How to Perform an AI Visibility Audit for Your Site (2025 Edition)

1 | Why AI Visibility Audits Matter (vs Traditional SEO)

Before diving into steps, let’s set the context.

• The shift: More users are asking AI assistants (ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity) for answers rather than traditional search engines. That means your brand, content, and authority must be visible to AI models, not just Google’s algorithms.
• The term Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) has emerged to describe strategies that optimize for AI answer engines rather than just search engines. Wikipedia
• According to Microsoft, optimizing for AI search means structuring content, aligning schema markup, using Q&A formats, avoiding hidden content, etc. Search Engine Journal
• SEO + AI visibility overlap: Ahrefs recently published an “82-Point SEO & AI Visibility Checklist” recommending auditing pages that already appear in AI responses and improving them further. Ahrefs
• As Search Engine Land puts it: “Structure content so AI can easily parse and summarize it … build cross-platform presence … visibility now extends beyond Google.” Search Engine Land

Conclusion: An AI visibility audit gives you insight into how generative engines see you, identify gaps, and build a plan to ensure you get cited / mentioned / surfaced by AI models.

2 | Audit Preparation & Baseline Setup

Before you begin your audit, set up groundwork:

1. 1Document your brand, key content areas, and top URLs.
   List your brand name(s), product / service names, flagship pages, blog posts, etc.
2. 2Make a prompt bank of queries you’d expect users to ask related to your niche (e.g., “What is [your product]?”, “How to use [service]?”, “Best [industry] companies in 2025”).
3. 3Benchmark where you are already visible to AI.
   Use generative engines (ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity) to query your prompts and see whether your brand appears, is cited, or is missing altogether.
4. 4Collect external metrics: backlink count, brand mentions (on blogs, news, directories), domain authority, technical site health (via SEO tools you already use).

With those baselines, you can see progress after fixes.

3 | Step 1: Query AI Engines to Measure Visibility

This is your qualitative “does the AI see you?” test.

• Use prompts like:

“Who is [Your Brand]?”
“Best [industry service] companies”
“Use cases of [your product]”

• On each engine (ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Copilot), note:
  • Is your brand name mentioned explicitly?
  • Is a hyperlink or citation given to your content?
  • If not, is a competitor being cited instead?
• Create a simple table:

EnginePrompt ExampleYour Brand Cited?Competitors CitedNotes / ObservationsChatGPT GPT-4“What is [your brand]?”Yes / Noe.g. CompetitorX…Perplexity“Top [industry] tools 2025”………Gemini…………

This gives you a “visibility map” across AI engines.

4 | Step 2: Audit Brand Mentions, Citations & Trust Signals

AI models rely heavily on trusted sources to reference content. If you lack third-party mentions, AI has little to anchor your brand.

What to audit:

• External mentions & citations: search for “Your Brand” -site:yourdomain.com
• Industry directories, review sites, press coverage
• Wikipedia, Crunchbase, or any authoritative listing
• Social profiles & “sameAs” crosslinking
• Backlink authority: quality domains referencing your content

If your brand exists in only a few places (or none), AI models will struggle to trust and cite you.

Action steps:

• Guest post or contribute to industry blogs
• Get listed in quality directories
• Encourage reviews and case study references
• Use “sameAs” structured data linking to authoritative profiles

5 | Step 3: Structured Data & Schema Audit (with Google & Schema.org Guidelines)

One of the strongest signals you can give AI/Google systems is clear, accurate structured data markup. This helps engines understand context, roles, relationships, and entities.

Key references & tools:

• Google’s General Structured Data Guidelines — explains what markup is allowed, prohibited, and best practices. Google for Developers
• Google’s Intro to Structured Data Markup — how it works, supported formats, and why it’s useful. Google for Developers
• Schema.org — the vocabulary used in structured data (JSON-LD, RDFa, Microdata). (See Wikipedia summary) Wikipedia
• Google supports three formats: JSON-LD (preferred), Microdata, RDFa. Google for Developers+1
• But even with correct structured data, Google does not guarantee that rich results will show. Compliance is necessary but not sufficient. Google for Developers+1

Audit steps:

1. 1List existing schema types used on your pages (Organization, Article, FAQ, HowTo, LocalBusiness, etc.).
2. 2Run validation / testing via:
   • Google Rich Results Test (to validate whether your page’s markup is eligible for enhanced display)
   • Schema.org Validator / or schema.org’s site for syntax checks

Rich Results Test: https://search.google.com/test/rich-results
Schema.org Validator: https://validator.schema.org

1. 1Check for errors, warnings, or missing required fields.
   • Only mark up content that’s visible to users.
   • Avoid markup of irrelevant or misleading content.
   • Ensure properties are accurate and up to date.
   • Avoid hidden markup or “invisible” content via JavaScript.
2. 2Add / correct schema where needed:

Schema TypeUse CaseRequired / Recommended PropertiesNotesOrganization / LocalBusinessOn your homepage, about pagename, url, sameAs, logoNest inside other schema if relevant Search Engine Journal+1FAQPagepages with Q&A or “People also ask” stylemainEntity (list of Question + Answer)Helps AI systems pick up FAQ structureHowToTutorial or step guidesname, step or itemListElementUse when you have clear stepsArticle / BlogPostingBlog postsheadline, datePublished, author, etc.Helps correctly attribute authorship

1. 1Re-test after changes via Rich Results Test and use Search Console’s enhancements / rich results reports to monitor.

Note: Even with perfectly valid schema, showing as a “rich result” is not guaranteed — Google chooses features algorithmically. Google for Developers+1

6 | Step 4: Content Audit for AI Readability & Extraction

Your content must be clear, structured, and “AI-friendly” so that generative models can parse and extract answers reliably.

Key checks:

• Use heading hierarchy (H1 → H2 → H3) with descriptive headings
• Convert dense text into short paragraphs, lists, Q&A blocks
• Use natural language phrasing — phrase as a question or conversational sentence
• Ensure your main content is visible in HTML (not hidden behind tabs or heavy client-side rendering)
• Integrate FAQs / People Also Ask style questions and answers
• At top of page, include a summary / TL;DR paragraph that clearly states what the page is about
• Use bold or emphasis on key phrases or definitions (sparingly)
• Use internal links to related content to provide context / signal depth

Testing method: Copy a page and ask an AI engine (ChatGPT, Gemini) "Summarize this content" or "What is the main point here?" — if the output is accurate, it passes. If it misinterprets or omits brand mentions, that page needs rework.

7 | Step 5: Technical & Accessibility Audit

Even if your content and schema are perfect, technical issues can block AI bots or hinder indexing.

Key checks:

1. 1robots.txt / crawler rules
   • Ensure AI bots (e.g. GPTBot) aren’t blocked.
   • Do not disallow crawling of pages with structured data you want AI to see.
2. 2Noindex / canonical misuse
   • Don’t accidentally noindex or canonical away key content pages.
3. 3Rendering / JavaScript issues
   • Ensure critical content loads in plain HTML or accessible fallback (so AI crawlers aren’t blocked by heavy JS).
   • Ensure server-side rendering or hydration is correct.
4. 4Page speed / Core Web Vitals
   • AI bots care about performance signals indirectly, since UX matters.
   • Use tools like Lighthouse, PageSpeed Insights to audit.
5. 5Sitemap & indexing health
   • Update sitemap with all relevant pages
   • Use Google Search Console (or equivalent) to check indexing status

8 | Step 6: Competitive Benchmarking in AI Visibility

To know what you're up against, check how your competitors appear in AI results.

• Use your same prompt bank (from Step 2) and ask AI engines.
• Note which competitor brands are cited, how often, and in what context.
• Analyze their content structure, schema usage, external mentions, etc.
• Tools / reports like Ahrefs’ AI visibility checklist suggest auditing pages already visible in AI responses first. Ahrefs

This gives you a roadmap — your goal is to replace or surpass their presence in AI responses.

9 | Step 7: Summarize Findings & Create Optimization Plan

After auditing, consolidate your findings into a structured action plan:

Audit AreaStrengthsWeaknesses / GapsPriority ActionsTimelineAI Query VisibilityPartial on some enginesNo mention on othersIncrease citations, push flagship pages1–3 monthsBrand Mentions / CitationsSome external referencesFew authoritative mentionsGuest posts, PR, directory listings3–6 monthsSchema / Structured DataBasic markup existsMissing FAQ, HowTo, sameAsAdd missing schema types1 monthContent StructureGood headingsDense paragraphs, few FAQRewrite sections, add Q&A blocks1–2 monthsTechnical / IndexingFast pagesJS rendering issues on some pagesFix rendering & crawling issues1 month

From here, execute the plan in phases, track progress, and re-audit periodically (every 3–6 months).

10 | Additional Tools & Platforms for AI Visibility

Here are several tools, platforms, and insights you can use to support your audit and optimization:

• Semrush, Ahrefs, Moz — to track mentions, backlinks, and brand visibility
• Profound — ranked top in AI visibility platforms, measures AI citations and brand presence across engines. Nick Lafferty
• Otterly.AI — a tool for monitoring brand citations in generative search results. Yahoo Finance
• Addlly AI — one of the leading AI visibility optimization tools in 2025. Addlly AI
• Rich Results Test (Google) — https://search.google.com/test/rich-results
• Schema.org Validator — https://validator.schema.org

11 | Writing Style Clues & Ranking Strategy (Based on How Others Do It)

To make your blog more competitive (and rankable) in this niche, here are writing / structural tactics drawn from top-performing blogs in the AI / SEO / optimization space:

• Use clear section headings (H2, H3) that often mirror possible search queries
• Include examples, screenshots, or code snippets (especially in schema sections)
• Use lists, tables, and comparatives (audits, features, checks)
• Link to authoritative sources (Google documentation, schema.org, etc.)
• Use conversational tone + “you / we / us” style to engage
• Include a summary / TL;DR block, and FAQ section at bottom
• Update the post periodically as AI visibility and GEO evolve
• Build internal links to related posts you write (e.g. “AI visibility optimization”, “GEO tactics”, “AI visibility tools”), to strengthen topic clusters
• Encourage social shares and perhaps embed short tweetable quotes or insights