What is an AI visibility audit?

TL;DR: an AI search visibility audit shows what ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Perplexity tell buyers about a brand. It repeats real buyer prompts, scores each answer, compares rivals, and checks key claims. The result is an evidence-backed diagnosis and a clear fix plan.

What does it actually measure?

• Mention rate — how often the brand appears in answers at all.
• Recommendation rate — how often engines endorse it as a pick.
• Citation rate — how often the brand's own site is used as a source.
• Share of voice — the brand's slice of all brand mentions in its category.
• Accuracy — whether what engines claim (prices, products, capabilities) is true.

What separates a real audit from a scan?

A real audit has breadth and repeat tests. AI answers change from one run to the next, so the audit reports the spread. It covers comparison, problem, brand-check, and rival prompts across the buyer journey. It tests several engines and compares competitors. A quick scan often gives one number without this context.

What arrives at the end?

You receive a scorecard, share-of-voice charts, prompt-level results, and raw proof for flagged claims. The report explains root causes such as crawler access, schema, or mixed company facts. It ends with a ranked roadmap. We also include the raw export and a dashboard for 90 days. See the full sample.

What does one cost?

Our June 2026 market survey found $27 scans, $497–2,497 small audits, our $950 audit, and agency work from $4,500. Monitoring tools averaged about $337 per month. Compare prompt count, engine count, repeat runs, evidence, and analysis—not the headline price alone.

Who actually needs one?

It suits firms whose buyers research before a call. A 2026 Wynter survey found that 84% of B2B SaaS CMOs used LLMs for vendor discovery. Our buyer brief explains the source and context. If AI helps form the shortlist, measure what those answers say. Thefree snapshot is a useful first check.

Frequently asked questions

• How is AI visibility calculated?
  We use repeat runs. Mention rate counts answers that name the brand. Citation rate counts answers that use its site. Recommendation rate counts endorsements. Share of voice compares its mentions with all brand mentions in the category.
• How much does an AI visibility audit cost?
  Our June 2026 survey found a wide range. Automated scans began at $27. Small audits cost $497–2,497. Our 50–150-prompt audit costs $950. Agency projects began near $4,500. Ask for prompt, engine, and run counts in writing.
• Is an audit better than a monitoring tool?
  They do different jobs. A dashboard tracks change over time. An audit explains what is true now, why it is true, and what to fix first. Start with a sound diagnosis, then monitor the fixes.