Domain Registrars AI Visibility Ranking Trends - November 2026

Answer capsule

The November 2026 Domain Registrars benchmark compares 9 companies across 622 AI answers that met its inclusion rules. Porkbun leads with 380 recommendations (61.09% of answers). At least one tracked company was recommended in 424 answers; some answers recommended several companies.

The rankings distinguish being mentioned from receiving an affirmative recommendation, then examine placement and the wording used about each company. Earlier monthly results show how counts and rates changed, with each month using its own answer total. These results describe the answers reviewed, not product quality or customer satisfaction. Differences between monthly samples limit comparisons and do not establish why a result changed.

For the strategic interpretation of this benchmark, read CiteWorks Studio's analysis of How AI Search Is Recommending Domain Registrars

Industry leaderboard

Questions This Section Answers

• How do Domain Registrars rank by recorded AI recommendations in November 2026?

Ranking by recommendation count orders companies by how often the recorded AI answers affirmatively endorsed them, not by how often they appeared. A company can be mentioned frequently yet recommended rarely, so the two columns answer different questions. Ties in recommendation counts would share a rank; none are reported here.

Placement columns are nested within recommendations rather than separate achievements. First-place placements sit inside shortlist placements, which sit inside recommendations, so these figures should be read as layers of the same base rather than summed. Net framing describes wording only.

Key findings

Tracked-company answer coverage

Questions This Section Answers

• How often did the November 2026 Domain Registrars answer sample recommend any tracked company?

424 distinct answers recommended at least one tracked company. Counting each company recommendation separately gives 1236, because an answer can recommend several companies. Answers with no tracked recommendation may still have recommended companies outside this comparison.

Every qualified answer mentioned at least one tracked company, but only about two-thirds recommended one. That gap separates presence from endorsement: appearing in an answer is not the same as being put forward as a choice. Answers recommending several tracked companies are common, which is why company-level totals exceed the number of distinct answers.

Coverage figures describe overlap among tracked companies in the reviewed answers. They do not measure market share, and answers recommending untracked companies fall outside this comparison.

Reach and affirmative recommendation

Porkbun ranks 1 by recommendation count. Mentions: 491 (78.94%); recommendations: 380 (61.09%). Top 3 placements: 330 (53.05%); first-place placements: 118 (18.97%).

Wording about the company: 406 positive, 85 neutral, 0 negative mentions. The proportion of mentions that also included a recommendation was 77.4%. The net framing score was 0.83 (defined in Methodology).

111 mentions had no recorded recommendation. Of recorded recommendations, 86.84% were Top 3 and 31.05% were first-place.

Porkbun leads on recommendation count while Namecheap appears in nearly every answer, showing that reach and endorsement diverge. High mention rates can coexist with modest recommendation rates, and the reverse also occurs. The recommendation-to-mention ratio summarizes how often an appearance carried an endorsement in the recorded answers.

A leading recommendation count is not a unique win unless the next company trails; here the top two are close, so the ordering should be read alongside the printed counts rather than as a decisive gap.

Recommendation order and placement

Placement figures describe where a recommended company appeared in an answer's ordering. Because shortlist and first-place counts are subsets of recommendations, they cannot be added to recommendation totals, and a company with many recommendations may still place first rarely. Ratios such as the share of recommendations that were first-place depend on a nonzero recommendation base.

Ordering reflects how the recorded answers were phrased, not customer preference or purchasing behavior.

Classified framing in context

Framing classifies the wording surrounding each mention as positive, neutral or negative. It is not a reputation score, customer sentiment measure or judgment of company quality, and neutral wording neither supports nor undermines a recommendation. Companies can be mentioned often in neutral terms without being endorsed.

Net framing summarizes the balance of positive and negative wording across mentions. Differences in framing do not explain why recommendations occurred or did not occur in any given answer.

Company results in detail

Porkbun

Questions This Section Answers

• What do the November 2026 AI answer results show about Porkbun mentions, recommendations and placement?

Porkbun ranks 1 by recommendation count. Mentions: 491 (78.94%); recommendations: 380 (61.09%). Top 3 placements: 330 (53.05%); first-place placements: 118 (18.97%).

Wording about the company: 406 positive, 85 neutral, 0 negative mentions. The proportion of mentions that also included a recommendation was 77.4%. The net framing score was 0.83 (defined in Methodology).

111 mentions had no recorded recommendation. Of recorded recommendations, 86.84% were Top 3 and 31.05% were first-place.

From October 2026 to November 2026, Porkbun's mention count rose from 483 to 491, while its recommendation count fell from 399 to 380. The recommendation rate was 61.86% and 61.09% respectively.

Porkbun combines strong reach with the highest recommendation count, and its mentions were overwhelmingly positive with none classified negative. Most of its recommendations also appeared in shortlist positions, and roughly a third of them placed first, a comparatively high share. The recommendation-to-mention ratio indicates that most appearances carried an endorsement.

Between the two reported months, mentions rose slightly while recommendations fell, and the recommendation rate eased. These are separate recorded samples, and the comparison does not establish why the counts moved.

Namecheap

Questions This Section Answers

• What do the November 2026 AI answer results show about Namecheap mentions, recommendations and placement?

Namecheap ranks 2 by recommendation count. Mentions: 615 (98.87%); recommendations: 376 (60.45%). Top 3 placements: 328 (52.73%); first-place placements: 121 (19.45%).

Wording about the company: 399 positive, 214 neutral, 2 negative mentions. The proportion of mentions that also included a recommendation was 61.1%. The net framing score was 0.65 (defined in Methodology).

239 mentions had no recorded recommendation. Of recorded recommendations, 87.23% were Top 3 and 32.18% were first-place.

From October 2026 to November 2026, Namecheap's mention count fell from 630 to 615, while its recommendation count fell from 397 to 376. The recommendation rate was 61.55% and 60.45% respectively.

Namecheap appears in nearly every qualified answer, giving it the widest reach in the comparison, and its recommendation count is close behind the leader. Its framing is mostly positive with very few negative mentions, though a large neutral share tempers the net score. Most of its recommendations were shortlisted, and about a third placed first.

Both mentions and recommendations declined from the prior month, with the recommendation rate easing slightly. The changed samples do not explain the movement.

Squarespace

Questions This Section Answers

• What do the November 2026 AI answer results show about Squarespace mentions, recommendations and placement?

Squarespace ranks 3 by recommendation count. Mentions: 358 (57.56%); recommendations: 146 (23.47%). Top 3 placements: 61 (9.81%); first-place placements: 10 (1.61%).

Wording about the company: 152 positive, 181 neutral, 25 negative mentions. The proportion of mentions that also included a recommendation was 40.8%. The net framing score was 0.35 (defined in Methodology).

212 mentions had no recorded recommendation. Of recorded recommendations, 41.78% were Top 3 and 6.85% were first-place.

From October 2026 to November 2026, Squarespace's mention count rose from 341 to 358, while its recommendation count rose from 144 to 146. The recommendation rate was 22.33% and 23.47% respectively.

Squarespace holds a mid-table recommendation count on moderate reach, and its recommendation-to-mention ratio is well below the leading pair, meaning many appearances carried no endorsement. Framing leans positive but includes a notable neutral share and some negative mentions. Among its recommendations, fewer than half were shortlisted and first-place placements were uncommon.

Mentions and recommendations both rose slightly across the two reported months, with the recommendation rate edging up. The comparison is descriptive only.

Dynadot

Questions This Section Answers

• What do the November 2026 AI answer results show about Dynadot mentions, recommendations and placement?

Dynadot ranks 4 by recommendation count. Mentions: 221 (35.53%); recommendations: 130 (20.90%). Top 3 placements: 37 (5.95%); first-place placements: 1 (0.16%).

Wording about the company: 143 positive, 78 neutral, 0 negative mentions. The proportion of mentions that also included a recommendation was 58.8%. The net framing score was 0.65 (defined in Methodology).

91 mentions had no recorded recommendation. Of recorded recommendations, 28.46% were Top 3 and 0.77% were first-place.

From October 2026 to November 2026, Dynadot's mention count fell from 240 to 221, while its recommendation count fell from 170 to 130. The recommendation rate was 26.36% and 20.90% respectively.

Dynadot's reach is comparatively modest, yet its recommendation-to-mention ratio is fairly strong, suggesting that appearances often came with endorsement. Framing is positive or neutral with no negative mentions recorded. Shortlist placements account for a minority of its recommendations, and first-place placements were rare, so its strength lies in endorsement rather than ordering.

Both mentions and recommendations fell from the prior month, and the recommendation rate declined. The samples differ, and no cause is established.

GoDaddy

Questions This Section Answers

• What do the November 2026 AI answer results show about GoDaddy mentions, recommendations and placement?

GoDaddy ranks 5 by recommendation count. Mentions: 586 (94.21%); recommendations: 127 (20.42%). Top 3 placements: 76 (12.22%); first-place placements: 10 (1.61%).

Wording about the company: 130 positive, 251 neutral, 205 negative mentions. The proportion of mentions that also included a recommendation was 21.7%. The net framing score was -0.13 (defined in Methodology).

459 mentions had no recorded recommendation. Of recorded recommendations, 59.84% were Top 3 and 7.87% were first-place.

From October 2026 to November 2026, GoDaddy's mention count fell from 610 to 586, while its recommendation count fell from 160 to 127. The recommendation rate was 24.81% and 20.42% respectively.

GoDaddy has broad reach but a low recommendation-to-mention ratio, so most appearances did not carry an endorsement. Its framing is mixed, with a large neutral share and the highest count of negative mentions among the tracked companies, producing a slightly negative net score. A majority of its recommendations were shortlisted, though first-place placements were uncommon.

Mentions and recommendations both declined across the reported months, and the recommendation rate fell. These recorded changes do not identify a mechanism.

IONOS

Questions This Section Answers

• What do the November 2026 AI answer results show about IONOS mentions, recommendations and placement?

IONOS ranks 6 by recommendation count. Mentions: 155 (24.92%); recommendations: 45 (7.23%). Top 3 placements: 14 (2.25%); first-place placements: 4 (0.64%).

Wording about the company: 47 positive, 75 neutral, 33 negative mentions. The proportion of mentions that also included a recommendation was 29.0%. The net framing score was 0.09 (defined in Methodology).

110 mentions had no recorded recommendation. Of recorded recommendations, 31.11% were Top 3 and 8.89% were first-place.

From October 2026 to November 2026, IONOS's mention count fell from 186 to 155, while its recommendation count fell from 52 to 45. The recommendation rate was 8.06% and 7.23% respectively.

IONOS combines limited reach with a modest recommendation count, and its recommendation-to-mention ratio sits in the middle of the field. Framing is mixed, with neutral mentions most common and a meaningful negative share, leaving a net score near zero. Shortlist placements were a minority of its recommendations, and first-place placements were few.

Mentions and recommendations both fell from the prior month, with the recommendation rate easing slightly. The comparison describes recorded results only.

Name.com

Questions This Section Answers

• What do the November 2026 AI answer results show about Name.com mentions, recommendations and placement?

Name.com ranks 7 by recommendation count. Mentions: 466 (74.92%); recommendations: 18 (2.89%). Top 3 placements: 10 (1.61%); first-place placements: 3 (0.48%).

Wording about the company: 18 positive, 430 neutral, 18 negative mentions. The proportion of mentions that also included a recommendation was 3.9%. The net framing score was 0.00 (defined in Methodology).

448 mentions had no recorded recommendation. Of recorded recommendations, 55.56% were Top 3 and 16.67% were first-place.

From October 2026 to November 2026, Name.com's mention count rose from 85 to 466, while its recommendation count fell from 24 to 18. The recommendation rate was 3.72% and 2.89% respectively.

Name.com is mentioned very often but recommended rarely, producing one of the lowest recommendation-to-mention ratios in the comparison. Its framing is dominated by neutral wording, with positive and negative mentions balanced, so the net score is essentially flat. Among the few recommendations, a majority were shortlisted and a small number placed first.

Mentions rose sharply while recommendations fell across the reported months, and the recommendation rate declined. The changed samples do not explain this divergence.

Domain.com

Questions This Section Answers

• What do the November 2026 AI answer results show about Domain.com mentions, recommendations and placement?

Domain.com ranks 8 by recommendation count. Mentions: 615 (98.87%); recommendations: 13 (2.09%). Top 3 placements: 1 (0.16%); first-place placements: 0 (0.00%).

Wording about the company: 13 positive, 536 neutral, 66 negative mentions. The proportion of mentions that also included a recommendation was 2.1%. The net framing score was -0.09 (defined in Methodology).

602 mentions had no recorded recommendation. Of recorded recommendations, 7.69% were Top 3 and 0.00% were first-place.

From October 2026 to November 2026, Domain.com's mention count rose from 115 to 615, while its recommendation count fell from 16 to 13. The recommendation rate was 2.48% and 2.09% respectively.

Domain.com appears in nearly every qualified answer yet is almost never recommended, giving it one of the lowest recommendation-to-mention ratios recorded. Framing is overwhelmingly neutral with more negative than positive mentions, yielding a slightly negative net score. Its recommendations were almost never shortlisted, and none placed first.

Mentions rose substantially while recommendations fell slightly across the reported months, and the recommendation rate eased. These are separate samples, and no cause is inferred.

Network Solutions

Questions This Section Answers

• What do the November 2026 AI answer results show about Network Solutions mentions, recommendations and placement?

Network Solutions ranks 9 by recommendation count. Mentions: 105 (16.88%); recommendations: 1 (0.16%). Top 3 placements: 1 (0.16%); first-place placements: 0 (0.00%).

Wording about the company: 1 positive, 87 neutral, 17 negative mentions. The proportion of mentions that also included a recommendation was 1.0%. The net framing score was -0.15 (defined in Methodology).

104 mentions had no recorded recommendation. Of recorded recommendations, 100.00% were Top 3 and 0.00% were first-place.

From October 2026 to November 2026, Network Solutions' mention count fell from 121 to 105, while its recommendation count fell from 2 to 1. The recommendation rate was 0.31% and 0.16% respectively.

Network Solutions has limited reach and a single recorded recommendation, so its ratios rest on a very sparse base and should be read with caution. Framing is mostly neutral with more negative than positive mentions, producing a slightly negative net score. The lone recommendation was shortlisted but did not place first.

Mentions and recommendations both declined from the prior month, and the recommendation rate fell. With such small counts, month-to-month differences are especially fragile.

Earlier ranking snapshot context

Questions This Section Answers

• How do the available Domain Registrars snapshots from July 2026 to November 2026 differ in recommendation coverage and measurement scope?

Only months with verified results are shown. Monthly sample coverage is listed in Methodology.

The two monthly snapshots come from separate answer samples with different totals, so counts and rates should be compared with that difference in mind. Rank positions shifted for some companies while others held their place, but a single prior month cannot establish stability or a trend.

Rates divide recommendations by each month's included answers, so a falling count can accompany a nearly flat rate. The comparisons show how recorded results changed, not why.

What the November Rankings Show

These results answer distinct questions. Mention rates show how often a company appeared in the reviewed answers; recommendation counts show how often it was affirmatively endorsed; placement describes where endorsements fell in an answer's ordering; and framing classifies the surrounding wording. A company can be highly visible yet seldom endorsed, or endorsed often while rarely placed first.

Reading the sections together matters more than any single column. High reach with low endorsement, or strong framing with few recommendations, are different profiles rather than better or worse ones. Because the monthly samples differ and the answers are not verified product facts, the figures describe the recorded AI answers only, not customers, sales or company quality.

Methodology

Questions This Section Answers

• How were the November 2026 Domain Registrars AI visibility measures counted, and what do they not establish?

This benchmark has partial coverage: 3 of 3 planned question categories contributed usable observations; 0 contributed none. This describes question-category coverage, not demonstrated platform outages. Findings apply to the available answer set.

The month in the title is the reporting period. The exact dates when the original AI answers were collected have not been verified.

Each company is counted at most once in each answer that meets the benchmark rules. A recommendation requires both an affirmative endorsement and positive wording. Mention, recommendation, Top 3 and first-place rates use the full benchmark answer total. Top 3 and first-place results are included within recommendations, not added to them.

The recommendation-to-mention ratio divides recommendations by mentions. It describes AI answer wording, not customer conversion. Net framing is positive minus negative mentions, divided by all mentions, on a scale from -1 to +1. It does not measure customer satisfaction or company quality.

Market: US; 9 tracked companies. AI services represented: ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini, Google AI Mode, Google AI Overviews, Perplexity.

Research screening totals (answer observations can include repeated questions):

The source does not provide a reader-facing definition of “reserved”; that screening label is reported without inferring a reason for exclusion. Only the included benchmark answers form the rate denominator.

One answer can mention or recommend several companies. Adding company totals would therefore count some answers more than once. The results describe the AI answers reviewed, not independently verified facts about the companies or their products.

Monthly sample coverage:

Reliable results for July 2026 are unavailable. This is a gap in the history, not a result of zero. Reliable results for August 2026 are unavailable. This is a gap in the history, not a result of zero. Reliable results for September 2026 are unavailable. This is a gap in the history, not a result of zero.

The answer samples differ between months. These comparisons show how the recorded results changed; they do not establish why they changed.

The benchmark covers a partial set of planned question categories, and the exact collection dates for the original answers are unverified. Each company is counted at most once per qualifying answer, and one answer may mention or recommend several companies, so company totals overlap and should not be summed.

Recommendation requires both affirmative endorsement and positive wording. Shortlist and first-place results are subsets of recommendations. Net framing reflects wording balance, not customer satisfaction. Monthly samples differ, and the comparisons do not establish why results changed.