AI visibility9 min read

AI visibility for tech consultancies: how to measure and track it

Google rankings tell you where a page sits. They do not tell you whether ChatGPT names your firm when a buyer asks who to hire. That gap is AI visibility, and for tech consultancies it is becoming the first filter on a shortlist. This guide explains what AI visibility is, how to measure it properly and how to track it month by month.

The short answer

AI visibility is how often AI assistants name your firm when buyers ask for recommendations. Measure it by asking a fixed set of buyer questions across ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity and Google AI each month, recording who is named, and calculating your share of answers against named competitors. Track the trend, not a single result, and tie each change to a specific fix.

Short answer: AI visibility is your share of AI answers. Ask the same buyer questions across the main assistants every month, record which firms are named, and compare your share with named competitors.

What is AI visibility?

AI visibility is the frequency with which AI assistants mention or recommend your firm in answers to relevant buyer questions. It covers ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity and Google AI Overviews. Unlike a search ranking, there is no single position. The same question can produce different firms on different days, so visibility is measured as a share across many answers.

Why it matters for tech consultancies

Buyers of consulting services ask assistants for shortlists: "best ServiceNow partners for ITSM in the UK" or "AWS consultancies for data migration". The firms named in that answer start the conversation ahead. Firms that are absent are rarely considered, however strong their delivery record.

How to measure AI search visibility

  1. Build a fixed question set: 20 to 30 questions a buyer would ask, covering your platform, service, sector and region.
  2. Run every question across ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity and Google AI, in a clean session without your history.
  3. Record each firm named, its position in the answer and whether it was recommended or only mentioned.
  4. Calculate share of answers: the percentage of answers that name you, alongside the same figure for three named competitors.
  5. Note the sources each assistant cites, because they show where your firm needs to appear.

Infographic

The monthly AI visibility cycle

  1. 01Ask

    1. Fixed buyer questions

  2. 02Record

    2. Who is named, and where

  3. 03Compare

    3. Share against competitors

  4. 04Fix

    4. Pages, mentions, structure

  5. 05Repeat

    5. Track the trend

What to track each month

  • Share of AI answers, overall and by assistant.
  • Recommendation rate: how often you are recommended rather than simply listed.
  • Competitor share for the same questions.
  • Cited sources: the directories, articles and pages assistants rely on.
  • Accuracy: whether the description of your firm is correct.

AI visibility tracking tools versus manual audits

Tracking tools automate the questioning and save time at scale. A manual audit is slower but shows the full answer, the tone and the sources, which is where the fixes come from. Most consultancies benefit from a careful baseline audit first, then lighter monthly tracking.

How AI visibility relates to SEO and GEO

Generative engine optimisation (GEO) is the work that improves AI visibility. It overlaps with SEO: clear pages, structured data and authoritative mentions help both. The difference is the measure. SEO tracks rankings and clicks; AI visibility tracks whether you are named in the answer.

Common mistakes

  • Judging visibility from one question on one day.
  • Changing the question set every month, which breaks the trend.
  • Tracking mentions without checking whether the description is accurate.
  • Measuring without competitors, so no result has context.

Common questions

What is AI visibility?

AI visibility is how often AI assistants such as ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity and Google AI mention or recommend your firm when buyers ask relevant questions. It is measured as a share of answers rather than a single ranking.

How do you measure AI search visibility?

Ask a fixed set of buyer questions across the main assistants, record which firms are named in each answer, and calculate your share of answers against named competitors. Repeat monthly with the same questions.

How often should AI visibility be tracked?

Monthly is enough for most consultancies. Answers vary day to day, so a consistent monthly cycle with the same question set shows the real trend.

Is AI visibility the same as GEO?

No. AI visibility is the measure; generative engine optimisation is the work that improves it.

Want help putting this into practice?

We help tech consultancies improve AI visibility and reach buyers through email and LinkedIn.

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