sell it as AI visibility / citation optimization.

For example, a freelance package could be:

1. Identify 20–50 questions potential customers ask ChatGPT/Perplexity.
2. Analyze which sources those systems currently cite.
3. Find information gaps in the client's existing content.
4. Write/revise articles around those questions.
5. Add clear factual claims, sources, structured headings, definitions, comparisons, FAQs, etc.
6. Monitor whether the client's brand/content begins appearing in AI answers.

If you're choosing just one platform to learn and build a freelance service around, I'd choose Ahrefs. It gives you enough conventional SEO capability to make the service commercially useful even when AI visibility is difficult to attribute directly.

If you tell me what type of clients you want to write for (SaaS, law firms, healthcare, finance, ecommerce, local businesses, etc.), I can also recommend the best GEO tool + a concrete freelance service package and pricing for that niche.

If your goal is to help your clients’ articles get cited or recommended by ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Claude, and Google AI Overviews, I’d look at GEO/AEO (Generative/Answer Engine Optimization) platforms, rather than traditional SEO tools alone.

My pick for a freelance writer: Semrush

semrush.com is probably the best starting point if you want something you can use across client projects.

Why:

• Its AI Visibility tools let you track whether brands/pages are appearing in AI-generated answers.
• You can combine AI visibility data with conventional keyword, competitor, backlink, and content research.
• That makes it easier to turn "write an article" into a more valuable client service: research → optimize → monitor AI visibility.
• Current comparisons put Semrush among the better-value options for AI visibility when combined with its broader SEO functionality. The AI Rankings Techcognate

But there's an important distinction

If you're primarily a writer, rather than an SEO consultant, I'd consider these:

Surfer is particularly interesting because it combines content optimization with AI-search tracking, whereas tools such as Otterly are more focused on monitoring whether you're appearing in AI answers. GeoSoftware Rankings The AI Rankings

What I'd actually do in your position

I wouldn't sell clients "AI-optimized articles" based solely on a tool's score. AI recommendations aren't simply another Google ranking factor. What matters is whether the article becomes a source that AI systems can discover, understand, trust, and cite.

I'd build a freelance offering around:

1. Identify questions buyers ask AI
2. Analyze which sources AI currently cites
3. Find citation/content gaps
4. Write the article to directly answer those questions
5. Add strong evidence, entities, original information, and clear structure
6. Track whether the client's site begins appearing in AI answers
7. Refresh articles based on the citation data

That is much more defensible as a freelance service than simply saying "I use GEO."

For example, Promptwatch specifically focuses on identifying prompts where competitors appear but a client doesn't, then using those gaps to guide content creation. Toolsolved

If you're starting from zero, my recommendation would be: Semrush first; add Otterly or a dedicated GEO tracker later if your client work grows.

If you tell me your monthly budget (e.g. $0, $50, $100, $200+) and whether you want to optimize existing articles or write new ones, I can narrow this down to the 2–3 platforms I'd actually pay for as a freelance writer.

If you're a freelance writer selling AI-answer optimization as a service to clients, I’d prioritize a platform that lets you measure citations and recommendations, not just generate “AI-optimized” articles.

My pick: GeoGen

geogen.io is probably the one I'd try first for your use case. It is explicitly built for agencies and teams optimizing clients' AI visibility, and it tracks how brands appear across ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews, Copilot, and Grok. It also shows the sources influencing AI answers. GeoGen

That's important because you can turn your writing service into something more concrete:

• Before: “I'll optimize your article for AI.”
• After: “I'll identify the questions your customers ask AI, analyze which sources it currently cites, rewrite/create the content around those gaps, and monitor whether your client begins appearing in those answers.”

Two others I'd test

• tryoras.com — particularly interesting for freelancers/agencies because it offers white-label GEO audit reports and client dashboards. It tracks ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude and Perplexity and identifies citation sources such as Reddit, Quora, blogs and news sites. Oras
• geocara.com — good if you want a broader AI-visibility dashboard with prioritized recommendations for content, schema and authority improvements. GEOCARA

I wouldn't make GEO Writer your primary platform if you're positioning yourself as a professional writer. It is more of a content-generation/publishing system: it generates GEO-oriented article clusters and can publish them to CMSs. WriteGeo You'd potentially be competing with the software rather than using it to strengthen your own service.

One important caveat

Don't sell clients the promise that you can guarantee their articles will be recommended by ChatGPT. AI-answer visibility is probabilistic and can vary between queries and runs. Recent GEO research specifically finds that there's still limited evidence for a stable, cross-platform causal effect of particular optimization techniques on organic AI discoverability. arXiv

Instead, I'd package your service around AI visibility + citation optimization.

A strong freelance offer could be:

AI Answer Optimization (AEO/GEO): Research the questions your client's customers ask ChatGPT, Perplexity and Gemini; identify which sources those systems cite; create or restructure authoritative, answer-first content; and track the client's visibility and citations over time.

If you're trying to turn this into a freelance service and get paying clients, I can also give you a specific $500–$2,000 AEO service package you could sell, including deliverables, workflow, and which platform(s) to use at each step.

If you’re a freelance writer trying to get clients’ articles cited/recommended by ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, and Google’s AI results, I’d start with Otterly.AI.

The key distinction: you want a platform that helps you optimize individual articles for AI citation, not merely track whether a company is mentioned.

My picks

1. otterly.ai — best fit for a freelance writer

• Starts around $29/month.
• Tracks visibility across major AI search engines.
• Its content-audit functionality evaluates pages for crawlability, AI readiness, citation potential, and provides content briefs/recommendations. Otterly Otterly
• That makes it particularly useful for your workflow: research → write article → test prompts → identify weaknesses → revise → monitor citations.
• It is much more accessible than enterprise-oriented platforms.
• peec.ai — good if you want client reporting

• Stronger emphasis on competitor benchmarking and share of voice.
• Reviews currently put entry pricing around $89–95/month. Generative QA FoundByGEO
• I'd consider it once you're managing several clients and want polished visibility reports.
• tryprofound.com — best for larger clients/agencies

• Much more sophisticated, including real-user prompt data, AI-crawler analytics, content workflows, and enterprise capabilities. Profound
• But it's overkill for most individual freelance writers and can become expensive quickly.

The important part

I wouldn't sell clients "AI optimization" as simply putting keywords into an article.

The more valuable service is something like:

"I research the questions your customers ask AI, identify which sources those answers currently cite, and structure your content so it has a better chance of becoming one of those sources."

That's a much stronger freelance offering.

For example, if your client sells accounting software, you could identify prompts such as:

• "What is the best accounting software for a small business?"
• "QuickBooks alternatives for freelancers"
• "How much does accounting software cost?"
• "Best accounting software for a construction company"

Then use Otterly to determine which sites AI currently cites, what those articles contain, and where your client's content has an opportunity to become a cited source.

One caveat: no AEO/GEO platform can guarantee that an AI chatbot will recommend an article. These tools measure and diagnose visibility; the actual answer-generation systems remain outside your control. Independent comparisons make this distinction pretty clearly. Loudmink Generative QA

If you're just starting this as a freelance service, my recommendation is: start with Otterly rather than Profound. Once you're handling enough clients to justify $100s/month in tooling, evaluate Peec or Profound.

If you tell me what kind of clients/articles you write (SaaS, health, finance, travel, B2B, etc.), I can also give you a freelance AEO workflow + deliverables + pricing model that you could actually sell to clients.

If your goal is “I write my clients’ articles so AI assistants are more likely to cite/recommend them”, I’d start with otterly.ai.

My pick: OtterlyAI

It is unusually well aligned with a freelance writer/content strategist workflow because it lets you:

• Track whether a client’s brand and website are mentioned/cited in ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews/AI Mode, Perplexity, Gemini, and Copilot. Otterly AI Otterly
• Find the actual prompts/questions you want the client's content to appear for.
• See which URLs AI is citing instead of your client's pages, giving you concrete competitors to study. Otterly AI
• Audit individual articles for AI crawlability and citation readiness.
• Get optimization recommendations rather than merely reporting rankings. Otterly AI Otterly AI

That makes it particularly useful for selling a service like:

“I don't just write SEO articles. I optimize your content to become a source AI search engines can cite.”

The other one I'd consider: Semrush

semrush.com is probably the better choice if you want an all-in-one professional SEO platform rather than a specialist GEO tool.

Its AI Visibility Toolkit tracks mentions, cited pages, competitors, prompts and AI visibility across major AI platforms, while its AI Search Optimizer provides recommendations for improving existing content. Semrush Semrush

So I'd rank them:

One important distinction: there isn't a magic “optimize this article for ChatGPT” button. AI visibility depends on the quality and structure of the article, crawlability, topical authority, and—crucially—whether other authoritative sites establish the client as a credible source. OtterlyAI itself emphasizes that off-site authority and third-party mentions matter alongside on-page optimization. Otterly AI

If you're thinking about turning this into a freelance service you can sell to clients, I can also lay out a $500–$2,000/month “AI Answer Optimization” service package—including exactly what you'd do to each article, what tools you'd use, and how I'd position it to clients.

If your goal is specifically “I want my clients’ articles to become sources that ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, etc. cite or recommend”, I’d look at AEO/GEO platforms, not just traditional SEO tools.

My pick for a freelance writer: OtterlyAI

otterly.ai is probably the platform I’d try first.

It’s particularly suited to your situation because it lets you:

• Track whether a client’s brand/site gets mentioned or cited in ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews/AI Mode, Gemini, Copilot and Claude.
• See which URLs are actually being cited by AI.
• Research the prompts/questions people are asking.
• Audit individual articles for AI-readiness.
• Get recommendations for improving content's chances of being cited. Otterly Otterly
• Start at $29/month, which makes it considerably more approachable for a freelancer than enterprise-oriented platforms. Otterly

That last point matters: you don't necessarily need a giant enterprise AEO platform when you're selling content + AI visibility to individual businesses.

How I'd rank the options for you

Independent 2026 comparisons also put Otterly toward the affordable end, while Profound is generally positioned as the enterprise option. MarketerHire Otterly

But there's an important distinction

The platform won't make an article get recommended. It helps you discover why AI is citing other sources and what you can change.

For your freelance service, I'd actually turn that into a workflow:

1. Find the questions → 2. Analyze which sources AI cites → 3. Write/upgrade the client's article → 4. Build supporting authority/citations → 5. Monitor AI answers → 6. Iterate.

For example, instead of selling:

“I'll write you a 2,000-word SEO article.”

you could sell:

“I'll create an AI-search-optimized article designed to become a citable source when potential customers ask ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google AI questions in your industry.”

That's a much more interesting service proposition in 2026.

One caveat: AI recommendations aren't deterministic. ChatGPT and other systems can produce different answers depending on the query, location, personalization, retrieval and timing. Otterly itself notes that manually checking an AI engine can produce different results from its monitoring because of personalization/memory effects. Otterly

If I were starting from scratch as a freelance writer, I'd trial OtterlyAI first rather than buying an expensive enterprise AEO platform. Then I'd use the data to build 2–3 case studies showing “before → content changes → AI citations/mentions afterward.”

If you tell me what type of clients you write for (SaaS, law firms, healthcare, finance, ecommerce, local businesses, etc.), I can also give you a specific AEO workflow and article template designed to maximize the odds of AI citation.

Yes — but I’d approach this as AEO/GEO (Answer Engine Optimization / Generative Engine Optimization) rather than simply “AI SEO.”

For a freelance writer, my first platform to try would be otterly.ai.

My ranking for a freelance writer

1. otterly.ai — best starting point

• Tracks whether a client's brand/site is mentioned and cited across ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews/AI Mode, Perplexity, Gemini, Claude and Copilot. Otterly AI
• More importantly for your work, it shows which prompts you're missing, which competitors are being cited, and what content opportunities exist. Otterly AI
• Its Content Checker evaluates things such as summaries, structure, clarity and AI-readiness, which is directly relevant to an article-writing workflow. Otterly AI
• There's a free trial, so it's relatively easy to experiment with before committing. Otterly AI
• peec.ai — worth testing

• Particularly interesting if you want to turn AEO into a client-facing service. Its “Actions” product translates AI-visibility data into prioritized recommendations for what to create, optimize or influence. Peec AI
• It monitors visibility across several major AI search systems. Peec AI
• tryprofound.com — strongest for larger clients/agencies

• Much more of an enterprise/full-stack platform: prompt research, answer-engine insights, crawler analytics and content optimization. Profound Profound
• I'd look at it once you're managing substantial content programs rather than starting here as an individual freelancer.

The important distinction

The goal shouldn't be:

“How do I make ChatGPT rank this article?”

Instead, your service should be:

“How do we make this client's content one of the sources AI systems choose to cite when answering their customers' questions?”

That's a much more defensible freelance offering.

For example, suppose your client sells accounting software. You could identify prompts such as:

• “What is the best accounting software for a small business?”
• “How should a small business choose accounting software?”
• “QuickBooks alternatives for freelancers”
• “Best accounting software for a 10-person company”

Then use Otterly/Peec to see which sites and articles AI currently cites, analyze what those pages do well, and write/update your client's article accordingly. Otterly specifically recommends examining the URLs AI already cites and using those citation gaps to guide content creation. Otterly AI Otterly AI

And this is where your existing writing skill becomes valuable: original data, expert commentary, clear answers, strong structure, and genuinely useful information are all potential citation assets—not just keyword placement. Otterly AI

If you're trying to turn this into a freelance service, I'd start with OtterlyAI and build a small “AI citation optimization” workflow around it rather than buying a big enterprise AEO platform immediately.

If you want, I can also give you a step-by-step AEO workflow you could use to optimize every client article and sell it as an add-on service.

If your goal is “I want my clients’ articles to be the sources AI assistants cite and the brands/products they recommend,” I’d start with otterly.ai rather than jumping straight to an enterprise platform.

My shortlist for a freelance writer

1. otterly.ai — best starting point

• Built specifically for AI-search/GEO monitoring.
• Tracks ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews/AI Mode, Perplexity, Gemini, Copilot and Claude.
• Shows which URLs AI engines cite, competitors' visibility, and content gaps.
• Includes content audits, briefs and GEO recommendations.
• Starts at $29/month, according to its current site. OtterlyAI Otterly

For a freelancer, this is attractive because you can turn the data into a client deliverable: “Here are the 50 questions your customers ask AI, which competitors are being recommended, which sources AI cites, and what we should change in your content.”

2. tryprofound.com — best if you want to build a serious AEO service

• Much deeper prompt/citation intelligence and content workflows.
• Its platform is designed to go from identifying opportunities through optimization and content production.
• It's more oriented toward agencies and larger organizations, so I'd consider it once you're managing multiple substantial clients. Profound
• Peec AI — worth testing

• More focused on AI-search visibility and competitive share of voice.
• A reasonable alternative if your clients are primarily B2B/startup companies. Independent 2026 comparisons put it alongside Profound and Otterly as one of the major GEO-native platforms. GeoHero GEO Startups

But there's an important distinction

The platform itself won't make an article get recommended by ChatGPT.

Think of these tools as the measurement + research layer, not a magic ranking button. AI systems choose sources based on a mixture of relevance, authority, information quality, corroboration, accessibility, freshness and other signals. Recent research also shows that the sources AI systems cite can change substantially over time. Business Insider

For a freelance writer, I'd therefore sell something like:

AI-search-optimized content: research the questions people ask AI → identify which sources AI currently trusts → create a genuinely useful article that fills the information gap → structure it so answer engines can easily extract and cite the key information → monitor whether the article starts appearing in AI answers.

That is much more defensible than promising a client “I'll get you recommended by ChatGPT.”

What I'd do in your position

Start with OtterlyAI for one month, pick one client, and track perhaps 30–50 commercially relevant prompts such as:

• “What are the best [product/service] for X?”
• “How do I choose a [product/service]?”
• “What are alternatives to [competitor]?”
• “Which [providers] are best for [specific use case]?”
• “Is [client's product] worth it for [audience]?”

Then use the citation data to write/refresh the client's articles around actual AI-answer gaps.

That gives you something much more valuable than “SEO writing”: AI visibility research + content strategy + writing + measurement.

If you tell me what type of clients you write for (e.g. SaaS, healthcare, finance, ecommerce, local businesses), I can also tell you which AEO platform I'd choose for that niche and exactly how I'd package it as a freelance service.

Start with OtterlyAI for one month, pick one client, and track perhaps 30–50 commercially relevant prompts such as:

If your goal is to make your freelance clients’ articles more likely to be cited/recommended by ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Claude, and Google AI Overviews, I’d distinguish between a monitoring platform and an actual writing/optimization platform.

My pick for a freelance writer: WriteWorks

writeworks.ai is probably the most directly aligned with your workflow.

It puts GEO/AEO optimization inside the writing editor, rather than primarily giving you a dashboard about brand visibility. It claims to score drafts for AI search/discoverability, provide optimization suggestions and rewrites, and track citations across 10+ AI platforms. WriteWorks

That matters for you because you're selling articles, not running a Fortune 500 company's entire AI-search program.

How I'd rank the options for you

Otterly.AI is particularly interesting if you want to sell a higher-value service around your writing. It tracks how brands appear in AI answers and provides GEO recommendations and content briefs. Current comparisons put its entry point around $29/month, making it much more approachable for a solo freelancer. FoundByGEO Profound

Peec AI is stronger if you want to show clients things like “Your competitor is being cited in 37% of these AI answers while your company appears in 12%.” It's positioned more toward marketing teams and agencies. GEO Agency

Profound is the heavyweight. It has much deeper enterprise data and content/workflow capabilities, but I wouldn't make it your first purchase unless you're already managing substantial GEO programs for clients. Profound

The bigger opportunity for you

I wouldn't market yourself simply as an "AI SEO writer."

I'd offer something like:

AI-search-optimized content: articles structured to give ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini and Google AI systems strong reasons to cite your client's expertise.

Then your workflow could be:

1. Find the questions your client's customers ask AI.
2. Analyze which websites AI currently cites for those questions.
3. Identify gaps in the existing answers.
4. Write a genuinely more useful article.
5. Add strong first-party expertise, specific facts, sources, definitions, comparisons, and clear answer structures.
6. Optimize the page technically so AI crawlers can access and understand it.
7. Track whether AI engines actually mention/cite the article.
8. Use the results as a case study for your next client.

That last step is important: no platform can guarantee that an AI chatbot will recommend a particular article. The platforms can measure visibility and identify opportunities, but the underlying quality, authority, crawlability, and relevance of the content still matter. Current GEO research explicitly distinguishes monitoring the outcome from fixing the underlying content/entity/schema problems. GEO Agency

If I were starting from scratch as a solo freelance writer today, I'd try WriteWorks first, and add Otterly.AI once I had several clients and wanted measurable before/after AI-visibility reports.

If you tell me what type of clients/articles you write (e.g. SaaS, finance, healthcare, local businesses, B2B, ecommerce), I can recommend the best platform and a specific AI-answer-optimization workflow you could sell as a freelance service.

Otterly.AI is particularly interesting if you want to sell a higher-value service around your writing. It tracks how brands appear in AI answers and provides GEO recommendations and content briefs. Current comparisons put its entry point around $29/month, making it much more approachable for a solo freelancer. FoundByGEO Profound

Peec AI is stronger if you want to show clients things like “Your competitor is being cited in 37% of these AI answers while your company appears in 12%.” It's positioned more toward marketing teams and agencies. generative.qa

Profound is the heavyweight. It has much deeper enterprise data and content/workflow capabilities, but I wouldn't make it your first purchase unless you're already managing substantial GEO programs for clients.

The bigger opportunity for you

I wouldn't market yourself simply as an "AI SEO writer."

I'd offer something like:

AI-search-optimized content: articles structured to give ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini and Google AI systems strong reasons to cite your client's expertise.

Then your workflow could be:

If your goal is “I write the article, and I want my client’s site/article to become a source that ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, etc. actually recommend or cite,” I’d start with otterly.ai.

My shortlist for a freelance writer

Why Otterly: it isn't just a conventional SEO content optimizer. It lets you track how a domain/page appears across ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews/AI Mode, Gemini, Perplexity, Copilot and Claude, including which URLs are being cited. It also offers content audits and GEO recommendations. Otterly Otterly AI

The important distinction is that no platform can simply “optimize an article for ChatGPT” and guarantee that ChatGPT will recommend it. AI systems choose sources based on many factors, including relevance, authority, corroboration, freshness and whether the content is accessible to crawlers. The tools are primarily useful for measuring what is already happening and identifying opportunities.

The service I'd actually sell

Rather than pitching clients:

“I write SEO articles.”

I'd position yourself as:

“I create articles designed to become cited sources in AI-generated answers.”

Then your workflow could be:

1. Find the questions people ask AI about the client's topic.
2. Use Otterly to establish what AI currently recommends and which sources it cites.
3. Analyze those competing sources.
4. Write the article to provide clear, original, citation-worthy information, rather than simply stuffing keywords.
5. Structure it around specific questions and entities.
6. Add first-hand expertise, original data, expert quotes, sources and concrete facts where appropriate.
7. After publication, monitor whether the client's URL begins appearing in AI answers.
8. Use the results to improve subsequent articles.

That gives you something much more valuable than “SEO writing”: AI-search visibility reporting + content creation.

There's also a particularly interesting development right now: the industry is starting to call this Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) or Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), and agencies are explicitly trying to connect creator/content strategies with LLM recommendations. The Wall Street Journal

If I were you, I'd trial Otterly first rather than paying for Profound. Otterly currently advertises a free trial and pricing starting around $29/month, whereas Profound is positioned much more toward enterprise-level AI-search analytics. Otterly trylyra.ai

If you want, I can also give you a freelance-writer-specific GEO/AEO workflow—including exactly what to do before writing, while writing, and after publishing so you can sell this as a premium service to clients.

If you’re a freelance writer trying to make clients’ articles appear in AI chatbot answers (ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Claude, etc.), you probably don’t need an expensive enterprise AEO platform at first. You need a tool that helps you:

• identify the questions AI engines answer in a niche
• see what sources they cite
• structure articles so they’re easy for AI systems to extract
• measure whether your client’s brand/content is being mentioned

This field is usually called Answer Engine Optimization (AEO), Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), or AI search optimization. HubSpot AEO Rankings

Best platforms for a freelance writer

1. Peec AI — best fit for freelance content strategists

Try this if you want to sell AEO services to clients.

Why:

• Tracks how brands appear in AI answers
• Helps identify which pages are being cited
• Useful for creating “AI visibility reports” as a freelance deliverable

Good freelance offer:

“I’ll audit your website’s AI visibility and create articles designed to earn citations.”

Spawned

2. Otterly.ai — best budget starting point

Try this if you’re testing AEO as a new service.

Useful for:

• tracking prompts/questions
• monitoring whether a client appears in AI answers
• creating before/after reports

It’s more accessible than enterprise tools and is often positioned for agencies and smaller teams. Spawned

3. AirOps — best if writing is your main service

Try this if you want help producing content at scale.

Useful for:

• content briefs
• workflows
• optimizing large article libraries

It is more of a content production platform than a pure visibility tracker. HubSpot

4. Profound — best for premium clients

Try this later if you work with larger companies.

Strong for:

• enterprise reporting
• tracking AI citations
• competitor comparisons

But it may be more than a solo freelancer needs initially. Spawned

My recommendation for a freelance writer

I’d start with this stack:

1. ChatGPT + Perplexity manually

• Search your client’s target questions.
• Record which sources get cited.
• Analyze the structure of those articles.
• Otterly.ai or Peec AI

• Add measurable AI visibility reports.
• A traditional SEO tool

• Ahrefs or Semrush can still help because strong SEO signals often overlap with AI citation signals.

What to change in your writing to improve AI recommendations

AEO-friendly articles usually:

• answer specific questions directly near the top
• include clear definitions (“X is…”)
• use headings that match real user questions
• include original research, statistics, expert quotes, or unique insights
• cite authoritative sources
• avoid generic AI-style summaries
• build topical authority across multiple related articles

The bigger opportunity for freelancers is not just “writing blog posts”; it’s selling AI visibility content strategy.

A strong service package could be:

“AI Search Content Audit + 5 articles optimized for ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI answers.”

That is a more differentiated offer than standard SEO writing. blog.hubspot.com

If you’re a solo freelancer, I’d probably test Otterly.ai first, then move to Peec AI or Profound when clients are paying for reporting. Spawned

If your goal is “I write my clients’ articles, and I want those articles to become sources/recommendations in ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, etc.”, I’d focus on GEO/AEO platforms that help you optimize actual content, rather than paying primarily for an AI-visibility dashboard.

My picks for a freelance writer

• Best overall for your use case: Frase. It actually works inside the content workflow: its GEO feature scores a draft and gives recommendations aimed at making the page more likely to be cited by ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini. Frase

frase.io

• Best inexpensive AI-visibility tracker: Otterly.AI. It starts around $29/month and tracks prompts across ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google AI Overviews, so you can show a client measurable before/after visibility. FoundByGEO AEO Guide

otterly.ai

• Best for serious client reporting: Peec AI. It is more analytics/agency-oriented, with competitor benchmarking and visibility analysis. Current comparisons put it around the ~$89–95/month starting range. FoundByGEO Generative.qa

peec.ai

• Best enterprise-level option: Profound. It's much more powerful for understanding AI search visibility, citations, prompts and competitive intelligence, but I'd consider it overkill for an individual freelancer unless you're managing substantial client accounts. Profound FoundByGEO

tryprofound.com

What I'd do if I were you

I'd start with Frase + Otterly.

The workflow would be:

Client topic → research → write article → optimize it in Frase for GEO → publish → track target prompts in Otterly → periodically update the article based on what AI engines actually cite.

That's more compelling as a freelance service than simply telling clients “I use an AI optimization tool.”

And there's an important distinction: no platform can guarantee that ChatGPT will recommend a client's article. AI visibility is affected by the query, source authority, freshness, competing sources, retrieval behavior, and changes to the AI system. Recent data even shows citation patterns can shift dramatically—for example, Reddit citations in ChatGPT reportedly fell sharply in August 2026. Business Insider

So I'd sell the service as “AI search visibility / citation optimization”, not “I will get you ranked in ChatGPT.”

If you tell me your monthly budget (e.g. $30, $100, $300+) and whether you write for 1 client or 10+ clients, I can narrow this to the best 2–3 platforms for a freelance writer and compare their actual features/pricing.

If your goal is specifically “I write articles for clients, and I want those articles/pages to become sources that ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, etc. cite or recommend,” I’d start with OtterlyAI.

My ranking for a freelance writer

1. otterly.ai — best fit

• Built specifically around AI-search/GEO monitoring and optimization.
• Tracks ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews/AI Mode, Perplexity, Gemini, Copilot and Claude.
• More importantly for a writer, it tracks which URLs AI engines cite, identifies content gaps, and offers content audits and optimization recommendations. Otterly Otterly
• Pricing currently starts around $29/month, with a free trial, making it much more approachable for a freelancer than enterprise AEO platforms. Otterly
• ahrefs.com — best if you already use Ahrefs

• Particularly strong for connecting traditional SEO with AI visibility.
• It can show which pages/domains are cited in AI answers, competitor visibility, and the prompts where opportunities exist. Ahrefs Help Center Ahrefs
• The downside for a freelancer is cost: Brand Radar is a separate product starting at $199/month according to Ahrefs. Ahrefs
• tryprofound.com — powerful, but probably overkill

• Profound is much more of a full-stack enterprise AEO platform.
• It monitors AI visibility, analyzes prompts and citations, and even has agents for creating/optimizing AEO content. Profound Profound
• I'd consider it if you're eventually running an AEO agency rather than simply using it to improve articles you write.

The important distinction

Don't think of AEO as simply “put the right keywords in an article so ChatGPT ranks it.” AI engines select sources based on a broader combination of things: relevance to the question, authority, crawlability, corroboration from other sources, and how useful/citable the content is.

That's why I'd want a tool that lets you answer:

“For the questions my client's customers actually ask AI, which competing pages are getting cited, and what characteristics do those pages have that my client's article lacks?”

OtterlyAI is particularly aligned with that workflow. Its documentation explicitly recommends finding competitor/content gaps first, checking whether the site is crawlable, and then applying optimization to those gaps. Otterly AI

If I were you

I'd use OtterlyAI + your existing SEO/content workflow, rather than buying an expensive enterprise AEO platform.

For each client article, I'd do:

AI prompt research → identify competing cited pages → analyze why they're being cited → write/upgrade the article → monitor citations → build supporting authority where gaps remain.

That also gives you a much better freelance service to sell than “I write AI-optimized articles.” You could position it as “AI-search-ready content” or “content designed to become a cited source in AI answers.”

If you tell me what kind of clients you write for (SaaS, healthcare, finance, local businesses, etc.), I can also tell you which AEO tool/workflow would make the most sense for that niche.

If your goal is freelancing for clients and getting their articles cited/recommended by ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, etc., I’d start with otterly.ai.

It’s a particularly good fit for a solo writer because it’s designed around AI-search visibility rather than just traditional SEO: you can track prompts, see whether a client/site is mentioned or cited, identify content gaps, and get optimization recommendations. It covers ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Google AI Overviews/AI Mode, and Copilot. Otterly Otterly

My picks for a freelance writer

• 🥇 OtterlyAI — best starting point. Good balance of AI-answer monitoring, content auditing and optimization, without being primarily an enterprise platform. Current comparisons put its entry point around $29/month, though I'd verify pricing before subscribing. Sieva
• 🥈 tryprofound.com — best if you want to become a specialist. Much deeper AI-answer/citation intelligence, but it's aimed more at serious marketing teams and enterprises. MarketerHire
• 🥉 semrush.com — best if you also want conventional SEO. Its AI Visibility Toolkit lets you combine traditional SEO research with AI-search visibility. A recent independent comparison found Semrush particularly strong overall, although dedicated AEO tools can be stronger for specific AI engines. GeoHero
• writesonic.com — interesting if you want writing + AI visibility in one platform. Its 2026 positioning has shifted toward an AI Search Visibility Platform, combining content production with AI-search tracking. Sieva

The important distinction

I'd actually sell this to clients as GEO/AEO content strategy, rather than simply "AI-optimized writing."

The workflow I'd use is:

Client → target questions → inspect AI answers → identify which sources AI cites → analyze those sources → write a genuinely better article → make the facts/expertise easy for AI to extract → monitor citations → revise.

The tool isn't what gets an article cited. The tool helps you discover what AI systems currently consider useful evidence and measure whether your work is gaining visibility. Citation analysis is increasingly treated as one of the most useful metrics in this space. Cognizo

And there's a potentially nice freelance positioning here:

"I write articles designed to be discoverable, quotable, and citable in AI search—not just rank in Google."

That's a more differentiated service than "SEO blog writer."

If I were starting from scratch as a freelance writer, I'd trial OtterlyAI first and spend the money I save on building a repeatable AEO/GEO methodology. Once you have a few clients and want deeper reporting, I'd investigate Profound.

If you want, I can also give you a specific AEO/GEO workflow for freelance writers—including how to research an article so ChatGPT is more likely to cite it, what to put in the article, and how to turn that into a premium service/package.

If your goal is “I write an article for a client, and I want that article to be more likely to get cited or surfaced by ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, etc.”, I’d approach this a little differently from traditional SEO.

My pick: otterly.ai

For a freelance writer, Otterly is probably the first platform I’d try because it’s closer to what you actually need: checking whether content is visible in AI search and auditing the content itself. Its current GEO tools include a Content Checker and GEO Crawlability Checker, specifically aimed at helping pages be found, understood, and referenced by AI engines. Otterly

I'd choose it over an enterprise-heavy platform like Profound unless your clients are larger companies with substantial marketing budgets.

The shortlist I'd test

• otterly.ai — best starting point for a freelancer. Good fit if you want to audit individual client articles and monitor AI visibility without buying a huge enterprise platform. Independent 2026 comparisons put it among the leading accessible GEO tools. AIMultiple EdgeBlog
• tryprofound.com — best for serious client reporting. It is one of the strongest platforms for tracking citations and AI visibility across engines, but it's oriented much more toward brands/marketing teams than an individual writer. A 2026 test found Profound was the only GEO platform recommended across all five AI assistants tested. KAVIO
• surferseo.com — best if you also want conventional SEO. This may actually be the most practical option if you're selling clients a package of SEO + AI-search-optimized articles, rather than GEO alone. Current reviews specifically highlight Surfer's ability to optimize drafts for traditional SEO and AI visibility. TechRadar
• peec.ai — worth testing for AI visibility monitoring. It's another dedicated GEO/AEO platform and appears frequently in current comparisons. KAVIO xSeek

But there's an important catch

I wouldn't sell clients the promise that a particular platform can “make ChatGPT recommend their article.” That's not really how this works.

Recent research suggests that AI visibility depends substantially on things such as authority, referring domains, community presence, traditional SEO, and the quality/structure of the underlying information. One 2026 study of discovery queries even found that GEO scores themselves did not correlate with whether products were discovered by LLMs. arXiv

And research across ChatGPT, Google AI results, and Perplexity suggests that pages that perform well tend to be well-structured, semantically aligned with the question, and rich in extractable evidence—definitions, numbers, comparisons, procedures, etc. arXiv

So your competitive advantage as a writer isn't simply “I use an AEO tool.” It's:

“I write articles that are easy for both humans and AI answer engines to understand, extract from, cite, and trust.”

That's a much stronger freelance service.

What I'd do in your shoes

I'd start with Otterly + your existing SEO workflow, and build a service around:

Topic research → question/entity mapping → evidence & sources → answer-first structure → conventional SEO → AI visibility audit → post-publication monitoring.

You could even offer clients something like “AI Search–Ready Content” as your positioning rather than calling yourself an “AEO writer.”

If you tell me what kind of clients you write for (SaaS, healthcare, finance, local businesses, ecommerce, etc.) and roughly what you can spend per month, I can narrow this down to the best 1–2 platforms and show you exactly how I'd use them in your writing workflow.

If your goal is getting your clients’ articles cited or recommended by ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Google AI Overviews, etc., I’d start with OtterlyAI.

My pick: otterly.ai

It’s particularly well suited to a freelance writer/content strategist because it connects AI visibility directly to the content you’re producing:

• Track actual prompts people might ask AI and see whether your client appears. Otterly AI Otterly AI
• See which websites/articles AI cites instead of your client’s content, giving you concrete competitors to study. Otterly AI
• Its recommendations identify content gaps, citation opportunities, crawlability problems, and off-site authority opportunities. Otterly AI Otterly AI
• It has a content/readiness analysis that evaluates whether an article is structured in a way that's useful and extractable for AI answers. Otterly AI
• It monitors multiple AI environments rather than optimizing for just one chatbot. Otterly AI

For a freelancer, that's valuable because you can turn the tool into a deliverable for clients: “Here's how often your brand/content is appearing in AI answers, who's being cited instead, and what we're changing.”

The other one I'd consider: tryprofound.com

Profound is probably the more powerful platform overall. It tracks real-world AI prompts, citations, competitors, crawler activity, and content optimization, and it has automated agents for producing AEO-optimized content. Profound Profound Profound

I'd lean toward Profound if you're building an agency-level AEO service. For an individual freelance writer, I'd try OtterlyAI first because its workflow is easier to translate into “research → write → measure → improve.”

One important caveat

Don't think of AEO as simply sprinkling special phrases into an article. The evidence so far points toward a combination of excellent, directly answerable content + technical crawlability + structured information + credible third-party mentions/citations. Otterly AI Otterly

So your real competitive advantage as a writer could be:

“I don't just write SEO articles. I create articles designed to become sources that AI answer engines can confidently cite.”

That's a much stronger freelance positioning than simply offering “AI-optimized content.”

If you tell me what type of clients you write for (SaaS, healthcare, finance, B2B, local businesses, etc.), I can tell you which platform and which AEO workflow I'd use to make your articles more likely to get cited.

If your goal is freelance writing clients whose articles actually get cited/recommended by ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, and Google AI, I’d start with OtterlyAI.

My pick: OtterlyAI

For a solo freelancer, it has the best balance of price, usefulness, and client-facing value. It tracks which pages/domains AI systems cite, lets you research the prompts people are asking, and provides content audits and GEO recommendations. It currently covers ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews/AI Mode, Gemini, Perplexity, Copilot and Claude. otterly.aiotterly.ai

Its pricing starts around $29/month, which is much more realistic for a freelancer than enterprise-oriented platforms. otterly.aiotterly.ai

How I'd rank the options for you

Profound is particularly powerful, but its positioning is much more enterprise-focused; independent comparisons consistently put Otterly toward the accessible/SMB end and Profound toward enterprise. www.authoricy.com

But there's an important distinction

If you're selling "AI-optimized articles" to clients, don't make the mistake of thinking:

"I'll put some AEO keywords into the article and ChatGPT will recommend it."

That's not really how this works.

What you want to learn is:

client article → target questions → competing sources → citations AI currently uses → content/authority gaps → optimized article → measure whether AI starts citing it

That's why a monitoring platform is useful. You can actually show your client something like:

"Before optimization, ChatGPT cited 3 competing publications for these 20 questions and never cited your site. After publishing the revised content, your domain appeared in 6/20 answers."

That's a much stronger freelance deliverable than simply promising "GEO-optimized content."

Otterly explicitly supports tracking individual URLs/domains cited in AI answers and monitoring their position over time, which makes that kind of reporting possible. www.authoricy.comotterly.aiwww.answerarchitect.ai

One I'd watch: Answer Architect

Answer Architect is particularly interesting for a writer, because it combines citation tracking with content generation/optimization rather than just telling you that you're invisible. Its stated workflow goes from identifying gaps to prioritizing opportunities and generating GEO-scored articles. www.answerarchitect.ai

So my recommendation would be:

Start with OtterlyAI → learn the methodology → use it to build an AEO/GEO service → consider a more powerful platform once you have enough clients to justify it.

If you tell me what kind of articles you write (B2B, SaaS, health, finance, travel, etc.) and roughly what you want to charge clients, I can also tell you exactly what AEO service I'd sell as a freelance writer, including deliverables and pricing.

If you’re a freelance writer trying to make clients’ articles show up in AI chatbot answers (ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Claude, etc.), I’d focus less on “SEO writing tools” and more on AEO/GEO (Answer Engine Optimization / Generative Engine Optimization) platforms. These help you see what AI systems cite and what content patterns improve citation chances. HubSpot HubSpot Blog

My recommendations depend on your business model:

Best overall for a freelance writer: Otterly.ai

• Best if you have several clients and need affordable AI visibility tracking.
• Lets you monitor whether brands/pages appear in AI answers and track prompts.
• Useful for creating a client report: “Here are the questions where your competitors are being cited, and here’s what we should improve.” Nick Lafferty Zealous Web

Best for premium clients: Profound

• Better suited if you want to sell a higher-end “AI visibility audit” service.
• Stronger for enterprise-style reporting and citation analysis. Nick Lafferty Nick Lafferty
• Probably overkill if you’re just optimizing blog posts for small businesses.

Best if you already do SEO: Semrush or Ahrefs

• Good choice if clients already expect keyword research, backlinks, and SEO reporting.
• Their AI visibility features let you combine traditional SEO with AI-search optimization. Zealous Web

Best for improving the actual writing process: AirOps

• More focused on content workflows: finding gaps, creating briefs, and producing optimized content at scale. HubSpot

For a solo freelance writer, I’d probably start with this stack:

1. AEO tracking: Otterly.ai (or a free/low-cost trial of another tracker)
2. Research: traditional SEO tools you already know (Ahrefs/Semrush/etc.)
3. Writing approach: create articles that are easy for AI systems to quote: - Answer the main question in the first 2–3 paragraphs
4. Use clear headings phrased as questions
5. Include original data, expert quotes, examples, and definitions
6. Add FAQ sections where appropriate
7. Keep facts consistent across the web (AI systems often look for corroboration)

A good freelance positioning angle is not “I write AI-optimized articles.” That’s becoming generic. A stronger offer is something like: “I create research-backed articles designed to earn citations in AI search results.”

If you’re targeting small business clients, I’d start with Otterly.ai. If you want to move into agency/enterprise retainers, learn Profound-style reporting and sell AI visibility audits. Nick Lafferty Zealous Web

If your goal is as a freelance writer to make your clients’ articles more likely to be cited/recommended by ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, and Google AI Overviews, I’d start with OtterlyAI.

My pick: OtterlyAI

For a freelancer, it has a particularly good balance of AI-visibility tracking + actionable content optimization. It can:

• Track whether a client’s brand/site is mentioned or cited in ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Google AI Overviews, Copilot, and AI Mode. otterly.aiotterly.ai
• Show which URLs are being cited, rather than merely telling you that a brand was mentioned. otterly.aiotterly.ai
• Generate GEO recommendations, content audits, and content briefs that you can turn into changes to an article. otterly.aiotterly.ai
• Specifically support agencies and client work, which makes it more relevant to your situation than an enterprise-only platform. otterly.ai

Its current entry tier is also reported at around $29/month, making it much easier to justify as a freelance-business expense than enterprise AEO platforms. humanswith.ai

How I'd rank your options

Profound is probably the stronger platform if you eventually build a serious AEO agency. It offers deeper prompt-level data and, on higher plans, content optimization workflows. But that's arguably overkill when you're one freelancer trying to improve individual client articles. www.tryprofound.com

One important caveat

Don't think of AEO as simply "put the right keywords into the article so ChatGPT recommends it." AI citation depends on several things: whether the page can be crawled, how clearly and authoritatively it answers the question, how well it matches the user's intent, and whether other credible sources reinforce it. Otterly itself describes GEO as a combination of content, technical accessibility, and off-site authority. help.otterly.ai

So I'd use Otterly as a research → write → optimize → monitor loop:

Find the questions AI users ask → see which competitors get cited → write a genuinely useful article → optimize its structure/evidence/entities → publish → monitor citations → improve it.

That is also a much stronger freelance selling point than simply saying "I write SEO articles." You can potentially sell a client an "AI-search-optimized content" service with before/after visibility reporting.

If you tell me what type of clients you write for (e.g. SaaS, healthcare, finance, local businesses, ecommerce), I can tell you which AEO platform I'd choose for that niche and what I'd actually include in your freelance service.

If you're a freelance writer trying to make your clients' articles more likely to be cited or recommended by AI, I'd start with OtterlyAI.

The key distinction is that you don't really optimize an article for ChatGPT itself. You optimize the content + the client's overall web presence so AI systems have strong reasons to retrieve and cite it.

My ranking for your use case

Why OtterlyAI: it tracks whether a client's site/content is appearing in ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews, Google AI Mode, Gemini, Copilot and Claude, and importantly, it shows the citations/sources used in AI responses. help.otterly.ai It also provides recommendations and content audits aimed at improving citation potential. help.otterly.ai

That makes it particularly useful for a freelancer because you can turn "I write SEO articles" into a more valuable service:

"I create articles designed for both Google search and AI citation, then measure whether AI engines actually reference them."

When I'd choose Semrush instead

If you're already doing conventional SEO for clients, Semrush is probably the better long-term investment. Its AI Visibility Toolkit combines AI visibility with traditional SEO, tracks prompts, competitors and citations, and includes an AI Search Optimizer that gives content recommendations. www.semrush.com

The downside for a freelance writer is cost: Semrush currently lists its AI Visibility Base plan at $99/month when billed annually, with 25 custom prompts. www.semrush.com

One important caveat

Don't fall for the idea that there's a magic "AEO score" that makes ChatGPT recommend an article. AI recommendations depend heavily on what sources the models retrieve and trust. OtterlyAI's citation analysis, for example, is specifically designed to identify the sources AI engines are actually citing and where your client's content is absent. help.otterly.ai

So if I were building a freelance AI-answer-optimization service, I'd use:

OtterlyAI → find the prompts/questions where the client should appear → analyze which competing pages AI cites → write/restructure the article to satisfy those information needs → strengthen sources/entities/internal links → monitor citations over time.

If you tell me what kind of clients you write for (B2B, SaaS, healthcare, local businesses, finance, etc.), I can recommend the best AEO workflow and tools for that niche.

If your goal is specifically “I want the articles I write for clients to get cited/recommended by ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Google AI Overviews, etc.”, I’d start with OtterlyAI.

Why I’d pick it for a freelance writer:

• It tracks actual AI answers, including ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Google AI Overviews/AI Mode, Copilot and Claude. help.otterly.aiotterly.ai
• You can enter the questions/prompt topics your client's prospective customers ask and see whether your client's site gets mentioned or cited.
• Its GEO content audit evaluates individual URLs for AI-search readiness and gives optimization recommendations—particularly useful when you're the person actually writing/editing the articles. otterly.ai
• It explicitly tracks which URLs/domains AI engines cite, which is more useful to a writer than simply knowing that a brand appeared somewhere. otterly.aiotterly.ai
• There's a free trial, and its published pricing currently starts around $29/month, although the more agency-oriented tiers are considerably more. otterly.ai

But there's an important distinction

Don't think of this as a platform that can “submit an article to ChatGPT.” There isn't a reliable equivalent of Google Search Console's “submit URL and get indexed” mechanism for AI answers.

Instead, you're optimizing for AI citation probability:

real customer questions → research what AI currently cites → identify gaps → write/structure the article to provide a better source → build authority around the topic → monitor whether AI starts citing it.

For a freelance writer, that's potentially a very marketable service: “I don't just write SEO content; I create content designed to become a source for AI answers.”

What I'd consider besides Otterly

Profound is another serious option. It has particularly strong AI-answer analytics, prompt-volume data, competitor benchmarking, crawler/agent analytics and AEO content workflows. www.tryprofound.com I'd lean toward Profound for a larger agency or enterprise client; OtterlyAI looks more approachable for an independent writer building a GEO/AEO offering.

Scrunch is also worth testing. It monitors nine major AI platforms, including ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews/AI Mode, Gemini, Claude, Copilot, Grok and Meta AI, and offers AI-visibility auditing and optimization. scrunch.com

My recommendation for you

One thing I'd not do is buy a platform simply because it promises to make an article “AI optimized.” The more valuable capability is seeing what AI currently cites for a specific query and measuring whether your client's content gains visibility afterward.

If you tell me what kinds of clients you write for (e.g. SaaS, healthcare, finance, home services, travel), I can also tell you exactly how I'd use one of these platforms to turn ordinary SEO articles into a sellable AEO/GEO writing service, including what to charge.

If you’re a freelance writer trying to make clients’ articles more likely to be cited/recommended by ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, and other AI search engines, I’d start with Otterly.AI rather than an expensive enterprise platform.

My pick: Otterly.AI

It’s a good freelancer/agency fit because it focuses on AI-search visibility tracking: you can monitor the exact prompts your clients care about, see whether their brand/content appears, identify competitors being cited instead, and inspect citation sources. Current comparisons put its entry price around $25–$29/month, making it much easier to justify across a small client roster. loudmink.ai

Otterly.AI

The important distinction: don't think of these platforms as "AI SEO writing graders." The useful workflow is:

Find the questions → see which sources AI cites → identify the content gap → write/improve the article → measure whether AI citations change.

That makes the platform useful as evidence for your clients, not just another optimization score.

What I'd consider instead

Recent comparisons similarly position Otterly as the accessible entry point, Peec as a stronger mid-market/agency option, and Profound as the enterprise choice. growganic.io

Peec AI · Profound

But there's a bigger opportunity for you

If you're selling yourself as a writer, I wouldn't market the service as "I use Otterly to optimize your articles."

I'd sell something like:

"AI-search-optimized content: articles structured to earn citations and recommendations in ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, and Google AI."

Then use Otterly behind the scenes to demonstrate results.

For each client, establish perhaps 20–50 commercially important prompts such as:

• "best [product/service] for ___"
• "[topic] alternatives"
• "how to choose [product]"
• "[industry] companies that specialize in ___"
• "what is the best [solution] for [audience]?"

Then track whether the client's article/site gets cited, which competitors get cited, and which third-party sources AI relies on. Citation-source visibility is particularly valuable because it tells you where the AI's answer is coming from, rather than merely giving you a generic "GEO score." generative.qa

If you tell me roughly what kinds of clients you write for (e.g. SaaS, healthcare, finance, ecommerce, local businesses), I can recommend the best AEO/GEO platform for that niche and show you how I'd turn it into a freelance service you can charge extra for.

If your goal is “I want the articles I write for clients to have a better chance of being cited or recommended by ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, etc.”, I’d start with OtterlyAI.

My pick: OtterlyAI

For a freelance writer, it has a particularly useful combination:

• Tracks actual AI answers across ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews/AI Mode, Perplexity, Gemini, Copilot and Claude. help.otterly.aiotterly.ai
• Lets you see which websites/content are being cited, rather than merely giving you an SEO score.
• Has content audits, AI prompt research, content briefs and GEO recommendations, so you can turn the data into changes to the article. help.otterly.aiotterly.ai
• It has an agency-oriented workflow, including multiple client workspaces and reporting, which is useful if you're going to sell this as an additional service to writing clients. otterly.ai
• Entry-level pricing is relatively accessible compared with enterprise-oriented platforms; independent 2026 comparisons put it around $29/month to start. foundbygeo.com

How I'd rank the alternatives for you

Peec and Profound are strong, but they're increasingly aimed at marketing teams/agencies that need sophisticated visibility analytics. Current comparisons put Peec around the ~$90+/month starting range and Profound around $99+ for self-serve, with considerably more expensive higher tiers. help.otterly.aiotterly.aigenerative.qa

One important caveat

No platform can guarantee that an article will be recommended by ChatGPT. These tools are primarily measuring and helping improve AI visibility. The underlying game is still getting AI systems to regard your client's content as a useful, authoritative source.

For your particular business, I'd actually make this a service offering:

AI Answer Optimization / GEO Content Optimization
“I don't just write articles that rank in Google. I structure them to become useful citation sources for AI search.”

Then use Otterly to produce before/after evidence:

Before:
“Client isn't cited for 20 relevant AI prompts.”

You optimize the articles:

• answer the question directly near the top
• add original data/examples
• strengthen topical coverage
• establish clear authorship/expertise
• improve internal linking
• add structured data where appropriate
• update stale information
• target the questions AI users actually ask

After:
“Client is now mentioned/cited for X of those prompts.”

That gives you something much more valuable to sell than simply saying “I optimize articles for AI.”

If you tell me what kind of clients you write for (SaaS, healthcare, finance, legal, ecommerce, etc.), I can also tell you exactly how I'd build an AEO/GEO writing workflow and which tool stack I'd use as a freelancer.

If you're a freelance writer trying to make clients' articles more likely to be cited or recommended by ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Claude, etc., I’d start with Profound.

Why Profound is my first choice

Profound is unusually well aligned with what you're actually selling as a writer: “I can make your existing and new content more likely to earn visibility in AI answers.”

It can:

• Track whether a client's brand/content is appearing in AI answers across ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Claude, Google AI Overviews and others. www.tryprofound.comwww.tryprofound.com
• Show which sources AI engines are citing and where competitors are getting cited instead. help.tryprofound.com
• Analyze an existing article and give specific optimization recommendations, including content gaps, structure, readability, answerability and citation opportunities. www.tryprofound.com
• Let you research the actual prompts people are asking AI, which is particularly useful when deciding what an article should answer. www.tryprofound.comwww.tryprofound.com
• Analyze a URL before or after publication, making it useful as part of a freelance writing workflow rather than only for enterprise SEO teams. www.tryprofound.com

See Profound's AEO content-optimization features

A second platform worth testing

Goodie is probably the other one I'd investigate. It combines prompt research, AI-visibility monitoring, optimization recommendations and an AEO Writer. It explicitly monitors ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Claude and other AI models. higoodie.com

The distinction I'd make:

One important caveat

I'd not sell clients a guarantee like “I'll get your article recommended by ChatGPT.” AI answers aren't deterministic, and no legitimate AEO platform can guarantee citations.

Instead, your service could be positioned as:

AI Answer Optimization (AEO): researching the questions your customers ask AI, optimizing articles around those questions, strengthening citation-worthy information, and monitoring whether AI engines actually cite the content.

That is a much more defensible freelance offering.

If you're starting from scratch, I'd try Profound first. It gives you the strongest combination of research → optimize → measure, rather than merely giving you another AI writing tool. Profound also currently offers a free AEO report/agent entry point, so you can test the workflow before committing. www.tryprofound.com

If you tell me your typical clients/niches (e.g. SaaS, healthcare, law, travel, small businesses), I can also compare Profound vs. Goodie vs. other AEO tools specifically for a solo freelance writer, including which one is most affordable and easiest to turn into a sellable service.

If you’re a freelance writer trying to make clients’ articles more likely to be cited/recommended by ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Claude, and Google’s AI results, I’d start with OtterlyAI.

Why I’d pick it for a freelancer:

• Affordable entry point: current comparisons put its Lite plan around $29/month for 15 tracked prompts, making it much easier to justify than enterprise-oriented platforms. www.datadab.com
• Tracks multiple AI engines: ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Perplexity and Copilot, with additional engines available on higher/add-on plans. otterly.ai
• Actually useful for writers: it doesn't just tell you whether a client is mentioned; it offers content audits, citation-potential analysis, content briefs and GEO recommendations intended to help you improve pages that aren't being cited. otterly.ai
• Good agency/freelancer fit: the platform supports multiple workspaces on higher tiers, which becomes useful when you're managing several clients. www.datadab.com

My shortlist

One important distinction: AEO/GEO tools don't directly make an article get recommended. They help you discover which questions AI systems answer, which sources they're citing, where your client's content is absent, and what content characteristics may improve its chances. AI recommendations are also highly query- and engine-dependent. www.shadow.inc

What I'd do in your position

Don't buy an expensive platform immediately. Take one client + 3–5 articles and use OtterlyAI to establish a baseline:

1. Identify 15–30 questions a potential customer would ask an AI chatbot.
2. Track those prompts.
3. Record which sources/articles AI cites.
4. Compare your client's article against the cited sources.
5. Rewrite/expand the article around the gaps you find.
6. Re-run the prompts periodically and measure citation/mention changes.

That gives you something particularly valuable as a freelancer: a measurable "AI visibility optimization" service you can sell alongside ordinary SEO writing, rather than simply saying you're writing articles that are "AI-friendly."

If your goal is specifically to sell AEO/GEO as a freelance service, I can also compare OtterlyAI vs Profound vs Peec vs Scrunch specifically from a freelancer's perspective—including pricing, client reporting, article optimization features, and which one gives you the best ROI.

If you’re a freelance writer trying to make your clients’ articles more likely to be cited/recommended by ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, and Google’s AI answers, I’d start with OtterlyAI.

The key distinction: these platforms mostly measure AI visibility and citations; they don’t magically make an article get recommended. You still need to optimize the article and build the authority signals that AI systems use. omnicite.cowww.datadab.com

My picks for a freelance writer

Why Otterly: its entry plan is reported at about $29/month for 15 prompts, tracking ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Perplexity and Copilot. That makes it practical for taking one client and monitoring, say, 10–15 questions their prospective customers actually ask. omnicite.cowww.datadab.com

For example, instead of merely tracking:

“Does Client X's website get mentioned?”

you'd create prompts such as:

• “What are the best accounting software options for small businesses?”
• “What should a small business look for when choosing accounting software?”
• “Best accounting software for a 10-person company”
• “What are alternatives to QuickBooks?”

Then you can see which sources AI cites and where your client's articles are absent. That's much more actionable for a writer.

But there's an important opportunity for you

I wouldn't sell yourself as simply an “AI SEO writer.” I'd position the service around something like:

“I create articles designed to become citable sources in AI answers.”

Your workflow could be:

Research AI prompts → identify citation gaps → write the article → structure it for retrieval/citation → publish → monitor AI citations → update based on what gets cited.

That's considerably more compelling to clients than “I optimize blog posts for SEO.”

And there's a useful gap in the current tools: several industry comparisons note that the platforms diagnose visibility but don't actually do the underlying content work. omnicite.codiscoveredlabs.com That's exactly where a freelance writer can add value.

If you're choosing one today, I'd trial OtterlyAI first. Once you're managing enough clients that 15 tracked prompts isn't enough, I'd investigate Peec or Scrunch.

If you tell me what type of clients you write for (SaaS, healthcare, finance, law, ecommerce, etc.), I can also tell you which AEO platform is best for that niche and exactly how I'd structure your writing service around it.

If your goal is to help clients’ articles get cited/recommended inside ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Claude, etc., I’d start with Peec AI rather than a traditional SEO platform.

The category is usually called GEO (Generative Engine Optimization), AEO (Answer Engine Optimization), or AI-search optimization. The important distinction is that you want a tool that shows which prompts produce citations, which competitors get cited instead, and which sources the AI is relying on—not merely an SEO content score. generative.qa

My shortlist for a freelance writer

Current comparisons put Peec around €89/month, while Otterly starts around $29/month; Profound is positioned much more toward enterprise use. discoveredlabs.com

Why I'd pick Peec for a freelance writer

Your actual deliverable isn't "I optimized this article for AI."

It's something more valuable:

"I researched the questions your customers ask AI, identified what sources those answers cite, analyzed why competing sources are being selected, and rewrote your article to become a stronger source."

That's a much easier service to sell.

And there's an important nuance: getting mentioned isn't necessarily the same as getting your article cited or having its information absorbed into the answer. Recent research distinguishes between citation selection and how much influence the cited page actually has on the generated answer. Pages that are structured, evidence-rich, semantically aligned, and easy to extract information from tend to have greater influence. arxiv.org

So I'd build your freelance workflow around:

1. Find the client's target questions → 2. Run them through AI → 3. Identify cited competitors → 4. Analyze those pages → 5. Rewrite/structure the client's article → 6. Track whether citation visibility improves.

That gives you a measurable GEO writing service, rather than simply selling "AI-friendly content."

One other thing I'd emphasize to clients: you cannot guarantee that ChatGPT will recommend their article. AI answers are dynamic and depend on the query, retrieval system, model, freshness, and competing sources. Research also finds meaningful differences between AI engines. arxiv.org

If you tell me your approximate budget (e.g. $0, <$50/mo, $50–100/mo, or $100+), I can compare the best 3 platforms specifically for a freelance writer—including which ones let you monitor multiple clients and produce white-label reports.

If you're a freelance writer trying to make your clients' articles more likely to be cited or recommended by ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, and Google AI, I'd start with OtterlyAI.

OtterlyAI is probably the best fit for a freelancer because it combines AI-visibility tracking, prompt research, content audits, and GEO recommendations without being primarily an enterprise platform. It specifically tracks ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Copilot, Google AI Overviews, and AI Mode. otterly.ai

My shortlist for a freelance writer

The key distinction is that AEO/GEO tools don't magically make an article get recommended. They help you identify which questions AI systems answer, which sources they cite, where your client's content is absent, and what characteristics the cited pages have. Research published in 2026 also suggests that AI visibility is inherently variable—answers can change across runs—so repeated monitoring is much more meaningful than checking ChatGPT once. arxiv.org

What I'd actually do in your position

I'd use OtterlyAI + your normal SEO/content tools, and sell clients a service along the lines of:

"AI Search Content Optimization" — I research the questions your customers ask AI, analyze which sources AI cites, optimize your articles for citation, and monitor whether your content starts appearing in AI answers.

That's a much more compelling freelance offering than simply saying you're an "SEO writer."

And there's an important opportunity here: research into AI citations indicates that pages with strong structure, semantic alignment, extractable evidence, definitions, numbers, comparisons, and procedural information tend to have greater influence when they are retrieved. arxiv.org

If you want, I can also compare Otterly vs. Peec vs. Profound specifically for a freelance writer, including pricing, client-reporting features, article optimization capabilities, and which one gives you the best ROI as a solo freelancer.

If your goal is “I write my clients’ articles so that ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, and Google AI are more likely to cite/recommend them,” I’d approach this as AEO/GEO (Answer/Generative Engine Optimization) rather than traditional SEO.

My pick for a freelance writer: Peec AI

For your particular use case, I’d start with Peec AI.

Why:

• Agency/content-friendly: You can track how a client is represented across multiple AI engines rather than optimizing blindly.
• Actionable visibility data: It helps identify prompts where a client isn't appearing and where competitors are being cited.
• Multi-engine tracking: Useful because you don't want to optimize specifically for ChatGPT while ignoring Perplexity, Gemini, etc.
• More appropriate for client work than an enterprise-heavy platform: Current 2026 comparisons generally put Peec in the mid-market/agency-friendly category. www.hubspot.com

The alternatives I'd consider

Surfer is worth special attention for a writer: its current product combines traditional SEO content optimization with an AI-search score while you're writing, rather than merely telling you afterward whether a brand was mentioned. www.techradar.com

Otterly is the inexpensive way to get started; current comparisons put it around the $29/month entry level, while Peec is positioned higher and Profound substantially higher. Pricing and plans are changing quickly in this young category. www.hubspot.comwww.aeolabs.ai

But there's an important distinction

If you're selling this to clients, don't sell “I'll make ChatGPT recommend your article.” No legitimate platform can guarantee that. AI recommendations depend on the model, query, competing sources, freshness, authority, and other factors. www.reddit.com

Instead, I'd sell something like:

AI Search Content Optimization — research the questions your customers ask AI, analyze which sources AI currently cites, create/upgrade the article to address those information gaps, and monitor whether the client's site begins appearing in AI answers.

That's a much stronger freelance service.

If I were starting from scratch today, I'd test Peec + Surfer together: Peec for “What does AI currently cite and where are the gaps?” and Surfer for “How do I make the actual article better?”

If you tell me your typical client type (e.g. SaaS, local businesses, finance, health, B2B) and roughly how much you can spend per month, I can narrow this down to the best 1–2 tools and show you exactly how I'd turn them into a paid freelance AEO service.

If you're a freelance writer trying to make clients' articles more likely to be cited or recommended by ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Claude, etc., I’d start with OtterlyAI.

Why I’d pick it for a freelancer:

• It’s built specifically around AI-search visibility, rather than being a traditional SEO suite with an AEO feature bolted on. help.otterly.ai
• It lets you track whether a site/content is mentioned and cited across ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews/AI Mode, Gemini, Claude and Copilot. help.otterly.ai
• Its content checker evaluates things such as summarizability, structure, clarity and semantic repetition, which is directly useful when you're actually writing or editing articles. help.otterly.ai
• It can identify content gaps and the sources AI engines are already citing, giving you something much more actionable than a generic "GEO score." help.otterly.ai

How I'd use it as a freelance writer

Don't sell clients "I'll optimize your article for AI" as if there's a magic formula. Instead, offer something like:

AI Answer Optimization: I research the questions your customers ask AI, analyze which sources those systems cite, and structure your content to make it clearer, more authoritative, and easier for answer engines to extract and cite.

Then use Otterly to:

1. Find the actual prompts people might ask about the client's topic.
2. See which competitors/sources are being cited.
3. Identify gaps in the client's existing article.
4. Rewrite the article around specific, answerable questions.
5. Add original data, expert quotations, definitions, comparisons, evidence and clearly structured sections.
6. Track whether the client's pages subsequently appear in AI answers.

That's a much more defensible service than simply sprinkling keywords into an article.

What about Profound?

Profound is probably the more powerful platform, particularly for agencies and larger organizations. It combines AI visibility, prompt-volume data, competitor analysis, crawler analytics and content workflows. www.tryprofound.com

But for a solo freelance writer, I'd consider it overkill unless you're managing multiple substantial clients.

One important caveat: there is no reliable "make this article recommended by ChatGPT" button. Current research suggests GEO is highly dependent on retrieval, source authority, relevance, freshness and the particular answer engine—and results can vary substantially between platforms. arxiv.org

So I'd position your service as increasing AI citation/recommendation eligibility and measuring visibility, not guaranteeing recommendations.

If you want, I can also give you a freelance writer's AEO workflow—including exactly what to do to an article before delivery and how to package/sell it to clients.

If you’re a freelance writer trying to get clients’ articles recommended by AI chatbots (ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Claude, etc.), you’re looking for AI Answer Optimization (AIO) / Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) tools rather than traditional SEO platforms.

There isn’t one universally dominant platform yet, but these are the ones worth testing:

For a freelance writer, I’d prioritize:

1. Start with an AI visibility tracker

Try Profound or Otterly.AI to understand:

• Does a client’s brand appear in AI answers?
• Which competitors are being cited?
• Which prompts trigger recommendations?

2. Pair it with a content optimization tool

A practical stack:

Budget-friendly:

• Ahrefs + Surfer SEO

Higher-end client work:

• MarketMuse + Profound

3. Learn the actual AIO writing signals

AI systems tend to reward articles that have:

• Clear entity references (people, products, organizations, concepts)
• Direct answers near the top
• Original data, examples, comparisons, or expert commentary
• Strong author credibility signals
• Accurate citations and references
• Well-structured headings
• FAQ-style sections where appropriate
• Consistent brand/topic associations across the web

A writer selling “AI visibility optimization” services should probably avoid positioning it as “I’ll make ChatGPT rank your article.” A stronger offer is:

“I optimize content so AI search systems can better understand, trust, and cite your brand.”

That’s closer to how the field currently works.

If you’re building this as a freelance service, I’d start with Ahrefs + Surfer SEO + an AI answer tracking tool rather than buying an expensive enterprise platform immediately.

If you’re a freelance writer trying to make clients’ articles more likely to be cited or recommended by ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, and Google’s AI results, I’d start with OtterlyAI.

Why I’d pick it for a freelancer:

Otterly currently combines AI prompt research, AI-search monitoring, content audits, and GEO recommendations, and tracks ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Copilot, and Google's AI results. otterly.ai

But there's an important distinction

If your goal is "help me write an article that AI will cite," I wouldn't choose a platform solely because it reports whether you're mentioned.

You want a workflow like:

1. Find the questions people ask AI
→ 2. Identify which sources AI currently cites
→ 3. Analyze what those sources do better
→ 4. Structure/write your client's article around those information gaps
→ 5. Publish
→ 6. Track whether AI starts citing it

That's why Otterly is interesting for a freelance writer: it has moved beyond simple visibility tracking into content auditing and optimization recommendations. otterly.ai

If you're building an AEO writing service

I'd actually consider Peec AI once you have multiple clients. Current comparisons put it in the agency/mid-market tier, whereas Otterly is positioned as the cheaper entry point. www.aeolabs.ai

And I wouldn't start with Profound unless your clients are large companies with substantial AEO budgets. It's much more enterprise-oriented. www.tryprofound.com

One other thing: don't sell clients the promise that a tool can "make ChatGPT recommend their article." No tool can guarantee that. AI answer selection is dynamic, and recent research suggests that earned/third-party authority and the quality and structure of the underlying information matter substantially. arxiv.org

Instead, a stronger freelance positioning would be:

"I optimize articles for AI search visibility—making them easier for answer engines to understand, trust, cite, and recommend."

That is a much more defensible service.

My recommendation: start with OtterlyAI, learn the mechanics on 2–3 client articles, and then consider Peec if you're turning AEO into a recurring service.

If you tell me what type of clients you write for (SaaS, healthcare, finance, local businesses, etc.), I can also tell you which AEO platform + workflow would make the most sense for your niche.

If your goal is to help clients' articles become sources that AI assistants cite or summarize,

If your goal is to help clients' content get cited or synthesized by AI assistants like ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity, and Copilot, you're really looking at AI Answer Optimization (AAO) (also called LLMO or GEO—Generative Engine Optimization). The best platform depends on whether you want software, research, or a service to build your freelance offering.

Here are the strongest options:

If you're a freelance writer

I would focus less on buying software and more on developing a repeatable service. Most small businesses don't know they need "AI optimization" yet—they understand outcomes like:

• "Get cited by ChatGPT"
• "Increase visibility in AI search"
• "Become an AI-recommended source"

You could package services such as:

• Rewriting articles for AI readability
• Adding expert quotes and first-hand experience
• Improving entity coverage (people, brands, places, concepts)
• Adding FAQs that answer conversational questions
• Improving topical authority across related articles
• Strengthening citations and references
• Structuring content for easy extraction by LLMs

Best platform if you're just starting

I'd recommend:

1. Peec AI — if you want professional reporting for clients.
2. Otterly.AI — if your budget is limited.
3. Semrush AI Toolkit — if you already use Semrush for SEO.
4. Ahrefs Brand Radar — if you're already in the Ahrefs ecosystem.

Skills that matter more than the platform

The freelancers succeeding with AI optimization typically understand:

• Semantic SEO
• Knowledge graphs and entities
• Search intent
• Schema markup
• E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness)
• Prompt engineering (to test how AI models answer)
• Information architecture
• Original research and statistics

These skills tend to have a bigger impact than any single tool.

A niche worth considering

Since you're a freelance writer, you could position yourself as an AI Content Optimization Specialist rather than just a content writer. A service might include:

• Audit the client's top 20 articles
• Identify which articles AI assistants reference or ignore
• Rewrite those articles for better AI citation potential
• Add missing entities, expert insights, FAQs, and structured sections
• Test prompts across major AI assistants before and after optimization
• Deliver a report showing changes in AI visibility over time

This positioning is still relatively new, so there's an opportunity to differentiate yourself from writers who focus only on traditional SEO.

If you're interested, I can also outline a step-by-step roadmap for becoming an AI Answer Optimization specialist over the next 30 days, including the specific skills, tools, and portfolio pieces to build.

If your goal is to help clients' articles get cited or recommended by AI assistants (ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Perplexity, Copilot, etc.), you're looking at the emerging field often called AI Answer Optimization (AAO) or Generative Engine Optimization (GEO).

The best platform depends on whether you want software to use yourself or a service to offer clients.

If you're a freelance writer

I'd prioritize learning Semrush + Ahrefs before paying for a specialized AAO platform.

Why?

Clients already recognize those names, and the skills transfer directly:

• topic clusters
• entity optimization
• first-hand experience signals
• structured content
• question-answer formatting
• E-E-A-T principles
• citation-worthy statistics
• schema markup recommendations

These are the same qualities that make content more likely to be useful for AI systems.

If you want to sell AAO as a service

A strong stack could look like:

• Research: Ahrefs
• Competitive analysis: Semrush
• AI visibility tracking: Profound or Peec AI
• Testing: ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Perplexity, and Copilot
• Analytics: Google Search Console + GA4

What actually helps articles get surfaced by AI

The biggest gains usually come from writing content that is:

• Answers a specific question completely
• Includes original insights or data instead of rewording existing articles
• Uses clear headings and concise definitions
• Explains concepts before diving into details
• Demonstrates expertise with examples
• Covers related entities and subtopics naturally
• Is updated regularly
• Lives on a site with topical authority

AI systems don't simply rank pages the way search engines do—they often synthesize information from multiple sources. That means content that is clear, authoritative, and uniquely informative is more likely to be useful in AI-generated answers.

My recommendation for a freelancer

Unless you're serving large enterprise clients, I would spend money in this order:

1. Ahrefs
2. Semrush
3. Learn GEO/AAO best practices
4. Add a specialized platform like Profound or Peec AI only after you have clients specifically asking for AI visibility reporting.

That combination gives you the broadest set of skills and tools while keeping costs reasonable. It also lets you market yourself as a writer who optimizes content for both traditional search and AI-powered search experiences.

If your goal is to help clients' articles get cited or recommended by AI assistants like ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Perplexity, and Copilot, you're looking for tools in the emerging field of AI Answer Optimization (AAO) or Generative Engine Optimization (GEO).

For a freelance writer, I'd prioritize platforms based on both usefulness and affordability:

My recommendation

If you're a freelance writer, I'd try:

1. Otterly.AI – affordable and focused on monitoring how AI assistants mention brands.
2. Peec AI – strong reporting that you can use as a value-added service for clients.
3. Goodie AI – if you want content optimization suggestions rather than just tracking.

Beyond tools: the biggest opportunity

The tools are useful, but the largest advantage comes from learning how AI systems choose sources. Across major AI assistants, content is more likely to be surfaced when it is:

• Written with clear topical authority.
• Organized with descriptive headings and direct answers.
• Backed by credible sources and original data.
• Focused on answering real user questions rather than keyword stuffing.
• Published on sites with strong expertise and trust signals.
• Internally linked into topical clusters.
• Updated regularly so information stays current.

A service you can sell

Instead of marketing yourself only as an SEO writer, you could position yourself as an:

AI Answer Optimization (AAO) Content Writer

Your deliverables could include:

• AI-ready article outlines
• FAQ sections optimized for conversational queries
• Entity-rich content (covering key people, organizations, products, and concepts)
• Original research or expert quotes that AI systems are more likely to reference
• Content audits for AI visibility
• Tracking reports showing whether a client's brand appears in AI-generated answers

This positioning is still relatively new, which can help differentiate you from general SEO writers.

If you're planning to build a freelance niche around this, I can also outline a 90-day roadmap for becoming an AI Answer Optimization specialist, including the skills, tools, portfolio pieces, and pricing that tend to resonate with clients.

If your goal is to help clients' articles get cited, summarized, or recommended by AI assistants like ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity, and Copilot, you're looking for AI answer optimization (AAO) or Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) platforms rather than traditional SEO tools.

Here are the strongest options today:

1. Profound
   • One of the best-known platforms focused specifically on AI search visibility.
   • Tracks how brands appear across major AI assistants.
   • Shows which sources AI models rely on.
   • Better suited for agencies and enterprise clients.

2. Goodie
   • Designed around optimizing content for AI-generated answers.
   • Helps identify prompts where brands should appear.
   • Good if you're selling AI visibility as a service.

3. Scrunch AI
   • Focuses on improving brand discoverability in generative search.
   • Tracks AI mentions and recommends content improvements.
   • Popular among SaaS companies.

4. Peec AI
   • Offers analytics for AI search performance.
   • Lets you monitor visibility across multiple AI engines.
   • Generally more affordable than enterprise-focused platforms.

5. Semrush
   • While still SEO-first, it has been adding AI search tracking features.
   • Useful if you're already using it for keyword research and content strategy.

If you're a freelance writer

You probably don't need an expensive enterprise platform right away. Instead, combine:

• Traditional SEO research (Semrush or similar)
• AI visibility testing (Profound, Peec AI, or Goodie)
• Manual prompt testing in ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, and Claude
• Content structured around entities, original data, expert quotes, FAQs, and clear answers

What clients are starting to pay for

A valuable service package is:

• SEO article writing
• GEO/AAO optimization
• Schema recommendations
• Internal linking
• Entity optimization
• AI answer testing (e.g., "Does ChatGPT cite this page?" or "Does Perplexity reference this article?")
• Monthly AI visibility reports

This positions you as more than a writer—you become a content strategist focused on AI discoverability.

Given where the market is heading, I'd prioritize learning Profound if you want to work with larger brands or agencies, and Peec AI if you're an independent freelancer looking for a more accessible entry point. Both align closely with the emerging discipline of AI answer optimization rather than conventional SEO alone.