Maria is an experienced marketing professional in both B2C and B2B spaces. She’s earned certifications in inbound marketing, content marketing, Google Analytics, and PR. Her favorite topics include digital marketing, social media, and AI. When she’s not immersed in digital marketing and writing, she’s running, swimming, biking, or playing with her dogs.
I’ve personally used AI chatbots to draft travel itineraries. Google AI Overview summarizes key points from different websites when I look for information — from the best way to cook steaks to how to clean a mattress.
The evolving search landscape means marketers face new challenges and opportunities. Is your brand visible in AI-powered search? Is your website optimized to appear in AI search results?
Keep reading to get answers and learn about these topics:
Why it’s important to track your AI search rankings
Today, it’s more important than ever to track your AI search visibility to ensure your target audience becomes aware of your business, whether they’re using AI chatbots or getting curated info from Google AI Overviews or Bing CoPilot.
Search engine optimization (SEO) professionals predict that Google’s AI Overviews will decrease organic traffic by up to 60%. This means businesses must adapt and diversify their digital marketing strategies.
However, that’s not to say AI-powered search doesn’t benefit your business. AI Overviews and AI chatbot responses may mention your brand and provide links to your pages, thus improving your reach and impressions. Users may even click on the links and visit your site!
That’s why it helps to monitor your AI search visibility. It’s like scanning the forest of search results — you want to know whether your brand stands out for relevant searches.
Note that AI search results are still evolving. In addition, one user’s prompt or search may result in a different set of answers from another user, leading us to the next topic.
What are the challenges of tracking AI search visibility?
You may find that tracking your brand on AI searches is not as straightforward as monitoring your rankings in search engine results pages (SERPs) due to the following reasons:
If you want to see if Google’s AI Overview or generative AI chatbots mention your brand, prepare to check different platforms. That’s because you’ll see various results, even with the same prompt.
For example, let’s say you are in the business of home cleaning in Harrisburg, PA, and want to check your AI search visibility. You may find that ChatGPT’s response may differ from Bing CoPilot’s for the prompt “best home cleaning service provider in Harrisburg, PA,” as shown here:
ChatGPT’s response provides a list of home cleaners and offers a tip to check their reviews. On the other hand, Bing CoPilot provides a different list and offers to answer follow-up questions from the user:
2. AI responses are personalized
AI models may give different results based on location, search history, and other factors. As a result, you may either overestimate or underestimate your visibility in AI-generated results.
3. AI search results’ algorithms are evolving
“AI search engine results are constantly changing,” says Justin Drumm, Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) Analyst at TeamAI and Nutshell.
When Google AI Overviews first rolled out in early 2024, users had to be signed into their Google account to see them in the SERPs. Today, searchers are served AI Overviews even when they’re not logged in.
ChatGPT was not connected to the Internet when it was launched in 2022 and was only trained with data from 2021 and older. A lot has changed since then.
OpenAI recently announced ChatGPT search, which is connected to the Internet and lets users select it if they want the latest information from web sources. Users can access it through a web browser or through the desktop and mobile apps.
AI search results’ algorithms will continue to evolve to suit users’ needs.
Expert insights from
Justin DrummCRO Analyst at TeamAI and Nutshell
“Businesses must stay up to date on the latest [AI] developments to ensure they’re optimizing their content for the best possible results.”
How to monitor your AI search visibility
You can track your AI search visibility using different methods and tools:
How: Use a generative AI chatbot or search engine using keywords relevant to your business.
Using these tools is a simple (but not exact science) method of finding out if your business appears in AI search summaries or responses.
Search and ask questions like your target audience. Use long-tail keywords and prompts your customer may use to solve their problems and find your solutions. Note that AI Overviews typically show up for informational searches.
Your SEO effort of keyword research will come in handy at this stage. Tools like KeywordsFX can generate relevant keywords to get you started!
2. Google Search Console
How: Check the “Performance Report for Search Results”
As of this writing, Google Search Console doesn’t have an AI Overviews report. Instead, this free SEO tool provides the count of links appearing in AI Overviews.
Go to “Performance Report for Search Results,” where the link impressions are included in the total.
3. Semrush
How: Use Position Tracking to check your AI Overview visibility.
SEO tools like Semrush can help you track AI search visibility. Here’s how you can use Position Tracking:
Click Position Tracking.
Enter your website and the keywords you want to track.
Go to Overview.
Click the SERPs Feature dropdown and select AI Overview.
Pro tip: You can also check your competitors’ performance in AI Overview through this tool.
4. Ahrefs
How: Use the Site Explorer feature.
Ahrefs is another tool you can use for AI rank tracking. This tool lets you discover which of your pages are visible in AI Overviews and for which keywords.
You can do so through these steps:
Go to Ahrefs’ Site Explorer.
Input your website.
Under Organic search, click Organic keywords.
Click the SERP features dropdown button.
Select AI overview, and click Apply.
Click Show results.
Let experts track your AI search rankings — and help you reach more prospects
The search landscape is evolving, and so are people’s search behaviors.
Some users are turning to generative AI chatbots for answers. Meanwhile, search engines serve curated web content to serve users.
Tracking your AI search visibility is crucial to ensure your prospects discover your brand, regardless of their search behavior. Partnering with an agency like WebFX that stays current on the latest in AI and SEO can help you stay ahead of your competitors.
When you team up with WebFX, a full-service digital marketing agency that’s been in business for 25+ years, you have an extended marketing team that knows the latest in search algorithms and AI. You can rest assured that your strategies can reach your audience and result in bottom-line growth.
Boost your site’s search performance with our free SEO Checker. Analyze your website for optimization tips on titles, headers, content, speed, and more.
Boost your site’s search performance with our free SEO Checker. Analyze your website for optimization tips on titles, headers, content, speed, and more.
Maria is an experienced marketing professional in both B2C and B2B spaces. She’s earned certifications in inbound marketing, content marketing, Google Analytics, and PR. Her favorite topics include digital marketing, social media, and AI. When she’s not immersed in digital marketing and writing, she’s running, swimming, biking, or playing with her dogs.
