AI visibility, explained
AI visibility is the AI-era counterpart of search visibility. Instead of asking where a website ranks for a keyword, it asks what happens when a real client puts a real question to an AI assistant: is the brand named, where in the answer does it appear, is it described correctly, and which competitors are named instead?
Three qualities matter. Presence is whether the brand is mentioned at all. Prominence is whether it is recommended first, listed among several, or mentioned in passing. Accuracy is whether the description is right: services, location, specialty, reputation. A brand can be highly present and still poorly served if assistants describe it with outdated or wrong facts.
AI visibility is measured by prompt sampling: a fixed set of realistic questions run across assistants at regular intervals, with the results recorded consistently. Across a set of questions this produces a view of AI share of voice and of which sources the answers rely on. Because AI answers vary from one run to the next, single screenshots are anecdotes; trends across a stable question set are evidence.
Improving AI visibility is the work of answer engine optimization and generative engine optimization. An AI visibility audit is the usual first step.