Short answer: you can find out in about ten minutes by asking the major AI assistants the questions your customers ask, then checking whether your brand shows up, how it is described, and which competitors get named instead. If your brand is missing or described wrong, that is a discoverability gap you can close.
More buyers now start with an AI assistant instead of a search box. When someone asks ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, or Google's AI overviews who the best option is in your category and city, the model gives a short list of recommended names. If you are not on that list, you are losing the buyer before they ever see an ad or a search result.
How to check in ten minutes
- Write down five questions a customer would ask. Use real buying language, not your brand name.
- Ask each question across at least three assistants. Answers differ by engine, so checking one is not enough.
- Record three things for each answer: Are you mentioned? Is the description accurate? Which competitors are named?
- Ask the follow-up: "Why did you recommend them?" The reasons reveal what signals the model reads, usually reviews, a clear website, consistent listings, and third-party mentions.
- Repeat in a private or logged-out session so your own history does not skew the result.
What the results are telling you
If you are absent, the engines do not have enough clear, consistent signal to name you with confidence. If you appear but the description is wrong, the source material the models trust is out of date. If competitors consistently beat you, they are feeding the engines cleaner signals: stronger reviews, clearer site content, and more places that mention them by name. This is the same discipline as search, moved up a layer. Search engines rank pages; AI engines assemble answers. Both reward the brand that is easiest to understand and cite.
What to do if AI is not recommending you
- Tighten your site so the answer is obvious. State what you do, for whom, and where, near the top of key pages.
- Build review velocity. A steady stream of recent, genuine reviews is one of the strongest signals an engine can read. We run reputation programs that do exactly this for multi-location clients.
- Fix listings and structured data. Consistent name, address, category, and schema markup remove ambiguity.
- Earn mentions off your own site. Coverage, citations, and partner links give engines corroboration.
- Measure it over time. A one-time check is a snapshot. Tracking shows whether you are gaining or losing ground.
That last point is why we built the AI Mention Report: it turns the ten-minute manual check into something you can monitor. For the bigger picture on how these surfaces fit together, read SEO, GEO, and AEO.
FAQ
What is the difference between SEO and AI visibility?
SEO improves where your pages rank in a list of links. AI visibility, sometimes called generative engine optimization, improves whether AI assistants name and recommend your brand inside their answers. They overlap, because both reward clear content, strong reviews, and credible mentions.
Which AI engines should I check?
At minimum ChatGPT, Google Gemini and AI overviews, and Perplexity. Each builds answers differently, so a brand can be strong in one and invisible in another.
How often should I check?
A monthly cadence is enough for most brands to catch drift. Run an extra check after any major change to your site, reviews, or listings.
Can I influence what AI says about my brand?
Yes, indirectly. You cannot edit the model, but you can improve the signals it reads: your website clarity, review velocity, listings accuracy, structured data, and third-party mentions.
See where your brand stands in AI search.
Book a demo and we'll run your brand through mention.report live, then show which engines cite you and where the gaps are.