AI visibility audit: the first key step toward next-generation SEO - AI SEO

The year 2025 marks a decisive turning point in the world of search engine optimization. From now on, search engines are no longer the sole gatekeepers of online visibility. A new generation of tools is rapidly emerging: AI-powered answer engines.

Platforms like ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Mistral, and Gemini are profoundly transforming the way users access information. These AIs no longer merely index pages—they synthesize, interpret, and prioritize data to provide direct, personalized, and conversational answers. In this new paradigm, traditional SEO is no longer enough. We now need to think in terms of GEO – Generative Engine Optimization. The goal is no longer just ranking well on Google, but appearing in the responses generated by artificial intelligence. And that changes everything.

Because if your brand, products, or content aren’t cited, mentioned, or recommended in the responses of these AIs, you’re essentially invisible to a growing number of users. And this trend is only accelerating: more and more searches, comparisons, and purchasing decisions are now made directly through AI.

That’s why an AI visibility audit is becoming an essential step. Even before thinking about content creation, link building, or technical optimization, you need to assess your current footprint in the AI ecosystem. This audit will help you:

• Measure your algorithmic recognition and reputation across AI platforms
• Understand how AIs talk about you… or ignore you
• Identify visibility opportunities, weak spots, and areas for immediate improvement

This diagnostic isn’t just another marketing exercise. It’s about regaining control over your presence in a rapidly evolving digital landscape. In other words: don’t be subjected to AI—leverage it to your advantage. In this guide, you’ll discover a clear, actionable method to perform a comprehensive audit of your AI visibility. It’s a fundamental starting point for building a SEO strategy aligned with tomorrow’s challenges.

Ready to find out where you truly stand in the world of AI-driven SEO? Let’s begin.

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Understanding the impact of AI on your visibility

Before optimizing anything, it’s crucial to know your current position within the digital ecosystem of artificial intelligences. This is the foundation of any effective GEO strategy: measure what already exists, then improve it with precision. Generative artificial intelligences—such as ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, or Mistral AI—do not operate like traditional search engines. They don’t just crawl and index pages; they analyze content, assess its relevance, and use it to craft synthetic answers. Every generated response is an act of algorithmic selection, based on the reputation, authority, and clarity of the information associated with your brand.

In other words: your presence in these results is neither random nor automatic. It’s determined by multiple signals: mentions of your name, quality of your content, perceived reliability, external linking, presence on trusted sources… This context profoundly changes the rules of SEO. It’s no longer just about ranking in the SERPs, but about narrative visibility within conversational answers. If AIs don’t mention you—or systematically replace you with a competitor—you’re absent from the user’s mental equation.

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1. Ask the AIs directly

How can you test your brand image with AI?

The first concrete step of an AI visibility audit is to ask the artificial intelligences directly. This simple yet powerful method gives you an immediate snapshot of how your brand is perceived algorithmically.

Here are a few example queries to test:

• What are the best companies in [your industry]?
• What do you think of [your company name]?
• Is [your company name] trustworthy?
• Why choose [your company name]?
• [Company A] vs [Company B]: which one is better?

Run these tests across several AIs (ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Mistral, etc.), and vary the phrasing and context (professional user, novice, curious customer, etc.). This will give you a 360° view of your algorithmic reputation.

What you need to observe closely

1. Are you mentioned?

If your brand is never cited, it means your current visibility is almost nonexistent in the eyes of AI.

2. How are you described?

Do the AIs present you as a leader, an alternative, or just another generic company?

3. Who is mentioned instead of you?

Do your competitors consistently show up before you? Why? What perceived strengths do they have?

4. What’s the tone of the answer?

Positive, neutral, cautious, or critical? The tone provides insights into the quality of your online reputation.

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💡 AI SEO Tip: Save each test as screenshots or comparative tables. Repeat the process monthly to monitor changes in your brand image and evaluate the impact of your AI visibility efforts.

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Why is this method so powerful?

Because it puts you in your audience’s shoes. This is exactly what users will do tomorrow: ask an AI what it thinks of you before contacting you or making a purchase. This test clearly reveals:

• Whether you’re invisible or influential‍
• Whether you inspire trust or doubt‍
• Whether you meet the current expectations of the conversational web

This initial diagnosis forms the foundation of your GEO strategy. Because before claiming visibility, you must first know if you’re already being seen… and how.

What you’ll uncover

• Whether your brand is known, mentioned, or ignored
• Whether the AI associates you with a specific expertise
• Whether you’re consistently replaced by competitors
• Whether your online reputation appears positive, neutral, or negative

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💡 AI SEO Tip: Perform these tests monthly and archive the results to track the evolution of your notoriety. This becomes a KPI of your GEO strategy.

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2. Analyze the dominant keywords for AIs

What topics really matter to AI?

An AI will never highlight you by accident. To appear in its responses, you must demonstrate clear expertise on specific topics, backed by reliable and visible content. It starts with a strong grasp of your strategic keywords.

Go to your Google Search Console, under the Performance tab, and identify:

• The top 5 to 10 queries currently generating the most traffic to your site
• The pages linked to these keywords, i.e., those actually capturing users’ attention

Once you have your list, enter these exact queries into AIs like ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, or Mistral.

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What to pay attention to:

• Which competitors appear consistently in the responses?
• Are the AIs favoring tutorials, comparisons, buying guides, case studies, FAQs?
• Do your pages show up, or are they completely ignored?

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💡 Strategic Insight: If your pages aren’t mentioned or your competitors are always featured instead, it means you haven’t yet earned authority on these topics in the eyes of AI. And in a world where AI visibility is becoming central, that needs to be fixed—fast.

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Compare with your competitors

The goal here is to understand what others are doing to appear in AI responses… and do it better.

Create a list of websites that show up repeatedly when you test your keywords in AI engines. Once you’ve got that list, analyze these three fundamental areas:

Their presence on trusted platforms

• Are they mentioned in specialized media or press articles?
• Do they have Wikipedia pages or references on influential forums?
• Are they listed on marketplaces, comparison sites, or industry databases?

Their content volume and quality

• Do they offer in-depth guides, educational resources, long-form and updated content?
• Do they have clear topic clusters (content silos) reinforcing their authority on specific subjects?
• Do they use formats AIs tend to favor (tables, infographics, embedded FAQs, etc.)?

Their level of social proof

• Do they have numerous customer reviews?
• Do they showcase testimonials, case studies, or real client success stories?
• Does their online reputation inspire trust?

🎯 The goal is not to copy, but to learn from what works and offer content that is more relevant, richer, and better structured. In the AI world, perceived quality far outweighs sheer quantity.

‍Great content today checks three boxes: it’s useful, credible, and readable—for both users and AI algorithms.

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💬 And if you’re not showing up at all for your keywords, don’t panic. That just means you have a blank canvas to conquer. The good news? In AI SEO, rankings aren’t set in stone. With high-quality content and targeted actions, you can flip the hierarchy in just a few months.

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3. Identify the information sources used by AIs

Where do AIs get their data from?

One of the major differences between traditional search engines and AI answer engines lies in how information is selected.

Whereas Google indexes the web massively to offer a variety of results, generative AIs make more radical choices: they rely on a limited number of sources considered reliable and authoritative, and use them to generate a synthetic, reasoned, and often structured response.

Which means, quite simply: if you’re not featured in these sources, you’re invisible to the AI.

How can you identify these sources?

When you ask a question to an AI like ChatGPT (with browsing enabled), Perplexity, or Claude, pay close attention to the following:

• The links displayed or listed in the results (especially on Perplexity)
• The explicit mentions of websites or articles within the body of the answer
• The authors, companies, or brands frequently cited as examples or references

Systematically log these occurrences in a spreadsheet. With just a few queries, you’ll get a clear map of the dominant sources in your key topics.

Examples of “heavyweight” AI sources

AIs rely heavily on platforms known for their reliability, history, or perceived authority in a specific field. Here are the types of sources that appear most frequently:

Source TypeConcrete ExamplesOpen EncyclopediasWikipedia, WikidataSpecialized MediaSiècle Digital, BDM, TechCrunch, Le Journal du NetCommunity ForumsReddit, Quora, Stack OverflowReview & Comparison SitesTrustpilot, Google Reviews, G2, CapterraResearch & PublicationsThink with Google, HubSpot, BCG, Statista

These are the pillars of AI legitimacy: if you’re mentioned, analyzed, or discussed on these platforms, your chances of being cited in AI-generated answers increase significantly.

What if you’re completely absent from these sources?

That’s a common situation, especially for emerging brands or underrepresented niches. But it’s also a great opportunity to get ahead.

Here’s a concrete action plan to build your presence within AI-trusted sources:

1. Create a Wikidata entry – this is a structured knowledge base used by many AIs to understand entities. It can also support a future Wikipedia page.
2. Get published in industry media – pitch opinion pieces, interviews, or insights to media outlets in your field. Even guest posts on expert blogs can get you started.
3. Collect and centralize customer reviews on trustworthy platforms like G2, Trustpilot, or Google Business. AIs value genuine social proof.
4. Publish expert content on Medium, Substack, or LinkedIn. Prioritize structured formats like reports, analyses, or case studies.
5. Engage in discussions on Reddit or Quora – don’t sell, contribute. AIs detect active, well-rated accounts.

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🎯 Strategic Objective: build a cohesive, credible, and interconnected visibility ecosystem, where your brand is present across several types of sources that AIs scan and cross-reference.

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Getting referenced by AIs is not just about traditional SEO—it’s about building an algorithmic reputation. And it starts with being visible in the environments AIs trust to shape their answers. It’s up to you to become part of that circle.

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Key takeaways

Conducting an AI visibility audit is not just a curiosity exercise or a matter of digital ego. It’s a fundamental strategic move in a world where artificial intelligences increasingly shape how brands are perceived, mentioned… or forgotten.

By carrying out this audit, you will discover:

1. How your brand is truly perceived by AIs – Are you a reference, an alternative, or completely absent?
2. Which topics you master—or don’t—in the eyes of AI engines – Strong and weak keywords, and topics dominated by your competitors
3. Which levers to activate for a rapid visibility boost – Getting featured on the right sources, strengthening your content, improving your algorithmic reputation

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🎯 Before producing new content, optimizing your site technically, or launching a link-building campaign, start with this diagnosis. It’s your starting point. Your map. The foundation of any effective GEO strategy.

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Because in the AI-driven world, those who take the time to understand will be the ones who become visible. The others risk slowly but surely fading away from automated responses.