How to Check If AI Search Engines Recommend Your Brand (Free Method)
A free, repeatable method to check whether ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Perplexity and AI Overviews mention your brand, and how to track it monthly.
Key takeaways
- AI visibility is measured with a consistent prompt panel, not a single search.
- Test in fresh sessions to reduce personalisation and conversation bias.
- Track mention rate, position, accuracy, sentiment and cited sources.
- Competitor mentions reveal which sources influence your category.
- Repeat monthly and connect changes to the work you've done.
Why you can't just search once
AI answers aren't fixed. The same question can produce different results depending on wording, location, account history and model version. A single test tells you little. A consistent prompt panel tested over time tells you a lot.
Step 1: Build a prompt panel
Create 20 to 50 prompts in four groups:
| Group | Example |
|---|---|
| Category recommendations | "best pediatric dentist in Kondapur" |
| Problem-led | "my basement keeps flooding, who should I call in Columbus?" |
| Comparisons | "[your brand] vs [competitor]" |
| Brand checks | "what does [your brand] do?" "is [your brand] reliable?" |
Use the words your customers use. Sales calls and enquiry emails are great sources.
Step 2: Choose your platforms
Test the assistants your buyers use most:
- ChatGPT (with search enabled)
- Google Gemini and Google AI Mode / AI Overviews
- Perplexity
- Claude (with web search enabled)
- Microsoft Copilot for B2B audiences
Step 3: Test consistently
- Use a fresh chat for every prompt.
- Where possible, use a logged-out or clean profile.
- Set location context explicitly for local queries ("in Hyderabad").
- Test on the same day each month.
Step 4: Record five metrics
- Mentioned? Yes or no.
- Position in the list (first, second, later).
- Accuracy of facts about you (services, locations, prices).
- Sentiment (positive, neutral, negative).
- Cited sources: which URLs the assistant linked or referenced.
A simple spreadsheet with one row per prompt per platform works fine.
Step 5: Analyse the gaps
- Not mentioned at all? Your entity may be unclear. Start with consistency and schema.
- Mentioned but inaccurate? Correct the sources being cited and update your own pages.
- Competitors always first? Study the sources cited for them. Those are your PR and review targets.
Use our free checker to speed this up
Our AI Visibility Checker scores the signals AI systems rely on, highlights your biggest gaps and generates a tailored prompt set with one-click links to each assistant. It doesn't invent data; it gives you the exact prompts to test live.
What a good result looks like
There's no universal benchmark, but a healthy trend is:
- Mention rate rising month over month
- Accurate descriptions across platforms
- Your own site and your review profiles appearing among cited sources
For the actions that move these numbers, read how to get recommended by ChatGPT.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a free way to check AI visibility?
Yes. Build a prompt panel and test it manually in each assistant, or use our free AI Visibility Checker to score your readiness and generate prompts.
How often should I check AI visibility?
Monthly is a good balance between catching changes and avoiding noise.
Why do results differ between ChatGPT and Gemini?
They use different models, search indexes and data partners, so they weigh sources differently.
Should I test while logged in?
Prefer logged-out or fresh sessions where possible, because personalisation and memory can skew results.
Can paid tools track AI visibility automatically?
Yes. Several AI visibility tracking tools now monitor prompt panels at scale. Manual testing remains useful for nuance.
Conclusion
You can't improve what you don't measure, and AI visibility is measurable with a little discipline. Build a prompt panel, test consistently, record the same metrics each month and use competitor citations to guide your next moves. Start with our free checker, then scale up with our AI search optimization service.
