You've heard it a thousand times: you can't improve what you don't measure. And it's true. But measuring AI visibility is genuinely different from measuring traditional SEO.
There's no simple "rank #3 for this keyword" equivalent. AI visibility is messier, more variable, and requires different thinking.
Here's how to approach it.
Why AI visibility measurement feels different
Traditional SEO gives you clean metrics: ranking position, organic traffic, click-through rate. Numbers you can track on a dashboard.
AI visibility is more nuanced:
It's binary at the query level. You're either mentioned or you're not. There's no "rank #7."
It's variable. The same question can give different answers at different times. Ask ChatGPT something twice, get two different responses.
Context matters as much as presence. How you're mentioned matters as much as whether you're mentioned. Being the top recommendation is different from being listed fifth with caveats.
It's multi-platform. Different AI tools behave differently. ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, Gemini, Grok. Each one is its own game.
Your measurement approach needs to account for these realities.
The metrics that actually matter
Mention rate
For a given set of prompts, what percentage mention your brand?
If you track 50 prompts and you're mentioned in 15, your mention rate is 30%.
This is your baseline visibility metric. Track it over time to see if you're improving or declining.
Prompt coverage
Of the prompts that actually matter for your business, how many do you appear for?
You identify 100 high-value prompts in your industry. You appear in 25 of them. That's 25% coverage.
This tells you how much of your potential visibility you're capturing.
Mention position
When you are mentioned, where do you show up?
Being the first recommendation ("I'd suggest X for this") is fundamentally different from being listed fifth ("Other options include X..."). Track:
- First mention / primary recommendation
- Top 3 mention
- Mentioned but not prominent
- Mentioned with caveats or negatively
Mention sentiment
How are you described when mentioned?
- Positive: "I'd recommend X because..."
- Neutral: "X is one option..."
- Negative: "X exists but has limitations..."
Sentiment affects conversion even when you're visible. Being mentioned negatively might be worse than not being mentioned.
Platform coverage
Are you visible across multiple AI platforms or concentrated on just one?
Track separately: ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, Gemini, Grok.
Different platforms have different user bases. Multi-platform visibility is worth more than dominating one while being invisible elsewhere.
Competitive share
Compared to competitors, what share of mentions do you get?
For your target prompts:
- How often are you mentioned vs competitors?
- When you're both mentioned, who's listed first?
- Which prompts do competitors win that you should be competing for?
The manual approach (good for starting)
You can measure manually, and it's a reasonable way to begin.
How to do it
- Create a list of prompts (start with 20-50)
- Ask each prompt on each AI platform
- Record whether you're mentioned, where, and how
- Repeat weekly or monthly
- Track changes over time
The limitations
- It's time-consuming (50 prompts x 5 platforms = 250 queries every time you check)
- AI responses vary, so single checks aren't statistically reliable
- Hard to maintain perfect consistency
- No automated alerting when things change
Manual works for initial exploration and getting a feel for things. It doesn't scale for ongoing optimization.
Automated measurement (better for real work)
Tools like Mentionable automate the tracking process.
How it works
- You define prompts to track (or get AI-generated suggestions based on your URL)
- The tool queries AI platforms systematically
- Results are recorded and tracked over time
- You see dashboards showing visibility, trends, and gaps
Why it's better
- Consistent, repeatable measurement
- Scales to many prompts and platforms
- Historical data for trend analysis
- Catches changes automatically
- Competitor tracking built in
Setting it up
With Mentionable:
- Sign up (7-day free trial available)
- Enter your URL for prompt suggestions
- Select or add the prompts you want to track
- View your visibility dashboard
- Check regularly for changes
What to actually do with the data
Measurement is useless if you don't act on it.
When you're winning
Which prompts do you rank well for? Figure out why.
- What content supports those prompts?
- What authority signals exist?
- Can you apply similar approaches to prompts you're losing?
When you have gaps
Which prompts should you rank for but don't?
- Do you have content addressing those queries?
- Is your content comprehensive enough?
- Are competitors doing something you're not?
Watch the trends
Is visibility improving or declining over time?
- Overall trend across all prompts
- Specific prompts gaining or losing
- Correlation with content changes or campaigns
When visibility drops, investigate. When it rises, understand why so you can replicate it.
Prioritize your efforts
Not all gaps deserve equal attention. Prioritize based on:
- Business value of the prompt
- Difficulty to improve
- Resource requirements
- Competitive landscape
What counts as "good"?
What's a good AI visibility score? Honestly, it depends.
Industry matters
Some industries have higher AI search adoption. Tech and SaaS users ask AI constantly. Traditional industries, less so.
Competition matters
In a space with well-funded competitors creating great content, visibility is harder to achieve.
Maturity matters
New companies start at near-zero. Established brands have baseline visibility from existing authority.
Practical benchmarks
For most businesses:
- 0-10% mention rate: Early stage, significant work needed
- 10-30% mention rate: Building presence, room to grow
- 30-50% mention rate: Solid visibility, focus on optimization
- 50%+ mention rate: Strong presence, defend and expand
Track improvement over your own baseline rather than obsessing over absolute numbers.
How often to check
Weekly
Glance at your key metrics dashboard. Note any significant changes that need attention.
Monthly
Deeper dive into the data. Analyze trends. Identify optimization opportunities. Adjust your strategy.
Quarterly
Comprehensive review. Assess progress against your goals. Update targets and priorities for the next quarter.
Start measuring today
- Define your target prompts (start with 20-50 high-value queries)
- Set up tracking (Mentionable or a manual process)
- Establish your baseline
- Create a simple dashboard or spreadsheet
- Set a review cadence you'll actually stick to
- Act on what you learn
Start with Mentionable's 7-day free trial to establish your baseline. You'll quickly see where you stand and where the opportunities are.