AI search methodology
Our AI Visibility Methodology
Last reviewed: August 19, 2026
Five phases, one locked prompt universe, and two scores per prompt — citation and recommendation. Everything we publish about your program traces back to this framework.
- 01
Discover
- 02
Map
- 03
Optimize
- 04
Build authority
- 05
Measure
The five-phase framework
Phase 1
Discover
We build the prompt universe: 100+ real buyer questions derived from your buyer research, sales-call language, and named competitor set. Nothing downstream is trustworthy if the prompts aren't the ones your buyers actually type.
Phase 2
Map
We baseline every prompt across ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Gemini, Perplexity and Copilot, scoring citation and recommendation separately, then map the source ecosystem — the third-party sites the engines actually pull from in your category.
Phase 3
Optimize
Answer-first page structure, entity clarity, schema and structured data, and retrieval-friendly technical foundations. The goal is to make your content the easiest correct source for a model to lift.
Phase 4
Build Authority
Earned coverage, expert commentary, and Gap-Fill Placement on the specific third-party sources the mapping phase proved the engines rely on — never volume placement for its own sake.
Phase 5
Measure
The prompt universe is locked and re-run on a fixed cadence. Monthly reporting shows citation movement and recommendation movement as separate lines, with a quarterly competitor benchmark.
The seven prompt-intent types
Every prompt universe is built from these seven intents so coverage spans the full buying journey, from unaware category discovery to late-stage pricing checks.
- 01
Category discovery
"What tools exist for X?" — the buyer doesn't yet know the vendor landscape.
- 02
Comparison
"A vs B" — two named options are already on the shortlist.
- 03
Alternatives
"Alternatives to A" — an incumbent exists and is being displaced.
- 04
Problem-led
The buyer describes a symptom, not a product category, and asks how to solve it.
- 05
Constraint-led
Requirements-first prompts: compliance, region, integrations, team size, budget ceiling.
- 06
Validation
"Is A any good?" — a decision is nearly made and the engine is being used as a reference check.
- 07
Pricing
Cost, licensing, and total-spend prompts, where published numbers strongly influence the answer.
Methodology FAQ
Ranking is no longer enough
You need to be cited, mentioned, and recommended.
Being cited, mentioned, and recommended are three different outcomes, and most brands only ever achieve the first one. Ranking is no longer enough because AI engines answer buyers directly and name only a short list of vendors as the recommendation — everyone else is cited in passing, if at all. Get a free AI Visibility Report to see exactly where your brand appears today across ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Gemini, Perplexity, and Copilot, where competitors are winning the recommendation instead, and what's keeping you from moving up the shortlist.