How to Check Your AI Visibility (and Improve It)

We’re excited to share something we’ve been working on: the AI Visibility Grader. It’s a free tool that helps you see how your content performs in AI search tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google’s new AI-generated results.

You paste in a short block of copy, like your homepage intro or product description.

The tool reads your content and gives it a letter grade. It also shows a sample AI summary and gives you tips to make your writing more likely to show up in AI answers.

We built it because something big is changing.

These days, when someone wants to learn about your company, they might not go to Google and click a link. They ask an AI instead.

They might use ChatGPT to find the best design studios in Austin. Or Perplexity to compare CRM tools. Or Google’s new AI results to see what makes one consulting firm stand out from another.

And here’s the shift. These tools don’t show long lists of websites anymore. They give a short, direct answer, usually based on just one or two sources.

If your brand isn’t part of that answer, you’re not even in the conversation.

That’s what we mean by AI visibility.

It means AI tools can find your content and mention it in their answers. You’re not just online. You’re part of what people actually read.

Most brands have no idea how they show up in AI results. That’s why we built the grader. And it’s why we’re writing this post. We want to show you how AI visibility works, why it matters, and how to improve it using content you already have.

What Is AI Visibility, Exactly?

AI visibility means your content shows up clearly in answers written by tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, or Google’s AI-powered search results. Being online isn’t enough. You need to show up in the answers people actually see.

Think of it like this: if someone asks an AI, “What’s a good project management tool for small teams?” and the response says, “Trello is a simple, flexible option used by thousands of teams,” that’s AI visibility. Trello didn’t just show up. It got mentioned by name, with a clear value prop, in a place where people are looking for answers.

That mention shapes what people remember. And if your brand isn’t part of that response, you’re missing the moment.

So what helps your brand make it into the answer?

AI tools scan tons of online content. But they’re not just looking for keywords. They’re trying to find content that feels clear, helpful, and reliable. That means your copy needs to do a few things really well:

• Be clear about what you do and who you serve
• Include proof points like years in business, customer results, awards, or press mentions
• Use clean structure that’s easy to scan and summarize
• Avoid vague or buzzword-heavy language that says a lot but means nothing

For example, “We help healthcare startups streamline patient onboarding with custom software” gives the AI a lot to work with. It’s specific. It’s clear. It shows purpose. Compare that to something like, “We build human-centered solutions that empower businesses to grow.” That might sound polished, but it tells the AI almost nothing.

This is where AI visibility breaks from traditional SEO, which focuses on things like keywords, backlinks, and metadata. Those things still matter, but in this new landscape, they’re not enough.

Now, it’s about writing in a way that helps AI systems understand you, trust you, and summarize you. If your content is easy to quote and clearly grounded in facts, it’s more likely to be included.

In short, AI visibility means your brand isn’t just out there. It’s being recognized in the answers that matter.

How AI Visibility Actually Works

When someone types a question into ChatGPT, Perplexity, or Google’s AI-generated results, the tool doesn’t just list websites. It creates a written response, pulling in information from different sources across the web.

Only a handful of those sources make it into the final answer. And most of the time, only one or two brands are mentioned by name. So how does the AI decide who gets included?

Here’s a simple breakdown of what’s happening behind the scenes:

1. The AI looks for relevant content across trusted sources

Depending on the platform, the AI might use real-time search data, its own internal training set, or a combination of both. ChatGPT, for example, can browse the web if browsing is enabled, but it also leans on patterns it learned during training. Perplexity searches the open web and cites sources directly. Google’s AI-powered results pull from the pages it already indexes.

In each case, the tool scans tons of content. But it doesn’t treat every source equally. It prioritizes ones that seem trustworthy and easy to parse.

2. It favors content that’s clear, specific, and well-structured

Once the AI finds a few promising pieces of content, it looks for language it can quote or summarize. This is where structure and clarity matter a lot.

Content that includes concrete facts, real numbers, and recognizable names is easier for the AI to use. So is content that gets to the point quickly. Short sentences with a clear message tend to win out over long, abstract paragraphs.

The AI is not reading your whole website line by line. It’s skimming, just like a person might. And it wants content that gives it answers it can trust and reuse.

3. It assembles a response using the most helpful pieces

From there, the AI pulls pieces together to form a full response. It might stitch together sentences from two or three sources. Or it might use one brand’s content as the main source and fill in the rest.

What shows up in that response is what the user sees. If your brand is named, or if your content is quoted, you’ve earned visibility. If not, you’re invisible to that user.

This is why AI visibility matters so much. These answers are shaping not just what people find, but what they believe. If your competitor gets cited as a top choice in your category, that shapes perception. And it’s not just for product searches. People are asking AI tools who to hire, where to donate, which service to trust, and what companies are most reliable.

If your message isn’t clear enough to be pulled into that moment, you’re not part of the decision.

Key takeaway: AI visibility is earned by how you write

It’s not just a technical game. You don’t need to trick the algorithm. You just need to help it understand what makes your brand useful, credible, and worth mentioning.

When your content is specific, grounded in facts, and structured in a way that makes it easy to quote, you put yourself in a much better position to be included.

And that’s where the AI Visibility Grader comes in.

Test Your Content with the AI Visibility Grader

Once you understand how AI visibility works, the next step is to test your own content. That’s exactly what the AI Visibility Grader is for.

It’s a free tool we built to show how a short block of copy (like your homepage intro or About section) might perform in AI tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity.

To show you what that looks like in practice, we ran a quick test using a paragraph from one of our favorite Denver coffee shops: Sweet Bloom Coffee Roasters. This is not a sponsored placement. We just love their coffee, as do lots of people. They’re also known for their strong community values and commitment to education.

What You’ll See

You start by pasting in a short block of text. It could be your homepage intro, your About section, or a quick pitch from your product page.

Here’s what the grader returned in our example:

🤖 AI Summary

This shows how an AI might summarize your content in a real answer. It helps you see if your message is coming through clearly.

This content highlights Sweet Bloom Coffee Roasters’ focus on fostering community through a shared love for coffee, showcasing their commitment to quality, craftsmanship, and education in every aspect of their business.

🎯 Grade

You’ll get a letter grade based on how clear, specific, and structured your copy is. A high grade means it’s easy for AI to understand and use. A lower grade means there’s room to sharpen it up.

B – The content effectively conveys the company’s values and offerings, but could benefit from more specific examples and details to further engage the audience

💡 Improvement Ideas

You’ll see quick suggestions to make your copy stronger.

– Provide specific anecdotes or customer testimonials to illustrate the impact of community
building efforts.

– Include more information on sustainability practices or partnerships with coffee growers to showcase the company’s commitment to ethical sourcing.

– Incorporate visuals or multimedia elements to enhance the storytelling and bring the coffee experience to life for readers.

📌 Why It Matters

Each result ends with a short note explaining why these edits help. It connects your words to how people (and AI tools) understand and trust your brand.

Clarity and credibility are essential for building trust with consumers, especially in the competitive coffee industry where customers are increasingly looking for brands with authentic stories and values. By enhancing the content with more specific details and engaging elements, Sweet Bloom Coffee Roasters can strengthen their visibility and connection with their target audience.

A Quick Note Before You Use the AI Visibility Grader

The AI Visibility Grader looks at one block of text. That’s it. It doesn’t scan your entire site or evaluate every signal an AI tool might consider.

And to be clear, no tool can give you a full-picture AI visibility score in one click. Some may claim to, but that’s just not how these systems work. AI visibility is made up of many factors: your copy, your structure, your reputation, your mentions across the web, etc. It’s not a magic bullet. It’s a series of small, clear signals that add up over time.

This grader is one way to check if your message is coming through. It’s focused, fast, and helpful, but it’s not the final word.

That’s why we’ve built a whole site to help brands improve visibility across the tools people actually use. This grader handles one piece of the puzzle. It just happens to be one of the easiest places to start.

A Real-World Example: How Nike Alphafly 3 Shows Up in AI Search

To see how this plays out in real life, let’s look at a product that stands out in AI search: the Nike Alphafly 3.

We asked Perplexity a simple question:

“What are the top running shoes for road marathons?”

One of the top results was the Nike Alphafly 3. Here’s how Perplexity described it:

Perplexity’s summary:

Widely regarded as the best overall marathon racing shoe, the Alphafly 3 delivers exceptional propulsion, stability, and cushioning thanks to its combination of ZoomX foam, dual Air Zoom pods, and a widened carbon plate. It’s especially suited for runners aiming for personal bests, though its premium features come at a higher price and it’s not ideal for everyday training.

Now compare that to a paragraph from the Nike Alphafly 3 product page:

Nike’s copy:

Fine-tuned for marathon speed, the Alphafly 3 helps push you beyond what you thought possible. Three innovative technologies power your run: A double dose of Air Zoom units helps launch you into your next step; a full-length carbon fiber plate helps propel you forward with ease; and a heel-to-toe ZoomX foam midsole helps keep you fresh from start to finish.

What This Shows

Perplexity’s summary doesn’t quote Nike directly, but it clearly pulls from the same core language and product details:

• It mentions all three key technologies (ZoomX foam, Air Zoom pods, carbon plate)
• It uses similar phrases like “propulsion” and “personal bests” that echo Nike’s ideas
• It adds extra context (price, training suitability), but the foundation comes from Nike’s own copy

Why This Matters for Your Brand

This is a real example of how AI visibility works. Nike didn’t show up in the AI answer by accident. Their product page made it easy for the AI to understand what the Alphafly 3 is, why it matters, and who it’s for.

When your content is clear, detailed, and built on real proof, AI tools can actually use it. That’s how you show up in answers.

If the AI quotes your site or names your product, you shape what the user sees first. You become part of the story instead of sitting on the sidelines.

And even in a crowded market, good writing can help your brand stand out.

What You Can Do Today

If you want a quick, clear way to start improving your AI visibility, try the AI Visibility Grader. You paste in a short piece of copy, like your homepage intro or About section, and the tool shows you how it holds up. You’ll get a sample AI summary, a letter grade, and three specific suggestions to make your content more visible in AI-generated answers.

It’s the easiest way to get instant feedback. No digging through search results. No guessing what the AI sees. Just a fast, helpful look at how well your message is landing.

But if you’re ready to go a little deeper, here’s another method that gives you a broader view. This one takes more time, but it shows you how AI tools choose which brands to feature and why.

This process helps you understand the landscape. You’ll see which brands are standing out, and what kind of content is helping them get picked up by AI tools. It’s more hands-on than using the grader, but it’s incredibly valuable if you want to improve your visibility long-term.

Both approaches work well on their own. Together, they give you two powerful ways to learn, adapt, and create content that stands out in AI search.

Final Thoughts: Visibility Starts with Clarity

AI search is changing how people discover brands. Instead of scrolling through a list of links, people get a fast, focused answer. And if your content doesn’t make it into that answer, your brand stays out of view.

That’s where AI visibility comes in. It helps make sure your brand is included, understood, and trusted by the tools people are turning to every day.

And the best part? You don’t have to guess what’s working.

The AI Visibility Grader gives you quick, focused feedback on a single piece of content. If you want to go deeper, you can test AI prompts, see which brands get mentioned, and learn from the content that helped them stand out.

The clearer and more specific your message, the more likely you are to be included in the answers people actually read.

So take a few minutes. Run your content through the grader. Try a prompt. Make your message easier to grab and repeat.

Your visibility starts there.

Want to see how your content stacks up?

Try the AI Visibility Grader. It’s completely free, takes less than a minute, and doesn’t require an email. Just paste in your copy and get instant feedback on how well it’s likely to perform in AI search results. If you find it useful, share it with someone else who’s trying to stand out in AI search. While you’re at it, be sure to check out our custom Competitive Clarity Scanner to compare your brand copy against a competitor’s to see which is clearer, more focused, and more likely to be surfaced by AI.

Try the AI Visibility Grader

FAQs