Best AEO Tools for 2026: My Complete Agentic Toolstack
I rarely open tool UIs anymore. My AEO workflow runs through Claude Code — connecting to DataForSEO, Ahrefs, and Google Search Console via MCP servers and APIs. Here's my complete toolstack as a practitioner who's gone all-in on agentic workflows.
Tina Chu
Founder & AEO Strategist
My AEO Toolstack (Quick Overview)
| Tool | How I Use It | Cost | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Claude Code | My operating system — orchestrates all other tools via MCP | $$ | 10/10 |
| 2. WorkDuo | Single source of truth for AI visibility tracking | $$$ | 9/10 |
| 3. DataForSEO MCP | LLM mentions, SERP data, keyword research — via API | $$ | 9/10 |
| 4. Ahrefs MCP | Domain authority, backlinks, competitor analysis — via API | $$$$ | 9/10 |
| 5. Google Search Console | AI Overview tracking, click data — via MCP | Free | 8/10 |
| 6. Screaming Frog | Technical audits, schema validation | $$ | 8/10 |
| 7. Canva AI | Blog banners, social graphics, brand visuals | $ | 8/10 |
| 8. HeyGen | AI avatar videos, multilingual content | $$ | 8/10 |
| 9. Nano Banana | Text-to-video, image-to-video generation | $$ | 7/10 |
| 10. Custom Reddit Tools | Community management, trend monitoring | — | 7/10 |
Cost: Free | $ = Budget | $$ = Mid-tier | $$$ = Premium | $$$$ = Enterprise
* Currently testing additional tools — will update this list as I evaluate them.
Why I Stopped Using Tool UIs
Here's the shift that changed everything: I rarely log into Ahrefs, DataForSEO, or even Google Search Console anymore. Instead, I talk to Claude Code, and it queries these tools for me through MCP (Model Context Protocol) servers and APIs.
The Old Way vs. The Agentic Way
Before (Manual):
- Log into Ahrefs → export keywords
- Log into GSC → pull click data
- Log into WorkDuo → check LLM mentions
- Combine in spreadsheet → analyze
- Write report → format for client
Now (Agentic):
- Tell Claude: "Run AEO audit for [client]"
- Claude queries all tools via MCP
- Claude analyzes, identifies issues
- Claude generates client-ready report
- I review and approve
This isn't just about saving time (though I save 10+ hours per week). It's about operating at a higher level of abstraction. Instead of clicking through UIs to find data, I describe what I need and the system assembles it.
The tools below are what I actually use in my agentic workflow — some via MCP servers, some via APIs, and a few that still require direct interaction.
How I Evaluate AEO Tools
This isn't a listicle scraped from marketing pages. These are tools I use daily across real client projects. My criteria:
What Makes a Tool Worth Using:
1. API/MCP compatibility
- Can I access it programmatically?
- Does it fit into my agentic workflow?
2. Data accuracy
- Does it match manual verification?
- How fresh is the data?
3. Unique data
- Does it provide something I can't get elsewhere?
- Is it the source of truth for something specific?
4. Value for money
- ROI based on time saved and insights gained
- Can I use it across all clients?
My background: 20+ years scaling growth at Tencent and Expedia. Now running AEO campaigns for B2B SaaS clients, managing 10,000+ keywords across multiple industries.
1. Claude Code — My Operating System
What it is: Claude Code is Anthropic's CLI tool that connects Claude (the AI) to your local environment. But I've turned it into something more — it's my operating system for all AEO work.
Through MCP (Model Context Protocol) servers, Claude Code connects directly to DataForSEO, Ahrefs, Google Search Console, Google Sheets, and more. I run audits, pull data, generate reports — all through natural language commands.
Example workflow:
"Pull last 30 days of GSC data for gofreight.com, cross-reference with Ahrefs rankings, identify pages losing traffic but maintaining position, and create a brief for content updates."
Why I Love It
- MCP servers connect to any API-accessible tool
- Custom agents for specialized workflows
- Handles multi-step research autonomously
- Generates client-ready deliverables
Limitations
- Requires technical setup (MCP configuration)
- Learning curve for prompt engineering
- Dependent on API access to other tools
My Rating: 10/10 — This is the foundation of everything else.
2. WorkDuo — Single Source of Truth for AI Visibility
What it is: WorkDuo is my single source of truth for AI visibility tracking. It monitors brand mentions across ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overview, Gemini, and other LLMs — tracking how often your brand appears, what context it appears in, and which sources are driving AI responses.
Why it's essential: You can track SEO rankings with Ahrefs. You can track search performance with GSC. But tracking AI citations? That's WorkDuo's territory. It answers the question: "When someone asks an AI about [your industry], does it mention you?"
Key capabilities:
- Track brand mentions across 5+ AI platforms
- Identify which websites fuel AI responses about you
- Competitive analysis — who gets cited instead of you
- Flexible APIs for custom dashboard integration
- White-label options for agencies
Why I Use It
- Only tool tracking citations at this depth
- API-first — integrates with my workflow
- Looker Studio connector for dashboards
- Competitor visibility analysis
Considerations
- Premium pricing ($149/mo+ for real usage)
- Requires consistent tracking setup
- Best value at agency/multi-client level
My Rating: 9/10 — Essential for serious AEO work.
3. DataForSEO MCP — The Backend Powerhouse
What it is: DataForSEO is an API-first data provider — SERP data, keyword research, backlinks, and critically, their AI Optimization API for LLM mention tracking. I access it entirely through their MCP server in Claude Code.
The AI Optimization API: This is their AEO-specific offering. It includes the ChatGPT LLM Scraper (collects AI model responses at scale), LLM Mentions API (tracks brand references across LLMs), and AI-enriched keyword data showing search volume by platform.
What I use it for:
- Bulk keyword research with AI platform breakdown
- Competitive SERP analysis
- LLM mention tracking and sentiment
- Google AI Overview extraction
- Historical rank tracking
Why I Use It
- MCP server = direct Claude Code integration
- Pay-per-query model (no wasted credits)
- Same data source powering many SaaS tools
- AI Optimization API for LLM-specific insights
Considerations
- No UI — pure API (which I prefer)
- Requires MCP setup or coding knowledge
- Usage-based pricing can scale up
My Rating: 9/10 — Core data infrastructure.
4. Ahrefs MCP — Authority & Backlink Intelligence
What it is: Ahrefs needs no introduction — it's the industry standard for backlink analysis, domain authority, and competitive SEO research. What's new: they have an official MCP server, which means I access Ahrefs directly through Claude Code.
Why it matters for AEO: AI models heavily weight authoritative sources. Sites with strong backlink profiles get cited more. Ahrefs tells me which clients have the authority foundation for AEO success — and which competitors we need to outperform.
What I use it for:
- Domain Rating (DR) for authority benchmarking
- Backlink analysis and gap identification
- Competitor keyword overlap
- Top pages analysis for content strategy
- Batch URL analysis across client sites
Why I Use It
- Official MCP server — seamless integration
- Most accurate backlink data available
- Batch analysis for multi-site clients
- Keywords Explorer for content gaps
Considerations
- Higher price point ($129/mo+)
- MCP server requires paid plan
- SEO-focused (not AEO-specific)
My Rating: 9/10 — Essential for authority analysis.
5. Google Search Console — The Free Foundation
What it is: Google's own data on how your site performs in search. I access it through a custom MCP server, pulling click data, impressions, CTR, and average position directly into Claude Code.
AEO relevance: GSC now shows AI Overview data — which queries trigger AI summaries and whether you appear in them. This is first-party Google data on how AI search affects your traffic.
Why I Use It
- Free first-party Google data
- AI Overview performance tracking
- MCP integration via custom server
- Indexing status and crawl insights
Limitations
- Google-only (no ChatGPT/Perplexity data)
- Data sampling on high-volume sites
- 16-month historical limit
My Rating: 8/10 — Non-negotiable baseline.
6. Screaming Frog — Technical Audit Workhorse
What it is: A desktop crawler that audits every technical aspect of a site — metadata, structured data, JavaScript rendering, broken links, redirects. This is the one tool I still use through its UI (though I export data to Claude for analysis).
AEO relevance: Schema validation is critical for AEO. Screaming Frog validates FAQ schema, Article schema, and other structured data that helps AI understand your content. It also identifies technical issues that prevent AI crawlers from accessing content.
Why I Use It
- Most thorough technical crawling
- Schema.org validation built-in
- JavaScript rendering analysis
- ChatGPT integration for analysis
Limitations
- Desktop app (not API-first)
- Manual export required
- Learning curve for advanced features
My Rating: 8/10 — Essential for technical audits.
Content & Visual Creation Tools
AEO isn't just data and audits — you need to create content that AI wants to cite. Here's my toolstack for visual and video content.
Canva AI — Visual Content at Scale
Canva's AI tools (Magic Design, Magic Media, Dream Lab) let me create blog banners, social graphics, and branded visuals without a designer. The new Canva Design Model understands visual hierarchy and branding — not just image generation.
How I use it: Connected to my Brand Kit, Canva automatically applies fonts, colors, and tone. I generate multiple ad variants for testing, create blog featured images, and produce social media graphics — all on-brand.
Rating: 8/10
HeyGen — AI Avatar Video Production
HeyGen creates AI avatar videos with lip-sync, 175+ languages, and natural gestures. Their Avatar IV technology produces videos that are nearly indistinguishable from real recordings.
How I use it: Explainer videos, multilingual content localization, and quick video updates without scheduling shoots. API integration enables automated video generation from scripts.
Rating: 8/10
Nano Banana — Text/Image to Video
Nano Banana transforms text prompts or images into cinematic 1080p videos with strong temporal consistency. It's developer-friendly with SDKs for JavaScript and Python.
How I use it: Short promos, social media clips, and visual content where I need motion but not a full production. The multi-scene consistency is particularly useful for brand storytelling across clips.
Rating: 7/10
Custom Reddit Management Tools
Reddit increasingly influences AI training data and citations. I've built custom tooling for community monitoring, trend analysis, and engagement tracking — integrated into my Claude Code workflow.
How I use it: Monitor industry subreddits for question patterns, track competitor mentions, identify content opportunities that AI models are likely to pick up.
Rating: 7/10
The Tooling Landscape Has Changed
A year ago, I would have told you to buy Ahrefs, SEMrush, and a bunch of point solutions. Now? The game has fundamentally shifted.
MCP (Model Context Protocol) and agentic workflows have collapsed the moat around traditional SEO tools. If your tool has an API, I can probably access it through Claude Code without ever opening your UI. That means:
- Tools without unique data are becoming commoditized. If Ahrefs and DataForSEO give me similar backlink data, I'll use whichever integrates better with my workflow.
- API-first tools win. If I can't access it programmatically, it doesn't fit my workflow.
- Pricing models matter more. Usage-based APIs (DataForSEO) vs. high-tier plan requirements for API access (Ahrefs) — the latter is harder to justify.
For B2B SaaS tools, this isn't "no moat" — it's a new survival game. The tools that thrive will be those with truly unique data (WorkDuo's AI citation tracking), excellent API experiences, and pricing that doesn't punish programmatic access.
FAQ: AEO Tools
The best AEO toolstack in 2026 centers on agentic workflows. Claude Code serves as the operating system, connecting to WorkDuo (AI visibility tracking), DataForSEO MCP (SERP and LLM data), Ahrefs MCP (authority analysis), and Google Search Console (AI Overview data). The key shift is accessing tools via APIs and MCP servers rather than logging into separate UIs.
MCP (Model Context Protocol) is a standard for connecting AI assistants to external data sources. It allows tools like Claude Code to directly query Ahrefs, DataForSEO, Google Search Console, and other services via their APIs. For AEO practitioners, this means you can run audits, pull data, and generate reports through natural language commands instead of logging into multiple tool UIs.
WorkDuo is currently the most comprehensive tool for tracking AI citations. It monitors brand mentions across ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overview, and Gemini — tracking citation frequency, context, and source attribution. DataForSEO's AI Optimization API also offers LLM mention tracking at a lower price point if you're comfortable with API access.
Ahrefs provides valuable authority and backlink data that influences AI citations — highly authoritative sites get cited more. However, DataForSEO offers similar backlink data at lower price points with better API access. If Ahrefs keeps MCP access limited to highest-tier plans, many practitioners may switch to alternatives. Evaluate based on your specific needs and budget.
AEO toolstacks range from budget-friendly (Claude Pro + DataForSEO + GSC) to premium (adding WorkDuo for AI visibility) to agency-level (multi-client tracking). The key insight: agentic workflows often reduce total tool spend by eliminating redundant subscriptions — you access multiple data sources through one orchestration layer rather than paying for separate UIs.
SEO tools track keyword rankings, backlinks, and Google search visibility. AEO tools track AI citations — how often and in what context AI systems mention your brand. Many tools serve both purposes: DataForSEO provides SERP data (SEO) and LLM mention tracking (AEO). WorkDuo is AEO-specific. The lines are blurring as more SEO tools add AI visibility features.
What I'm Testing Next
The AEO tooling space is evolving fast. I'm currently evaluating several tools and will update this article as I form opinions:
- Additional AI visibility platforms — comparing against WorkDuo for depth and accuracy
- Alternative backlink tools — evaluating DataForSEO backlinks vs. Ahrefs (API pricing is a factor)
- New video generation tools — the space is moving fast, testing several options
Last updated: January 27, 2026
The Bottom Line
The biggest shift in my AEO practice isn't any single tool — it's operating through an agentic workflow. Claude Code as my operating system, MCP servers connecting to data sources, custom agents handling specialized tasks.
- Claude Code is the foundation — everything else plugs into it
- WorkDuo is the single source of truth for AI visibility
- DataForSEO MCP handles bulk data at reasonable cost
- Ahrefs MCP for authority analysis (evaluating if the pricing is still worth it)
- GSC remains the free, non-negotiable baseline
Tools amplify strategy — they don't replace it. Get the fundamentals right (clear answers, proper schema, authoritative content) before investing heavily in tooling. But once you do invest, go agentic. The efficiency gains are real.
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