*Thisarticle is based on a YouTube video by Sophie Hundertmark, an expert in the use of artificial intelligence with a focus on chatbots and strategic AI applications in companies and public institutions. Sophie is a researcher and lecturer at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts and is doing her doctorate in Conversational AI at the University of Fribourg. The blog text was created using a custom GPT model that was trained on Sophie’s video content, language style and expertise. The result is well-founded, up-to-date articles based on Sophie Hundertmark‘s own expertise.
You can find the link to the video at the end of this article.
As the use of ChatGPT, Perplexity, and other AI systems increases, the way people search for information is changing. This raises a new question for companies: How visible is my brand, actually, in the AI’s responses?
The good news: AI visibility can be analyzed. The challenge, however, is to focus on the right metrics. Instead of relying on supposedly precise scores, you should focus on how your brand is actually perceived.
Why AI Scores Should Be Taken with a Grain of Salt
More and more tools promise to provide an accurate assessment of your AI visibility and deliver metrics such as “87% brand coverage” or similar figures. At first glance, figures like these seem helpful, but they raise important questions:
- What prompts were used?
- From what perspective was the question asked?
- Which target audience was simulated?
- Which AI models were considered?
Since AI responses depend on numerous factors and are constantly changing, fixed percentages are only of limited value. What really matters is whether your brand is mentioned regularly, correctly, and in the appropriate context.
What Really Matters When It Comes to AI Visibility
Instead of chasing after a single score, you should ask yourself the following questions:
- Is your brand even mentioned?
- Is it described correctly?
- Is it recommended for the relevant issues?
- How does it position itself compared to the competition?
This is exactly the trend you should keep a close eye on.
Develop your own prompts and test them regularly
One particularly effective approach is to develop your own test prompts. This way, you can see exactly how AI systems portray your company.
It’s worth simulating different target audiences and situations.
Examples of this include:
- “I’m looking for a college in Munich.”
- “I live in Hamburg and am looking for a college.”
- “I only have a limited budget.”
- “I’m looking for a college that offers financial aid.”
These different perspectives will help you quickly identify when your brand is featured and when competitors are given preference.
The big advantage: You can ask directly why a particular recommendation was made and what criteria the AI took into account.
Analyze AI traffic further using analytics
In addition to the AI’s responses, it’s also worth taking a look at your web analytics.
With Google Search Console and Google Analytics, you can increasingly track the sources through which visitors arrive at your website. This now also includes AI platforms such as ChatGPT and Perplexity.
This data will help you better understand which content is already generating visibility and where there is still room for improvement.
Automated Tools: Convenient, but Not Always Transparent
There are now numerous tools available that automate regular testing. They handle the prompting and then provide analyses of AI visibility.
While this saves time, it also has its drawbacks:
- The prompts used are often not transparent.
- The valuation methods often remain unclear.
- The results are difficult to understand.
- Many of these tools are relatively expensive.
That is precisely why it may make sense to conduct the most important analyses yourself at first. This way, you retain full control over the questions and can interpret the results much more effectively.
Simple monitoring is often all that’s needed
Especially at the beginning, you don’t need any complex dashboards.
It is much more important to create a simple log and make regular entries:
- Which prompts were tested?
- What answers were returned?
- Was your brand mentioned?
- Which competitors were recommended?
- What changes can be seen compared to the previous month?
Ideally, perform these tests once a month. In the early stages, a shorter rhythm may also be helpful.
Over time, you’ll start to recognize patterns and will be able to focus on the specific areas that will improve your visibility in AI systems.
Conclusion
The measurement of AI visibility is currently evolving rapidly. Still, you shouldn’t let yourself be misled by seemingly precise percentages.
It is much more important to take a systematic look at the AI’s actual responses. Develop your own prompts, test different target audiences, document the results, and track your progress over an extended period of time.
This not only gives you a realistic picture of your AI visibility, but also helps you understand how your brand is perceived by modern AI systems—and where you can make targeted improvements.
Any further questions?
Do you have any questions? I am happy to support you, act as a sparring partner and answer your questions. I am always happy to receive your messages, preferably by WhatsApp message or e-mail.
