Geoff Langdon
Head of Marketing Services
We’re often asked: can you actually measure AI visibility?
The short answer is not perfectly. Yet.
But there are useful signals we can pick up on. And even without full analytics dashboards (for now), there are still smart ways to track how your business is showing up in AI-driven search.
Here’s what’s currently possible, what’s emerging and what to watch.
Why it’s harder than traditional SEO
With traditional search, you can measure:
- Keyword rankings
- Page views
- Click-through rates (CTRs)
- Website engagement
But AI tools don’t work the same way. Platforms like ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews and Copilot:
- Summarise multiple sources, often without citing them
- Don’t always send users to your site
- May pull from your content without showing it in the results
So if you’re expecting a neat 'AI visibility score', not yet I'm afraid. But there are still ways to measure performance, exposure and improvement.
1. Run a visibility snapshot
Start by checking how your business appears in the tools your customers are using.
Try some common prompts in:
- ChatGPT (with browsing enabled)
- Google AI Overviews
- Microsoft Copilot
- Perplexity.ai (a fast-growing AI search engine)
Ask things like:
- What does [Your Business Name] do?
- Who are the top [service] providers in [location]?
- How does [Your Business Name] compare to [competitor]?
Note what gets shown:
- Is your business mentioned?
- Is the information accurate?
- Are competitors shown instead?
Repeat monthly to track how any changes you make are affecting the results.
2. Check how your content appears in search
Even if you can’t track AI tools directly, there are clues that show whether your content is being understood - and used - by search engines.
One key sign? Rich results.
These are the enhanced search listings you’ve probably seen:
- FAQs that expand when you click
- Star ratings and reviews
- Event listings or how-to steps
- Author names and article previews
They appear when your website includes structured data, a hidden layer of code that gives search engines extra context about what’s on your pages.
To see how your content is performing:
- Use Google Search Console to check if you’re eligible for rich results
- Run your URLs through Google’s Rich Results Test
- Or use tools like Ahrefs, Semrush or Screaming Frog if you’re working with a digital marketing or SEO partner like Webreality.
If you’re getting rich results in Google, that’s a strong signal your content is structured clearly and ready to be picked up elsewhere too.
3. Track content performance changes over time
After you implement schema or improve your content structure, look for:
- Increased impressions for specific pages
- Higher visibility for FAQ or guide-style content
- More 'zero-click' impressions (where users see your answer but don’t click through)
- Increase in referral visits from AI sources
At this early stage of AI search it’s imperfect. But with baseline tracking in place, you’ll start to see the shape of your AI visibility improving.
4. Look beyond your website
AI tools often pull information from:
- Google Business Profiles
- LinkedIn company pages
- Wikipedia and Wikidata entries
- Press mentions
- Review sites
These sources help tools build a picture of your brand.
Make sure your key listings are up to date, consistent and accurate. Even if your website is optimised, a confusing third-party profile might be what the AI shows instead.
What to expect (realistically)
Right now, measuring AI visibility is more of a diagnostic process than a data dashboard. But it’s still worth doing, and it gives you a huge advantage over businesses who aren’t paying attention yet.
As the tools mature, we expect better tracking to follow. Until then, the best approach is:
- Improve what you can control (structure, clarity, schema)
- Monitor how you’re represented
- Adjust based on what you find
And if that all sounds overwhelming, maybe you should call your friendly neighbourhood AI experts. We look forward to hearing from you!