Most businesses have no idea whether AI search engines mention their brand. Google AI Overviews, ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Copilot are answering questions about your industry right now. Whether your brand appears in those answers determines a growing share of your discoverability.
Here's how to audit your AI search presence in 30 minutes.
Step 1: Define Your Audit Queries
Start with 10-20 queries that your target customers would ask. These should be:
- Brand-adjacent queries: "best [your product category] in [your market]", "top [your service] companies"
- Problem queries: "how to [solve problem your product addresses]"
- Comparison queries: "[your brand] vs [competitor]", "alternatives to [competitor]"
- Review queries: "is [your brand] good", "[your brand] review"
Step 2: Check Each AI Platform
Run each query across four platforms:
Google AI Overviews
Search normally on Google. If an AI Overview appears, check whether your brand or website is mentioned or cited. Note: AI Overviews appear in approximately 48-60% of US queries.
ChatGPT
Ask ChatGPT the same queries. Check for brand mentions, website citations, and whether the information is accurate. Use the web search mode for current results.
Perplexity
Run queries on perplexity.ai. Perplexity provides the clearest citation format, showing exactly which sources it references. If your brand appears, you'll see it in the inline citations.
Microsoft Copilot
Test queries in Copilot. Copilot draws from Bing's index, so your Bing visibility directly influences your Copilot presence.
Step 3: Score Your Results
For each query, score your brand presence:
- 3 points: Mentioned as a recommended/cited source
- 2 points: Mentioned but not as a primary recommendation
- 1 point: Your website appears in citations but brand isn't named in the answer
- 0 points: No mention or citation
Total score / (queries x platforms x 3) = your AI visibility percentage.
Step 4: Identify the Gaps
Common patterns you'll find:
- Visible on Google but not ChatGPT. Your SEO is working but content isn't structured for AI extraction
- Competitors mentioned, you're not. They have stronger topical authority or better-structured content
- Inaccurate information about your brand. AI systems are pulling from outdated or third-party sources
- Present for informational queries, absent for commercial. Normal. Focus on informational content as your AI entry point
Tools That Help
Beyond manual checks:
- Free AI Search Tools has a suite of free tools for checking AI search visibility
- GA4 AI traffic tracking. Set up referral tracking for chatgpt.com, perplexity.ai, and copilot.microsoft.com
- Semrush and Ahrefs are beginning to add AI search tracking features to their platforms
Frequently Asked Questions
How often should I audit my AI search presence?
Monthly. AI search results change frequently as models update and new content is indexed. Set a recurring calendar reminder to run your audit queries.
Can I influence what AI says about my brand?
Yes. Publish clear, authoritative content on your own site about your brand, products, and industry. AI systems prioritise content from authoritative, first-party sources. Ensure your about page, product pages, and key landing pages contain accurate, structured, citable information.
My competitor appears in AI search but I don't. What should I do?
Analyse what content they have that you don't. Usually the gap is topical authority: they have more comprehensive, better-structured content covering the topic. Build matching or better content focused on topical authority.
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Chief of Staff at StudioHawk, Australia's largest dedicated SEO agency. Specialising in AI search visibility, technical SEO, and organic growth strategy. Leading a team of 115+ across Melbourne, Sydney, London, and the US. Book a free consultation →