Why you need an AI Visibility Score
Imagine driving a car without a speedometer. You know you are moving, but you do not know how fast, whether you are accelerating or slowing down, or whether you are respecting the limits. That is exactly the situation of 95% of companies when it comes to their AI visibility.
Most companies have no idea about their visibility in AI answer engines. They do not know if ChatGPT cites them, if Perplexity recommends them, or if Google AI Overview includes them. They are flying blind in the biggest transformation of search since Google was invented.
The AI Visibility Score solves this problem. It is a single, actionable metric that tells you: "For your strategic queries, your brand is cited by AI X% of the time."
It is your compass in the new world of AI search.
Daniel Waisberg, Search Advocate at Google (Zurich), acknowledged at Search Central Live 2025: "Traditional SEO metrics no longer capture the full reality of online visibility. Professionals need to integrate AI presence metrics into their dashboard."
Definition and calculation method
The AI Visibility Score is calculated as follows:
AI Visibility Score = (Number of queries where you are cited / Total number of tracked queries) x 100
Here is the detailed methodology we deploy at AI SOS:
Step 1: Define your strategic queries
Identify 20 to 50 queries that represent your target market. Include: brand queries ("your company + reviews"), product queries ("best [your category]"), informational queries ("how to [your domain]"), comparative queries ("[you] vs [competitor]").
Step 2: Test on each AI engine
For each query, test on the 4 main engines:
- ChatGPT (with web browsing enabled)
- Perplexity AI
- Google AI Overview
- Gemini
Step 3: Document the results
For each query and each engine, note: cited (yes/no), position in citations (1st, 2nd, 3rd...), content of the citation, sentiment (positive/neutral/negative).
Step 4: Calculate the scores
| Score | Formula | Usage |
|---|---|---|
| Overall AI Visibility Score | % of queries with at least 1 citation on at least 1 engine | Overview |
| AI Visibility Score per engine | % of queries with citation on a specific engine | Per-engine strategy |
| Citation Share | Your citations / (Your citations + competitor citations) x 100 | Competitive position |
| Average Source Rank | Average position of your citations (1st, 2nd, 3rd...) | Citation quality |
| Sentiment Score | % of citations with positive sentiment | AI reputation |
Monitoring tools
Monitoring can be manual or automated. Here are the options:
Manual monitoring (free, tedious)
Test your queries one by one on each AI engine. Document in a spreadsheet. Advantage: free and precise. Disadvantage: time-consuming (expect 2-4 hours per week for 30 queries x 4 engines).
Specialised tools
| Tool | HQ | Engines covered | Price | Strengths |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Otterly | London, UK | ChatGPT, Perplexity, AI Overview | From EUR 79/month | Clear interface, automatic alerts |
| Peec AI | Paris, FR | ChatGPT, Perplexity, AI Overview, Gemini | From EUR 99/month | Full coverage, detailed reports |
| ZipTie | Berlin, DE | ChatGPT, Perplexity | From EUR 49/month | Competitive price, API available |
| Sistrix | Bonn, DE | Google AI Overview | Included in Sistrix subscription | Classic SEO integration, historical data |
| Semrush | EU operations | Google AI Overview | Included in Semrush subscription | SEO integration, large database |
At AI SOS, we use a combination of Peec AI (automated monitoring) and manual verification (validation) for our clients. Manual verification remains essential as automated tools sometimes have an error rate of 5-10%.
Benchmarks by sector
Where do you stand? Here are the benchmarks we observe at AI SOS after auditing more than 200 European companies:
| Score | Interpretation | % of companies |
|---|---|---|
| 0-10% | Invisible. AI almost never cites you. | 65% |
| 10-25% | Emerging. A few sporadic citations. | 20% |
| 25-50% | Visible. AI cites you regularly on certain topics. | 10% |
| 50-75% | Dominant. You are a reference source for AI. | 4% |
| 75-100% | Leader. AI cites you systematically. | 1% |
The reality is stark: 65% of companies are virtually invisible in AI responses. They have no score, they do not know they have a problem, and they are losing ground every month.
If your score is below 25%, you have an enormous opportunity. The field is still relatively uncrowded. The actions you take now will have a disproportionate impact.
How to improve your score
Here are the levers in order of impact, based on our experience at AI SOS:
1. Quick technical wins (impact in 2-4 weeks)
- Implement llms.txt (+5-10% average score increase)
- Unblock AI crawlers in robots.txt
- Add missing Schema.org structured data
- Register on Bing Webmaster Tools
2. Content optimisation (impact in 4-8 weeks)
- Restructure key pages in "direct answer" format
- Add comparison tables, FAQs, sourced statistics
- Update outdated content with current dates
- Apply the GEO method
3. Content creation (impact in 6-12 weeks)
- Create complete content clusters on your key topics
- Produce AI-first content from conception
- Cover queries where no competitor is strong
4. Authority and reputation (impact in 3-6 months)
- Obtain press and media mentions
- Contribute to Wikipedia where relevant
- Publish on third-party platforms (guest blogging, specialist forums)
- Build a Google Knowledge Graph
Know your AI Visibility Score
We calculate your AI Visibility Score on your 20 strategic queries, for free. Results in 48 hours with actionable recommendations.
FAQ
Is the AI Visibility Score a standardised metric?
Not yet in the industrial sense. There is no single standard like Moz's Domain Authority. Every tool and every agency has its own methodology. At AI SOS, we follow the most common methodology: percentage of target queries with a citation on at least one AI engine. The most important thing is consistency of measurement over time.
How often should the AI Visibility Score be measured?
Weekly for operational tracking (AI responses change rapidly). Monthly for strategic reporting and competitor comparison. Quarterly for strategy reviews and content plan adjustments.
How many queries should be tracked?
A minimum of 20 queries for a representative score. Ideally 30 to 50. Beyond 100, the monitoring cost (time or subscription) increases significantly without proportionally improving precision. Prioritise the quality of selected queries over quantity.
What is a good AI Visibility Score?
In 2026, a score of 25% or more places you in the top 15% of European companies. A score of 50% is excellent. Above 75%, you are a leader in your market. Most companies we audit start between 0% and 10%. The realistic initial target is to reach 25% in 3 months.
Is the AI Visibility Score correlated with traffic?
Yes, but the correlation is not linear. AI citations generate direct referral traffic (especially via Perplexity and its clickable citations) but also an indirect effect: a brand cited by AI benefits from a "credibility halo" that increases click-through rates on classic search results.
Are my competitors already tracking their AI Visibility Score?
In Europe, fewer than 5% of companies systematically measure their AI visibility. This is an opportunity: by starting now, you gain an advantage over 95% of your competitors who are not even measuring it. By the time they realise, you will have already built a strong position. Contact us to get started.
Can monitoring be fully automated?
Largely yes, with tools like Otterly, Peec AI or ZipTie. However, manual verification remains recommended as automated tools have an error rate of 5 to 10% (false positives or false negatives). At AI SOS, we combine automation (80%) and manual verification (20%) for the best precision.
Conclusion
The AI Visibility Score is the metric missing from your dashboard. Without it, you are navigating blind in the biggest transformation of search in 20 years. With it, you know exactly where you stand, where your competitors are going, and what actions to take.
The good news: getting started is simple. 20 queries, 4 AI engines, a spreadsheet. In 2 hours, you have your first score. That first score will probably be low -- that is normal, 65% of companies are below 10%. But it is your starting point, and every point gained is a competitive advantage.
The rules have changed. Measure, or remain invisible.