You can't grow what you don't measure
AI visibility feels invisible, but it's measurable. The core question: for the prompts your customers would ask, does the AI mention you — and who does it mention instead?
Build your prompt set
List the real buyer questions in your market, for example:
- "best [your service] in [your city]"
- "who should I hire for [problem]?"
- "[your category] recommendations"
Track whether AI engines name you for each, and which competitors show up. GrowMyWebsite's AI Visibility tools and prompt tracking automate exactly this across cities and languages.
A simple tracking workflow (any tool)
You don't need special software to start — a spreadsheet works:
- Open ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini in separate tabs.
- Paste each buyer-question prompt, one at a time, into each engine.
- In a three-column sheet, record: the Prompt, whether it Named you? (yes/no), and the Competitors named.
- Note the date and which engine you used.
- Repeat on a schedule and compare over time.
Your sheet ends up looking like this:
| Prompt | Named you? | Competitors named |
|---|---|---|
| best plumber in Austin | No | Acme Plumbing, City Rooter |
| emergency water heater repair Austin | Yes | Acme Plumbing |
| who fixes burst pipes near me | No | City Rooter, ProFlow |
Important: AI answers vary from run to run and change over time, so a single check is a snapshot, not the verdict. Re-run the same prompts on the same schedule and track the trend — that's the signal.
Close the gaps
When a competitor is named and you're not, ask why. Usually it's one of: weaker entity/identity signals, thinner or less specific content, fewer corroborating mentions, or missing structured data. Fix the gap, then re-check.
Make it a habit
- Re-run your prompt set on a schedule (weekly or monthly)
- Watch the trend, not a single snapshot
- Pair AEO wins with the off-site mentions and content work that reinforce them
Do this consistently and "being the answer" stops being luck — it becomes a process.
Try it on your own site
Right now, list your five most important buyer questions, run each through one AI engine, and fill in the three-column sheet above. Whatever gap you find is your first AEO to-do.