How to Audit Your Brand's AI Recommendation Presence in 30 Minutes

Understanding your current AI recommendation visibility is the essential first step in any optimization effort. This guide provides a structured approach to auditing your brand's presence across major AI assistants in approximately 30 minutes.

By the end of this audit, you will know whether AI assistants recommend your brand, how they describe you, which competitors appear instead, and where your optimization priorities should focus.

What You Will Need

Before starting, prepare the following:

• Access to ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, and Gemini (free tiers work for this audit)
• A spreadsheet or document for recording results
• A list of 5-10 queries that potential customers might ask about your product category
• 30 minutes of uninterrupted time

Part 1: Prepare Your Query List (5 Minutes)

Create a list of questions that potential customers realistically ask when researching your category. These should be the types of questions someone would ask an AI assistant when seeking recommendations.

Query Types to Include

General category queries: "What is the best [your category]?" or "Can you recommend a good [your product type]?"

Problem-based queries: "What should I use to solve [problem your product addresses]?" or "How do I [task your product helps with]?"

Comparison queries: "What are the alternatives to [competitor]?" or "How do I choose between [option A] and [option B]?"

Specific use case queries: "What is the best [category] for [specific use case]?" or "Which [product type] works best for [specific situation]?"

Budget-based queries: "What is the best affordable [category]?" or "What [product type] offers the best value?"

Example Query List

For a project management software company, queries might include:

1. What is the best project management software?
2. Can you recommend project management tools for remote teams?
3. What are the alternatives to Asana?
4. Which project management software is best for small businesses?
5. How do I choose project management software for my team?
6. What project management tools have the best free plans?
7. What software should I use to track team projects?

Write down 5-10 queries relevant to your specific business.

Part 2: Test Across AI Platforms (15 Minutes)

Now test each query across the major AI assistants. Work through each platform systematically, recording results as you go.

ChatGPT Testing

Open ChatGPT and test each of your prepared queries. For each query, record:

• Does your brand appear in the response?
• If yes, what position in the recommendation list?
• How is your brand described?
• Which competitors appear?
• What reasons does ChatGPT give for its recommendations?

Use a fresh conversation for each query to avoid context from previous queries influencing responses.

Claude Testing

Repeat the same process with Claude. Note that Claude may provide different recommendations than ChatGPT, and the style of response will differ.

Record the same information:

• Brand appearance and position
• Description of your brand
• Competitor presence
• Reasoning provided

Perplexity Testing

Perplexity operates differently because it searches current web content. Pay attention to:

• Whether your brand appears
• What sources Perplexity cites when mentioning brands
• How current the information appears to be
• Whether cited sources are your own content or third-party content

Gemini Testing

Complete the same testing with Gemini, recording:

• Brand appearance and position
• Description accuracy
• Competitor presence
• Any unique aspects of Gemini's recommendations

Recording Your Results

Create a simple matrix to capture results:

Query	ChatGPT	Claude	Perplexity	Gemini
Query 1	Position/Description	Position/Description	Position/Description	Position/Description
Query 2	...	...	...	...

For each cell, note whether you appeared (Y/N), your position if applicable (1st, 2nd, 3rd, or "mentioned"), and a brief note about how you were described.

Part 3: Analyze Results (5 Minutes)

With your results recorded, analyze patterns to understand your current position.

Calculate Your Visibility Score

Count the total number of query-platform combinations you tested. If you tested 7 queries across 4 platforms, that is 28 total combinations.

Count how many times your brand appeared in any capacity. Divide appearances by total combinations to get your visibility percentage.

Example: 8 appearances out of 28 combinations = 29% visibility

Identify Platform Patterns

Look for platform-specific patterns:

• Do you appear consistently on one platform but not others?
• Is your description accurate and positive across platforms?
• Are there platforms where you never appear?

Platform-specific gaps indicate where you might focus optimization efforts.

Identify Query Patterns

Look for patterns across query types:

• Do you appear for general category queries but not specific use cases?
• Are you recommended for certain problem types but not others?
• Do comparison queries include you or exclude you?

Query-specific gaps reveal positioning and content opportunities.

Identify Competitor Patterns

Note which competitors appear frequently:

• Who appears most consistently across platforms and queries?
• How are leading competitors described compared to your brand?
• Are there competitors appearing that you did not expect?

Understanding competitor presence helps you identify what they might be doing differently.

Part 4: Prioritize Actions (5 Minutes)

Based on your analysis, identify your highest-priority optimization opportunities.

If You Have Very Low Visibility (Under 20%)

Your priority is establishing basic presence. Focus on:

1. Creating comprehensive content that clearly positions your brand in your category
2. Building third-party validation through reviews and mentions
3. Ensuring accurate, consistent information about your brand across the web

If You Have Moderate Visibility (20-50%)

Your priority is strengthening and expanding presence. Focus on:

1. Identifying specific platforms or query types where you underperform
2. Improving how you are described by addressing content gaps
3. Building additional authority signals in underperforming areas

If You Have Good Visibility (Over 50%)

Your priority is optimization and defense. Focus on:

1. Improving your position where you appear but not in top spots
2. Strengthening areas where competitors outperform you
3. Monitoring for changes that might indicate competitive threats

Document Your Priorities

Write down your top 3 optimization priorities based on this audit. Be specific about what you will address and why.

Example priorities:

1. Create content addressing [specific use case] because we do not appear for those queries
2. Build more reviews on [platform] because competitors have stronger third-party validation
3. Improve our description accuracy by updating [specific content] because AI descriptions are outdated

Ongoing Monitoring

This initial audit provides a baseline. Schedule regular follow-up audits to track progress and identify changes.

Recommended Audit Frequency

Monthly audits provide good balance between staying informed and avoiding excessive time investment. Use the same queries each month to track changes consistently.

Add new queries periodically as you identify additional relevant questions or as your business evolves.

Tracking Changes

Maintain a running record of your visibility scores and key observations over time. This historical data helps you understand whether optimization efforts are working and identify trends.

Note significant changes in competitor presence as well. New competitors appearing or existing competitors improving their visibility may require strategic response.

What This Audit Does Not Tell You

This quick audit provides directional understanding but has limitations.

Sample Size Limitations

Testing a limited number of queries provides useful signals but may not capture your full visibility picture. Important queries you did not test may show different results.

Timing Variations

AI responses can vary based on when you ask. Testing at different times or on different days might produce somewhat different results.

Personalization Factors

Some AI assistants may personalize responses based on user history or context. Your results may differ from what other users experience.

Attribution Challenges

This audit shows whether you are recommended but does not directly measure whether AI recommendations drive business results. Attribution requires additional tracking.

Next Steps After Your Audit

Use your audit findings to inform a structured optimization plan. Address your highest-priority gaps first, then expand to secondary opportunities.

If your audit reveals significant visibility gaps, consider whether internal resources can address the optimization work or whether external expertise would accelerate progress.

Repeat this audit monthly to track improvement and identify new opportunities. Over time, you will build a clear picture of your AI recommendation presence and the factors that influence it.

The 30 minutes invested in this audit provides foundational understanding that informs all subsequent optimization decisions. Without knowing your current position, optimization efforts cannot be properly prioritized or measured.