AI visibility guides

By Peter Drew · Updated

Straight answers on checking and improving whether AI answer engines (Google AI Overviews, Google AI Mode, ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity) mention your business. Each guide answers one real question people search, and we’re tracking whether RankResults itself gets found for each one, in public, starting from zero.

The case study: tracking our own AI visibility from zero

Before writing these guides we checked all ten of their questions on all five AI surfaces from the United States. RankResults wasn’t mentioned or cited by any AI answer, and rankresults.tech wasn’t in Google’s top 10 for any of them. That’s our baseline, Tue 29 September 2026:

QuestionAI surfaces finding RankResultsGoogle top 10
how to check if ChatGPT recommends my business0 of 5Not in top 10
How to show up in ChatGPT results0 of 5Not in top 10
How can I get ChatGPT to recommend my business?0 of 5Not in top 10
how to see if my business shows in Google AI Overviews0 of 4 (the AI Overviews check failed)Not in top 10
How to get cited in AI Overviews?0 of 5Not in top 10
how to track AI Overview citations for clients0 of 5Not in top 10
AI visibility tool0 of 5Not in top 10
AI Overview tracker0 of 5Not in top 10
Best ai visibility tool0 of 4 (Google showed no AI Overview)Not in top 10
ChatGPT rank tracker0 of 5Not in top 10

From here, every question is checked on a schedule until each AI surface finds us, then weekly. We’ll publish the timeline, with the date each surface first names RankResults, right here.

RankResults case study baseline: six questions checked on five AI surfaces in the United States, RankResults not found on any of them
Part of the baseline in RankResults: not found, on any surface.

Check where you stand

How to check if ChatGPT recommends your businessAsk ChatGPT the questions your customers ask, from their location, and look for your name or website in the answer and its sources. Here’s how to do it properly, and how to keep proof.How to show up in ChatGPT resultsLet ChatGPT’s search crawler in, answer your customers’ questions directly on your site, and get mentioned on the pages ChatGPT already cites. A practical, no-tricks plan.How can I get ChatGPT to recommend my business?You can’t ask or pay ChatGPT to recommend you. You can become the business it finds described clearly across the sites it trusts. Here’s the plan, with real examples.How to see if your business shows in Google AI OverviewsSearch your customers’ questions from their location and check the AI Overview and its sources for your name or website. Search Console won’t show it separately; here’s how to check.How to get cited in AI OverviewsThere’s no special tag for AI Overviews. Be indexed and snippet-eligible, answer the sub-questions directly, and earn mentions on the sites Google already cites. Here’s how.How to track AI Overview citations for clientsOne project per client, their customers’ questions, their market location, checked on a schedule with dated proof. Report changes, not snapshots. A setup guide for agencies.

Choosing and using an AI visibility tool

What an AI visibility tool does, and what to look forAn AI visibility tool checks whether AI answer engines mention or cite your business for your customers’ questions. What it should measure, why rank tracking isn’t enough, and what to look for.AI Overview tracker: how tracking AI Overviews worksAn AI Overview tracker runs your Google searches on a schedule and records whether an AI Overview appeared, what it said and whether you were cited, with dated proof. How it works.How to choose the best AI visibility tool: a checklistThe best AI visibility tool checks the AI your customers use, from their location, and shows real answers as proof. Use this 10-point checklist to compare tools before you pay.ChatGPT rank tracker: can you track rankings in ChatGPT?ChatGPT has no fixed rankings, so a ChatGPT rank tracker really tracks whether you’re named or cited in its answers, and how that changes. What to measure and how.

Questions people ask

What is AI visibility?

AI visibility is whether AI answer engines mention or cite your business when people ask them questions, for example “best accountant in Denver”. You’re visible when your name appears in the answer or your website is one of the pages the answer cites. It’s separate from your Google ranking: you can rank well and still not be named in AI answers, or the other way round.

Which AI engines does RankResults check?

Five: Google AI Overviews, Google AI Mode, ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity. Each question is checked on all five from the country or city you choose, and every result comes with the answer text and a screenshot as proof. RankResults also shows your regular Google ranking for the same questions.

How long until AI starts citing my business?

Nobody can honestly promise a timeframe: it depends on your pages, the sites that mention you and how each AI chooses its sources, and it varies by question and location. That’s why we’re measuring it in public: RankResults started at zero for the ten questions in these guides, and each one is checked daily until every AI surface finds us, then weekly.

Is RankResults free?

It’s free to start. Join with a Google account and you get 100 free credits, no card needed. A question checked on one AI surface uses 1 credit, so the free credits cover about 20 questions on all five surfaces, and checks that fail on the AI’s side are free. The free plan includes 5 days of stored results; members keep their full history.

Can I track changes over time?

Yes. Schedule any question daily, every 3 days, weekly or monthly, or “track until found”. Before an alert, a change is re-checked once for free, and alerts come by email or Telegram when you appear, drop out, or a competitor shows up.

Peter Drew is a digital marketer and software creator who has worked in SEO since 1995. He created BruteForceSEO and builds the Rank family of tools, including RankResults.