Discovered Labs vs. Growthx: Which Platform Drives Real AI Visibility?

Updated January 21, 2026

When prospects ask ChatGPT for vendor recommendations in your category, does your company appear?

For most B2B marketing leaders, the answer is no. Competitors get cited with specific reasons why they're good fits, while your brand is completely invisible.

This comparison helps you decide between two very different solutions to that problem. We're a specialized AEO/GEO agency built specifically to engineer your brand into AI answers. Growthx is a generalist content production platform that handles AEO alongside SEO, programmatic content, and editorial services. I'll compare both on methodology, pricing, healthcare compliance capabilities, and speed to measurable citations so you can choose the right partner for your AI visibility goals.

The core difference: Specialized AEO vs. broad growth services

We focus entirely on one problem: getting your company cited by ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews, and Copilot when buyers research vendors.

Every service we offer addresses that specific outcome. Our AI visibility audit documents exactly which 3-5 competitors are cited for each query, where you're completely invisible, and which gaps cost you the most qualified pipeline.

Growthx takes a different approach. They position themselves as a content-as-a-service platform that builds editorial systems for SEO, AEO, GEO, AI assistants, and beyond. Rather than providing tools that clients must learn, they combine AI-powered workflows with expert human oversight to deliver finished content.

Led by Matthew Panzarino, former editor-in-chief of TechCrunch, they recently raised $12M. They serve clients like Reddit, Webflow, and Superhuman.

The fundamental divergence comes down to specialization depth. We built proprietary technology to test thousands of buyer-intent queries across five major AI platforms, then optimized a framework specifically for Large Language Model retrieval.

Growthx built a sophisticated content creation platform with flexible AI capabilities. They produce editorial content, programmatic SEO, case studies, and content refreshes.

For healthcare technology companies or fintech platforms where verifiable, compliant content determines whether AI systems confidently cite you, specialization matters. Generic content production approaches don't address the technical requirements of entity structure, third-party validation, and answer grounding that LLMs prioritize for citations in regulated industries.

Feature comparison: AEO capabilities and methodology

Here's how we compare to Growthx on core AEO capabilities:

Discovered Labs: The CITABLE framework explained

Our CITABLE framework structures every piece of content for optimal LLM retrieval:

• C - Clear entity & structure: 2-3 sentence opening that establishes exactly what you are, so AI can identify your company, product, or service immediately
• I - Intent architecture: Answer the main question plus adjacent questions buyers ask in the same research session
• T - Third-party validation: Reviews, user-generated content, community mentions, and news citations that LLMs weight heavily when deciding what to cite
• A - Answer grounding: Verifiable facts with sources rather than marketing claims
• B - Block-structured for RAG: 200-400 word sections, tables, FAQs, and ordered lists optimized for Retrieval-Augmented Generation systems
• L - Latest & consistent: Timestamps and unified facts everywhere so AI models don't skip you due to conflicting data
• E - Entity graph & schema: Explicit relationships in copy and markup so LLMs understand how your product connects to use cases, industries, and buyer needs

For healthcare technology companies, the Third-party validation and Answer grounding components are particularly relevant. Verifiable facts with sources give AI systems confidence to cite your content for sensitive topics where accuracy matters.

Generic blog posts optimized for keyword density don't meet that bar.

The Entity graph & schema component addresses a core challenge: when buyers use AI assistants, they provide upfront context about their current tech stack, budget, pain points, and constraints. Your content must capture these long-tail entity combinations to appear in personalized AI recommendations.

Growthx: Service-as-software model for general growth

Growthx builds content systems designed for SEO, AEO, GEO, AI assistants, and beyond. Their approach combines a streamlined content creation platform with flexible AI capabilities.

A Growthx subscription gives you access to their full editorial engine: research, writing, distribution, and analytics. Their team handles everything while you provide direction.

This works well for companies that need volume content production across multiple channels but don't have time to manage freelancers or build internal content operations. With $12M in recent funding and clients like Reddit and Webflow, they've proven the model works for tech companies seeking editorial-quality content at scale.

The difference comes down to depth vs. breadth. Growthx's strength is producing high-quality content across SEO, programmatic approaches, case studies, and content refreshes.

They mention AEO as one capability but don't document a proprietary AEO methodology or framework comparable to CITABLE. For companies where AI citations are one goal among many marketing channels, this generalist approach makes sense.

For B2B SaaS companies where 48% of buyers now research vendors using AI tools, you need a partner who treats AI visibility as the primary outcome. Those buyers convert at higher rates than traditional search traffic, so AI citations can't be just one checkbox among many services.

Performance data: Speed to citation and pipeline impact

We target initial AI citations within 3-4 weeks of starting content production.

One client company grew from 550 to 3,500+ trials in four weeks using our methodology. Another client discovered they were cited in just 5% of relevant queries while their top competitor appeared in 38%. We used that gap analysis to prioritize which question clusters to target first.

"We went from completely invisible to cited in 40% of our target queries within 90 days. The pipeline impact was immediate - AI-referred leads converted at almost 3x our normal rate." - B2B SaaS marketing leader, client case study

The conversion advantage matters as much as citation frequency. Ahrefs reported that AI-referred traffic converts at 2.4x the rate of traditional organic search.

For B2B marketing leaders watching pipeline stagnate despite continued content investment, this conversion advantage changes the ROI calculation entirely.

If you're currently investing $60K-$100K annually in blog posts that rank decently in Google but generate flat pipeline, reallocating that budget to specialized AEO can produce measurably better outcomes. Less than 1% of traffic generating over one-tenth of total signups represents a fundamental shift in channel efficiency.

Timeline expectations matter. Our approach delivers initial results within weeks with proper implementation, but full optimization takes 3-4 months to reach 40-50% citation rates across your priority buyer queries. We track this weekly with share of voice benchmarking against your top 3-5 competitors so you can see progress and report it to leadership.

Pricing and contract terms: Flexibility vs. commitment

The value of month-to-month agility

Both platforms now offer month-to-month contracts, which represents an important shift in the AEO agency market.

Traditional SEO agencies often require 6-12 month commitments. For a nascent channel like AI search where methodologies are still evolving and platform algorithms change frequently, contract flexibility reduces your risk.

Our pricing starts at $5,495/month for 20+ SEO and AEO-optimized articles, comprehensive visibility tracking, competitor monitoring, technical SEO & AEO audits, backlink building, and Reddit marketing. This reflects our specialized focus - you're paying for engineering expertise, proprietary auditing technology, and a proven framework rather than general content production.

Growthx's full-service offering costs $18,000/month. That price point reflects their broader scope: editorial content across multiple channels, programmatic SEO capabilities, distribution, and analytics.

For companies that need volume content production spanning multiple use cases beyond AI citations, the economics may work differently.

Cost of inaction vs. investment ROI

The real comparison isn't our pricing vs. Growthx. It's the opportunity cost of invisibility when prospects research vendors using AI.

Consider this scenario:

1. Your average deal size is $80K with a 25% close rate - each qualified opportunity is worth $20K in expected value
2. Buyers spend only about 17% of their buying time with suppliers - the other 83% is independent research
3. When that research happens in ChatGPT or Perplexity and your competitors get cited while you don't, you lose deals before sales conversations start

If specialized AEO increases your citation rate from 5% to 45% of buyer-intent queries over four months, and each additional citation generates just two qualified opportunities per quarter, the pipeline impact justifies the investment.

At $5,495/month over four months, you've invested $21,980. If that generates eight incremental opportunities worth $160K in expected pipeline value, the ROI calculates clearly.

For marketing leaders who must justify new vendor spend to CFOs or boards, this framing helps. You're not adding a new budget line - you're reallocating content spend from channels that deliver flat results to a channel where early movers capture disproportionate advantage.

Healthcare and B2B SaaS suitability

Regulated industries face unique challenges with AI citations. When prospects ask ChatGPT about healthcare technology vendors, the AI system must decide whether your content is credible enough to cite.

Generic marketing claims fail this test. Verifiable information backed by third-party sources passes it.

Our CITABLE framework explicitly addresses this through Third-party validation and Answer grounding components. We engineer content with trust signals including reviews, community mentions, news citations, and verifiable facts with sources.

This isn't optional for healthcare technology companies - it's the difference between getting cited confidently versus being skipped because the LLM can't verify your claims.

Compliance concerns extend beyond just accuracy. If AI systems cite content that makes unsubstantiated claims about clinical outcomes or patient benefits, your legal and compliance teams face risk.

We specialize in B2B companies across SaaS, fintech, healthcare, and professional services specifically because we understand these constraints.

Growthx serves tech companies including Reddit, Webflow, and Superhuman. Their content production capabilities work well for consumer tech and developer tools where regulatory constraints are lighter.

For healthcare IT buyers or fintech platforms where AI recommendations must be verifiable and compliant from day one, you need a partner who builds that into the methodology rather than treating it as an afterthought.

B2B SaaS companies outside regulated industries still benefit from specialization. The 2.4x conversion advantage doesn't happen by accident.

It happens because AI-referred traffic arrives further along the buyer journey, pre-qualified by the AI's recommendation. Capturing that traffic requires technical optimization that general content platforms don't prioritize.

Final verdict: Choosing the right partner for your goals

Choose Growthx if: You need broad content production capabilities spanning editorial pieces, programmatic SEO, case studies, and distribution across multiple channels. Their $18,000/month full-service offering makes sense for tech companies with strong brand recognition that need volume content production but don't prioritize AI citations as a primary metric.

Choose Discovered Labs if: You need to dominate AI search results when prospects ask ChatGPT, Claude, or Perplexity for vendor recommendations. Our $5,495/month starting price delivers specialized AEO methodology, proprietary auditing technology, healthcare compliance focus, and the CITABLE framework designed specifically for LLM retrieval.

The decision framework comes down to three questions:

1. Is AI visibility your primary growth goal or one channel among many?

If prospects are choosing competitors because ChatGPT recommends them and never mentions you, you need a specialist. If you need general content volume across channels, a generalist platform works.

2. Do regulatory or compliance constraints require verifiable, third-party validated content?

Healthcare technology, fintech, and other regulated industries face higher standards for what AI systems will confidently cite. Our framework builds this in from day one.

3. How quickly do you need to demonstrate ROI to leadership?

With month-to-month terms, you can test specialized AEO for 90 days and show citation rate improvement plus pipeline impact before committing long-term. Both platforms now offer this flexibility.

For B2B marketing leaders who've watched traditional SEO investment deliver flat results while competitors gain AI visibility, the cost of inaction exceeds the cost of specialized help.

When buyers spend 83% of their research time away from suppliers and increasingly use AI for that research, being invisible in ChatGPT means losing deals you never knew existed.

Ready to see exactly where you're invisible and which competitors are dominating AI answers in your category? Request an AI Visibility Audit and we'll show you the specific gaps costing you qualified pipeline.

Frequently asked questions

How long until we see AI citations after starting with Discovered Labs?

Initial citations typically appear within 3-4 weeks of daily content production. Full optimization reaching 40-50% citation rates across priority queries takes 3-4 months.

What's the minimum budget needed for AEO to work effectively?

$5,495 per month starting price for 20+ optimized articles plus comprehensive tracking, audits, and Reddit marketing. Lower budgets mean insufficient content velocity to reach statistical significance in AI citations.

Will AEO hurt my traditional SEO performance?

No. Content optimized for AI visibility typically ranks well in traditional search because both prioritize clear answers, good structure, and expertise. Many companies see both improve simultaneously.

How do you measure AEO ROI and prove pipeline impact?

We track citation frequency across platforms and share of voice compared to competitors weekly. Pipeline impact is measured through AI-referred traffic with UTM parameters, MQL conversion rates, and attributed opportunities in your CRM.

Does Discovered Labs write the content or just provide strategy?

Monthly retainers include end-to-end content production, not just strategy. We handle research, writing, optimization, and publishing so your team can focus on campaigns and demand generation.

How does Discovered Labs handle healthcare compliance and regulatory requirements?

Our CITABLE framework includes Third-party validation and Answer grounding components specifically designed for regulated industries. We ensure verifiable facts with sources, which gives AI systems confidence to cite your content for sensitive healthcare topics.

Key terminology

Answer Engine Optimization (AEO): The practice of creating and optimizing content to ensure it is easily discoverable by answer engines like Google's AI Overviews, voice assistants, or dedicated AI tools that directly provide concise answers to user questions.

Generative Engine Optimization (GEO): The practice of adapting digital content to improve visibility in results produced by generative artificial intelligence systems including ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Claude, and Perplexity AI.

Share of Voice (AEO context): The percentage of times your brand appears in AI answers for target queries compared to competitors. Citation frequency is the primary metric.

Entity Graph: A structured representation of information that organizes entities like people, products, and events with their relationships in a way that makes them easy for AI systems to query and analyze.

CITABLE Framework: Our proprietary methodology structuring content for optimal LLM retrieval through Clear entity & structure, Intent architecture, Third-party validation, Answer grounding, Block-structured for RAG, Latest & consistent, and Entity graph & schema.