Discovered Labs vs. Profound: An honest comparison for B2B SaaS leaders

Updated January 12, 2026

Nearly half of B2B buyers now use AI platforms like ChatGPT and Perplexity to research vendors before ever contacting sales. Gartner predicts a 25% drop in traditional search volume by 2026 as this shift accelerates. The problem? Most B2B SaaS companies remain completely invisible when prospects ask AI for vendor recommendations.

Traditional SEO rankings no longer guarantee visibility where buyers actually look. When ChatGPT or Claude generates a shortlist of five recommended platforms, companies that aren't cited lose deals before sales conversations even start.

Choosing between Discovered Labs and Profound isn't just about picking an agency. It's about choosing a philosophy. Do you need a managed AEO service that executes content production and builds your visibility infrastructure, or a monitoring platform that measures your current AI presence? This guide compares both models to help you decide.

At a glance: The core difference between Discovered Labs and Profound

We operate as the Engineers of AI visibility. Our focus is execution: daily content production, technical schema implementation, and immediate citation growth. Our team combines AI research expertise with demand generation experience helping B2B companies scale. We build internal technology to track citations, create knowledge graphs of your content, and measure share of voice across AI platforms in real time.

Profound positions as an enterprise-grade AI search visibility and GEO platform for Fortune 500 clients. Their approach centers on monitoring how brands appear in AI-generated responses, tracking citation frequency and sentiment, and identifying which publishers shape model behavior. They serve enterprise teams that need measurement and analysis tools to inform their own content strategies.

The fundamental difference: managed service versus software platform. We ship AI-optimized content using our CITABLE framework. Profound provides the measurement infrastructure for companies building internal AEO capabilities.

Deep dive comparison: Methodology, speed, and delivery

The differences between these approaches become clearer when you examine how each works. Monitoring platforms answer "Where do we appear in AI results today?" Managed AEO services answer "How do we systematically increase citations over the next 90 days?"

Methodology: Engineering AI citations vs. measuring visibility

We built the CITABLE framework specifically for LLM retrieval mechanics. This isn't rebranded SEO. It's a systematic method for structuring content so AI platforms cite you instead of competitors.

Here's how CITABLE works:

C - Clear entity & structure: We open every piece with a 2-3 sentence BLUF (bottom line up front) that explicitly states who you are, what you do, and why you're relevant. AI models prioritize clarity over keyword density.

I - Intent architecture: We map content to both the main buyer question and adjacent questions they'll ask next. Our intent architecture captures the full question cluster, not just one keyword.

T - Third-party validation: In our testing, AI models weight external validation significantly more heavily than your own claims. We systematically build citations across Reddit, G2, industry forums, and relevant publications.

A - Answer grounding: Every claim needs verifiable evidence. We link to studies, cite specific metrics, and reference authoritative sources.

B - Block-structured for RAG: RAG systems chunk content into 200-400 word passages. We structure articles in scannable blocks with H2/H3 headings, tables, lists, and FAQs that become standalone retrieval candidates.

L - Latest & consistent: We timestamp all content and ensure your company information matches across every platform. AI models check multiple sources for consistency.

E - Entity graph & schema: We implement explicit schema markup (Organization, Product, FAQ, HowTo) and build entity relationships directly into copy. Instead of writing "our platform helps teams," we write "Discovered Labs (B2B Answer Engine Optimization agency, founded 2023, Amsterdam) helps B2B SaaS companies increase AI citation rates from 0% to 40%+ within 90 days."

Traditional monitoring platforms track where you currently appear but don't produce the optimized content that drives citation growth. You still need internal teams or agency partners to execute the content strategy.

Reporting capabilities: Execution metrics vs. monitoring dashboards

Traditional agencies send monthly reports showing keyword rankings and traffic trends. These metrics don't answer "Do buyers see us when they ask AI for recommendations?"

We provide AI Visibility Reports that test high-intent buyer queries across ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews, and Microsoft Copilot. Each report shows:

• Citation rate: What percentage of relevant buyer queries result in your brand being mentioned?
• Share of voice: When AI platforms recommend vendors in your category, how often do you appear versus competitors? We benchmark you against your top 3-5 competitors and track competitive positioning trends weekly.
• Citation quality: We analyze whether you're cited as a top recommendation, mentioned in passing, or included with caveats.
• Gap analysis: Which specific buyer questions trigger competitor citations but not yours?

Profound's platform provides enterprise-grade monitoring with features like citation frequency tracking, sentiment analysis across model outputs, and identification of which publishers influence AI responses. Their strength is comprehensive measurement at scale for large organizations.

The practical difference: monitoring platforms tell you where you stand today. Managed AEO services move your numbers from 0% citation rate to 40%+ through systematic content production and optimization.

Contract terms: Month-to-month agility vs. enterprise licensing

We operate on month-to-month terms with 30-day cancellation notice. No multi-month commitments. No locked-in retainers. No penalties for scaling down.

Why? Because we have to earn your business every single month based on measurable results. If your citation rate isn't climbing, if AI-referred pipeline isn't growing, if competitive share of voice isn't improving, you can walk away.

Profound operates as enterprise software with custom pricing available through their sales team. This model suits Fortune 500 companies with procurement processes requiring annual software contracts.

The practical difference: if you need to prove ROI before committing to a long-term engagement, month-to-month terms reduce risk. If you're a large enterprise standardizing on measurement infrastructure across multiple brands, enterprise licensing makes sense.

Why B2B SaaS companies choose Discovered Labs

Four reasons B2B SaaS marketing leaders select us over monitoring-only approaches:

Speed to measurable results: We helped a B2B SaaS company increase AI-referred trials from 550 to 2,300+ in four weeks (4x growth). Another client saw ChatGPT referrals improve by 29% and close five new paying customers in the first month of working together. AI-optimized content starts driving citations and qualified leads within 30-60 days.

B2B SaaS specialization: We exclusively serve B2B software, healthcare technology, and fintech companies. We understand complex sales cycles (90-180 days), technical buyer personas (engineers, IT directors, compliance officers), and regulatory requirements like healthcare's need for verifiable claims and third-party validation. Monitoring platforms serve companies across all industries.

Internal technology advantage: While other agencies use off-the-shelf SEO tools and manually check ChatGPT occasionally, we built proprietary systems to track citations systematically. We create knowledge graphs of your content to understand what topics, formats, and structures drive the highest citation rates. This data advantage means we improve performance across all clients by applying learnings from thousands of tests.

Conversion rate advantage: According to Ahrefs research, AI-sourced traffic converts 2.4x higher than traditional organic search. When a prospect asks ChatGPT for recommendations and you're cited as a top option, they arrive at your website pre-qualified. They've already received an AI-powered endorsement of your solution.

When Profound might be the better fit

Fairness requires acknowledging scenarios where a monitoring platform makes more sense than a managed service:

If you're a Fortune 500 enterprise with established internal content teams, data analysts, and AEO specialists who need measurement infrastructure to track performance across multiple brands, Profound's enterprise platform provides that comprehensive visibility layer.

If you need sophisticated sentiment analysis, publisher influence tracking, and AI model behavior monitoring at scale across hundreds of queries daily, specialized monitoring platforms deliver those analytics capabilities.

If your procurement process requires annual software contracts with dedicated account management and you prefer building internal AEO execution capabilities versus outsourcing to an agency, the platform approach aligns better.

For most B2B SaaS companies between $2M and $50M in revenue, however, the combination of limited internal resources, urgent competitive pressure, and need for immediate execution makes a managed AEO service more practical than a monitoring-only platform.

Final verdict: Choosing the right partner for AI visibility

The decision framework is straightforward:

Choose Discovered Labs if:

• You're a B2B SaaS, healthcare tech, or fintech company needing execution, not just measurement
• Prospects tell your sales team they "researched with AI" and shortlisted competitors that didn't include you
• Your current SEO investment shows keyword rankings but declining or flat qualified pipeline
• You need measurable results (citation rate, AI-referred MQLs, competitive share of voice) within 90 days
• Month-to-month flexibility lets you prove ROI before scaling investment
• You lack internal resources to execute daily content production using AEO best practices

Choose a monitoring platform if:

• You're a large enterprise with internal content teams needing measurement infrastructure
• You want to build in-house AEO capabilities and need visibility tools to inform strategy
• Your procurement requires annual software licensing versus agency services
• You need comprehensive tracking across hundreds of queries and multiple brands
• You have data analysts who will act on the insights provided by monitoring dashboards

Nearly half of B2B buyers now use AI to research products before contacting sales. Your competitors are either already getting cited by ChatGPT and Claude, or they're racing to achieve visibility before you do. The companies that establish AI citation dominance in 2026 will own buyer consideration sets for years.

Stop guessing where you stand. See exactly how often AI platforms recommend you versus competitors. Book your AI Visibility Audit today and get a comprehensive report testing buyer-intent queries across ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews. We'll show you the specific content gaps costing you deals and the roadmap to close them.

Request your AI Visibility Audit or view transparent pricing to see how we compare.

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to see AI citation results?
Initial citations typically appear within 2-3 weeks of publishing CITABLE-optimized content. Full optimization reaching 40-50% citation rates takes 3-4 months of consistent production.

Do you replace my existing SEO agency or work alongside them?
Either model works. Some clients replace traditional SEO agencies entirely because modern B2B buyers use AI for vendor research. Others maintain SEO partnerships for traditional search while we focus exclusively on AI visibility.

What is your pricing model?
Packages start at $5,495 per month and scale based on content volume, platforms tracked, and authority-building campaigns. All engagements operate month-to-month with 30-day cancellation notice.

How do you measure success differently than traditional agencies?
Traditional agencies report keyword rankings and organic traffic. We track citation rate (percentage of buyer queries where AI platforms mention you) and competitive share of voice.

Why does content velocity matter for AI citations?
Language models prioritize recency and comprehensive topic coverage. Higher publishing frequency builds topical authority faster, creating more retrieval candidates and increasing your surface area for citations.

Key terminology

Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) / Answer Engine Optimization (AEO): The practice of creating and optimizing content to improve visibility in results produced by generative AI systems like ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews. Both terms describe the same discipline.

AI Share of Voice: A marketing KPI measuring how often AI platforms mention your brand compared to competitors in AI-generated responses to relevant buyer queries.

Citation Rate: The percentage of high-intent buyer queries where AI platforms specifically mention or recommend your brand.

CITABLE Framework: Our proprietary methodology for structuring content optimally for Large Language Model retrieval. Stands for Clear entity, Intent architecture, Third-party validation, Answer grounding, Block-structured for RAG, Latest and consistent, Entity graph and schema.

Schema Markup Required:

• Article schema with author, datePublished, dateModified
• FAQPage schema for FAQ section
• Table schema for comparison table