How to measure AI search citations: AEO and GEO tracking explained.

Measuring AI search visibility means tracking how often AI assistants and AI search features mention or link to your brand when people ask relevant questions. Because answers change from run to run, the goal is to measure a trend across many prompts over time rather than to check one answer.

What AEO and GEO tools actually measure

• ▸Mention rate: the share of tracked prompts where your brand appears.
• ▸Citation rate: how often your site is linked as a source.
• ▸Share of voice: your mentions compared with competitors on the same prompts.
• ▸Sentiment and accuracy: whether the description of your business is positive and correct.
• ▸Prompt coverage: which questions you appear for and which you miss.

A simple DIY method

1. 1List 20 to 30 questions your customers would ask an AI assistant.
2. 2Run each on ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, and Google, and record whether you are mentioned or cited.
3. 3Repeat monthly from the same locations and note changes.
4. 4Compare against two or three competitors.

Use your own analytics too

• ▸Check Google Analytics 4 referral traffic from chatgpt.com, perplexity.ai, and similar sources.
• ▸Review server logs or analytics for AI crawler visits.
• ▸Track branded search growth, which often rises when AI mentions increase.

Why scores differ between tools

Each tool uses its own prompt set, locations, and scoring, so numbers are not comparable across tools. Pick one method and stay consistent. Be cautious about tools that promise forecasts of citation growth, since the underlying systems are unpredictable. Read whether agencies can guarantee citations.

Improve what you measure

When tracking shows gaps, the fixes are familiar: clearer answers, stronger structured data, more authoritative mentions, and fresh, specific content. Start with our AEO and GEO guide and our content strategy guide, or talk to us about an AI search plan.