Unlike Google where you can check your ranking, AI visibility is harder to monitor. Here's how to understand your AI presence.
The Challenge
Search engine rankings are relatively stable and measurable. You can check your position for any keyword at any time. AI recommendations are different - they're conversational, contextual, and can vary significantly.
Manual Testing
The simplest approach is to ask AI platforms directly. Open ChatGPT, Claude, or Perplexity and ask questions your customers might ask. "What's the best [your service] in [your city]?"
Document what you find. Are you mentioned? In what position? What do they say about you?
The Limitations of Manual Testing
Manual testing is time-consuming and only gives you a snapshot. AI responses can vary by time, user context, and phrasing. A single test doesn't tell you the full picture.
Systematic Monitoring
To really understand your AI visibility, you need systematic monitoring: testing the same prompts regularly across multiple AI platforms and tracking changes over time.
This is what purpose-built AI visibility tools do - they automate the testing process and give you consistent, comparable data about how AI platforms recommend your business.
What to Track
- Whether you're mentioned at all
- Your position in the recommendation (first, second, etc.)
- The sentiment of how you're described
- Which competitors are mentioned alongside you
- How these metrics change over time