The AI visibility audit: is your brand being recommended by ChatGPT and Perplexity?

An AI visibility audit measures whether your brand appears in AI-generated answers from ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews. With 50% of consumers now using AI-powered search and McKinsey projecting $750 billion in revenue flowing through AI channels by 2028, this audit reveals whether you are visible or invisible in the fastest-growing discovery channel.

You can complete a basic audit in one afternoon using free tools. Here is the step-by-step process.

Step 1: Prepare Your Query List

Start by listing 20–30 queries your target audience would ask. These should fall into four categories:

1. Branded queries: "What is [Your Company Name]?" and "Tell me about [Your Product Name]"
2. Category queries: "What are the best [your category] tools?" or "Top solutions for [your use case]"
3. Problem queries: "How do I solve [problem your product addresses]?"
4. Comparison queries: "[Your Brand] vs [Competitor]" or "[Your Brand] alternatives"

Note: Only checking branded queries gives false confidence. Your brand should appear when users search your name. The real test is non-branded queries where users are seeking solutions, not searching for you specifically.

Write these queries down. You will use the same list across all platforms for consistent comparison.

Step 2: Audit ChatGPT Visibility

Open ChatGPT and work through your query list. For each query, document:

• Does your brand appear?
• At what position? (first mention, mid-list, not at all)
• Which sources does ChatGPT cite?
• Are competitors mentioned?
• Is the information accurate?

ChatGPT dominates AI search with 89.1% market share in referral traffic and 700 million weekly active users. A 2025 survey found that 36% of users discovered a new product or brand through ChatGPT, rising to 47% for Gen Z users. If you are not appearing here, you are missing a major discovery channel.

Look for patterns. If competitors consistently appear but you do not, note which publications ChatGPT cites for them. This reveals the authoritative sources you need coverage in.

Step 3: Audit Perplexity Visibility

Repeat the process in Perplexity AI. Perplexity differs from ChatGPT in important ways:

• It favours expert editorial blogs (38% of citations) over encyclopaedic content
• It includes inline source links, making citation sources transparent
• It pulls real-time content, so recent coverage appears faster

Research shows only 11% of domains are cited by both ChatGPT and Perplexity. Platform-specific patterns matter. A brand might appear consistently in ChatGPT but be invisible in Perplexity, or vice versa.

Document the same metrics: appearance, position, cited sources, competitor presence, accuracy. Compare results across platforms to identify which AI engine favours your brand and which needs work.

Step 4: Audit Google AI Overviews

Google AI Overviews now appear in 60% of searches and reach 2 billion users. When AI summaries appear, organic click-through rates drop from 1.76% to 0.61%, a 61% decline. But brands cited within AI responses see a 38% lift in organic clicks.

To audit Google AI Overviews:

1. Search your target queries in Google
2. Note whether an AI Overview appears at the top
3. If yes, check whether your brand or content is cited
4. Document which sources Google pulls from

Google tends to cite content that is structured for extraction: clear headings, direct answers in the first paragraph, FAQ schema markup, and HowTo schema for process content. If you rank well but never appear in AI Overviews, content structure may be the issue.

Step 5: Check Information Accuracy

A 2025 study by Ahrefs found that 14% of AI-generated responses about brands contain factual errors. When AI platforms cite outdated or incorrect information, that error propagates across ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews.

For each platform, verify basic facts:

• Company founding date and location
• Product names and pricing
• Key executives
• Core features and positioning

If you find errors, identify the source. Often the problem is an outdated Wikipedia entry, an old press release, or conflicting information across your own website. Correct the authoritative source first, then monitor whether AI platforms update.

Step 6: Benchmark Against Competitors

Run your query list again, but this time track 3–5 direct competitors. For each competitor, document:

• Citation frequency across platforms
• Which publications are cited for them
• Position in AI responses (first mention vs. buried)
• Sentiment of mentions (positive, neutral, negative)

This competitive gap analysis reveals where you are losing. If a competitor appears for "best [category]" queries and you do not, the publications cited for them represent your target list for earned media coverage.

At Place & Pay, we focus on securing coverage in the publications AI engines cite most: USA Today, Newsweek, The Independent, Entrepreneur, and other tier-1 outlets. You pay nothing until placement is confirmed. 99% of clients we accept get placed.

Step 7: Identify the Gap and the Fix

After completing steps 1–6, you will see one of three patterns:

Pattern 1: Invisible everywhere. Your brand does not appear in ChatGPT, Perplexity, or AI Overviews for category queries. The cause is almost certainly lack of earned editorial coverage in authoritative publications. AI engines cite independent journalism 82–89% of the time. Without coverage in sources AI trusts, there is nothing to cite.

Pattern 2: Visible on some platforms, not others. You appear in Perplexity but not ChatGPT, or vice versa. This reflects platform-specific citation preferences. Perplexity favours expert blogs and real-time content; ChatGPT favours encyclopaedic sources and major news outlets. Adjust your media targeting based on which platform matters most for your audience.

Pattern 3: Visible but inaccurate. You appear in AI responses, but the information is wrong. This is a data hygiene problem. Correct your Wikipedia entry if you have one, update your schema markup, and ensure consistent NAP (name, address, phone) data across all platforms.

The Fastest Path to AI Visibility

The root cause of AI invisibility is almost always the same: lack of earned editorial coverage in publications AI engines trust. You cannot optimise your own content into AI citations. The credibility signal from authoritative editorial coverage is something you earn, not something you manufacture.

One of our recent clients, a B2B SaaS founder, ran an AI visibility audit and discovered they were invisible across all platforms. Within 11 days of working with us, they had a published feature in a tier-1 publication. Within six weeks, their brand began appearing in ChatGPT responses for category queries in their space.

Book a call to discuss whether your story is a fit for tier-1 editorial coverage that appears in AI answers.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is an AI visibility audit?

An AI visibility audit measures how often your brand appears in AI-generated answers from ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews. It tests whether AI platforms recommend your brand for category queries, cite your content, and present accurate information. With 50% of consumers now using AI-powered search, this audit reveals whether you are visible or invisible in the fastest-growing discovery channel.

How do I check if ChatGPT recommends my brand?

Open ChatGPT and ask category questions your customers would ask, such as "What are the best [your product category] options?" or "How do I solve [problem your product addresses]?" Note whether your brand appears in the response, which sources are cited, and whether competitors are mentioned. Run the same test in Perplexity and Google AI Overviews for a complete picture.

Why does my brand not appear in ChatGPT answers?

ChatGPT cites independent editorial content 82–89% of the time and actively devalues brand-owned content like company blogs and press releases. If you lack earned media coverage in authoritative publications that AI engines trust, ChatGPT has nothing to cite. The fix is securing editorial coverage in publications like USA Today, Newsweek, or The Independent.

How long does an AI visibility audit take?

A basic DIY audit takes 2–3 hours. Test 20–30 queries across ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews, document results, and identify patterns. A comprehensive audit with competitor benchmarking and technical checks takes 1–2 days. Either way, the investment is minimal compared to the revenue impact of being invisible in AI search.

What should I do if my brand is invisible in AI search?

If your brand does not appear in AI answers, the fastest fix is securing earned editorial coverage in publications AI platforms cite frequently. Tier-1 outlets like Forbes, Newsweek, and The Independent are heavily weighted by AI engines. At Place & Pay, we secure placements in 5–7 days with pay-on-results pricing, so you only pay after publication.

Sources

• "50% of consumers use AI-powered search, $750 billion in revenue by 2028" — McKinsey: Winning in the Age of AI Search
• "Only 11% of domains are cited by both ChatGPT and Perplexity" — The Digital Bloom: 2025 AI Citation & LLM Visibility Report
• "14% of AI-generated responses contain factual errors" — Ahrefs: AI Search Visibility Study
• "36% of users discovered a new brand through ChatGPT, 47% for Gen Z" — Superprompt: ChatGPT Traffic Doubles in 2025
• "ChatGPT 89.1% AI search market share" — Goodie: AI Search Market Share 2025 Report
• "Google AI Overviews appear in 60% of searches" — Wellows: AI Search Visibility Audit Checklist
• "Organic CTR drops 61% when AI Overviews appear" — Wellows: AI Search Visibility Audit Checklist
• "Brands cited in AI responses see 38% lift in organic clicks" — Wellows: AI Search Visibility Audit Checklist
• "82–89% of AI citations come from earned media" — AuthorityTech: How Earned Media Now Dominates AI Search Results