AI visibility audits
What is an AI visibility audit? What ours checks, step by step
An AI visibility audit shows where AI assistants recommend you, who they recommend instead, and why. Here's exactly what goes into one, and what you get at the end.
You can rank well on Google and still be invisible when someone asks ChatGPT for a recommendation. The only way to know is to look, and that's what an AI visibility audit does.
People search for this in different ways: "AI visibility audit", "AEO audit", "GEO audit", "AI visibility checker". Here's what a proper audit covers, using our free audit as the example.
What an AI visibility audit is
An AI visibility audit measures how AI assistants describe and recommend your business when real buyers ask questions in your category. It answers three questions:
- Where do you appear? Which assistants mention you, for which questions, and how favourably.
- Who appears instead? Which competitors get named, and how often.
- Why? Which sources the assistants rely on, and what's missing on your side.
What we check, step by step
1. Build the question set
We agree 20 to 40 questions with you that reflect how your buyers actually search: category questions, comparisons, "best for" questions, cost questions and local variants. We deliberately leave out searches for your brand name, because buyers who already know you aren't the problem.
2. Run them across the major assistants
We ask every question in ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Claude, Microsoft Copilot and Google AI Overviews, and repeat runs to smooth out the natural variation in AI answers.
3. Measure share of answer
For each assistant and question we record whether you're named, where you appear in the answer, and whether the mention is a recommendation or a passing reference. Then we do the same for your named competitors. The result is a clear picture of your share of answer against the businesses you actually compete with.
4. Trace the sources
We log every source the assistants cite: your pages, competitors' pages, review sites, directories, publications, forums. This usually reveals a short list of websites that shape most of the answers in your category, and shows whether you're present on them.
5. Diagnose the gaps
We look for the reasons behind the results, typically some mix of:
- Entity gaps: your business described inconsistently across the web, or missing basic structured data.
- Content gaps: no page that clearly answers a question buyers keep asking.
- Proof gaps: too few reviews, mentions or comparisons on the sources AI trusts.
- Technical blocks: AI crawlers blocked, or key content hidden from them.
- Accuracy problems: assistants repeating outdated or wrong information about you.
6. Rank the fixes
Every finding becomes a recommendation, ranked by likely impact and effort. You'll see which few changes matter most, which can wait, and roughly how long each takes.
What you get at the end
- A short report with your share of answer by assistant and by question, alongside your competitors.
- The list of sources that shape AI answers in your category, and where you're missing.
- A prioritised plan of fixes.
- A walkthrough call where we go through it with you and answer questions.
It's yours to keep, whether or not you work with us afterwards.
Checker or audit?
Free AI visibility checkers are a reasonable first look. They run a handful of prompts and give you a score. What they usually can't do is use questions tailored to your buyers, compare you with the specific competitors who win your deals, or explain why you're missing. That "why" is where the plan comes from.
How to prepare
You don't need to give us access to anything. It helps if you can tell us:
- Who your best customers are and how they describe what they need.
- Three to five competitors you most often lose to.
- Your most important services, products or locations.
Questions people ask
Is the AI search audit really free?
Yes. It's how we start every relationship. You get the report and a walkthrough call, and there's no obligation to work with us afterwards.
How long does an audit take?
We aim to deliver the report within five working days of agreeing your question list, followed by a walkthrough call.
Which AI assistants do you check?
ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Claude, Microsoft Copilot and Google AI Overviews. We can add others where they matter in your market.
What's the difference between an AI visibility checker and an audit?
A checker is usually an automated score based on a few prompts. An audit uses questions tailored to your buyers, compares you with named competitors, traces which sources the models rely on and turns all of that into a prioritised plan.
Do I need to give you access to anything?
No. The audit works from the outside, the same way a buyer would see you. If you'd like us to include your analytics to measure AI referral traffic, that's optional.
