AI Visibility Score Explained: The 2026 Local Business Guide
What the score actually measures
The AI Visibility Score tests a panel of 20-40 buyer-intent queries per business - questions an actual customer would type into ChatGPT, Gemini or Perplexity. For each query we record four signals: (1) inclusion - was the business surfaced at all, (2) position - first cited, mid-list, or last, (3) recommendation strength - was it described favorably, neutrally, or as an afterthought, and (4) entity confidence - did the engine cite the correct entity (right name, right city, right service). These four signals are normalized into a 0-100 composite, with inclusion and position weighted highest because they drive the click.
Check your AI Visibility Score
Free, takes ~90 seconds, no credit card. Get your composite score across 9 visibility categories.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a good AI Visibility Score?
65+ is top-quartile for local businesses, 80+ is top-decile. Average is 35-50.
How often is the score recalculated?
Monthly by default through the Auto Monthly Visibility Check, with on-demand re-runs available at any time.
Which engines are tested?
ChatGPT, Google Gemini (including AI Overviews) and Perplexity, weighted equally.
How many queries are in the panel?
20-40 buyer-intent queries per business, tailored to the industry and city.
What's the single biggest lever?
Schema density - LocalBusiness, FAQPage and Service schema on every commercial-intent page.
How fast can the score move?
8-15 points within 30 days when schema and direct-answer copy are deployed together.
Does the score include AI Overviews?
Yes - AI Overviews are Gemini-powered and counted inside the Gemini third of the composite.
Is this the same as a traditional rank tracker?
No. Rank trackers check URL positions on a SERP. AI Visibility checks whether the business itself appears inside an AI answer.
Why is my organic rank high but my AI Visibility low?
Almost always missing schema and missing direct-answer copy. Both ship in under two weeks.
Do reviews really matter for AI?
Yes - Gemini reads Google reviews directly and Perplexity weights review velocity heavily in its recommendation logic.
How does entity confidence get measured?
We check that each engine cites the correct business name, city and service when asked. Wrong-entity citations count as zero.
What if my industry isn't covered?
Default queries fall back to category-level buyer intents. Custom panels can be configured for niche industries.
Does branded query volume matter?
Indirectly - branded volume increases Knowledge Graph entity confidence, which lifts Gemini citation accuracy.
Will this score keep changing as AI evolves?
Yes. The cohort baseline recomputes monthly so the benchmark moves with the market.
How is it different from the overall Visibility Score?
AI Visibility is one of nine categories. The overall Visibility Score is the composite across all nine.
Can I see what the engines are saying about me?
Yes - the audit shows inclusion rate, citation position and the actual quoted text per engine.
Does this work for multi-location businesses?
Yes - each location gets its own score and the parent brand gets a rolled-up composite.
What's the lowest-effort win?
Deploy FAQPage schema with 6-8 buyer questions on your top three service pages. Usually 5-8 points within two weeks.
Check your AI Visibility Score
Free, takes ~90 seconds, no credit card. Get your composite score across 9 visibility categories.