Not sure where you stand with AI visibility? Before diving into complex optimization strategies, run this quick audit. In 30 minutes, you'll know exactly where you need to focus.
Audit Item #1: Test Your Visibility (5 minutes)
What to Do:
- Open ChatGPT (or Claude or Gemini)
- Ask: "Who's the best [your service type] in [your city]?"
- Ask: "Recommend a [your service type] for [common customer need]"
- Note whether you appear, where you appear, and what's said about you
What You're Looking For:
Green Light
You're mentioned, information is accurate
Yellow Light
You're mentioned but info is wrong or incomplete
Red Light
You're not mentioned at all
Record Your Baseline:
| Query | ChatGPT | Claude | Gemini | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Best [X] in [City]" | ||||
| "[X] for [need]" | ||||
| "[Your name]" |
This is your starting point. Everything else you do should improve these results.
Audit Item #2: Google Business Profile Completeness (10 minutes)
What to Do:
- Go to your Google Business Profile dashboard
- Check every field against this list
- Note what's missing or incomplete
The Checklist:
Basic Information:
- Business name (correct, consistent with website)
- Primary category (most specific option selected)
- Secondary categories (all relevant ones added)
- Address (correct, verified)
- Phone number (correct, matches website)
- Website URL (correct, links work)
- Hours of operation (current, including holidays)
Services:
- Services list added
- Each service has a description
- Prices added (if applicable)
Description:
- Business description written (750 characters max—use them)
- Location mentioned
- Key services mentioned
- Differentiators included
Photos:
- Logo uploaded (clear, professional)
- Cover photo (high quality)
- Exterior photo (helps customers find you)
- Interior photos (3-5 minimum)
- Team photos
- Service/product photos
Attributes:
- All relevant attributes selected
- Accessibility options noted
- Payment methods listed
- Service options (delivery, pickup, etc.)
Engagement:
- Questions answered
- Posts within last 30 days
- All reviews responded to
Score Yourself:
Audit Item #3: Information Consistency (10 minutes)
What to Do:
Search your business name on Google. Check the first 10 results for consistency.
Check These Elements:
Business Name:
- Is it exactly the same everywhere?
- Common issues: "ABC Plumbing" vs "ABC Plumbing LLC" vs "ABC Plumbing Services"
Address:
- Same format everywhere?
- Common issues: "123 Main St" vs "123 Main Street, Suite 100"
Phone Number:
- Same number everywhere?
- Same format? "(555) 123-4567" vs "555-123-4567"
Hours:
- Matching across platforms?
- Updated for current schedule?
Services:
- Described consistently?
- Same core services listed?
Create a Consistency Score:
Check 5 platforms (Google, Yelp, your website, one industry directory, Facebook):
- All match exactly: 5 points
- Minor formatting differences: 3 points
- Different information: 0 points
Score:
- 20-25: Excellent consistency
- 15-19: Good, minor fixes needed
- 10-14: Concerning—audit and fix
- Below 10: Critical inconsistency problem
Audit Item #4: Review Profile Assessment (3 minutes)
What to Do:
Check your review presence across platforms:
Google Reviews:
- Total review count: ___
- Average rating: ___
- Most recent review date: ___
- Response rate: ___%
Yelp (if applicable):
- Total review count: ___
- Average rating: ___
- Most recent review date: ___
Industry Directory (if applicable):
- Platform: ___
- Total review count: ___
- Average rating: ___
Assessment Benchmarks:
| Metric | Green | Yellow | Red |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google Review Count | 50+ | 20-49 | Under 20 |
| Average Rating | 4.5+ | 4.0-4.4 | Under 4.0 |
| Most Recent Review | Last 14 days | Last 30 days | Over 30 days |
| Response Rate | 100% | 75%+ | Under 75% |
Your Review Health:
- Mostly Green: Strong foundation
- Mostly Yellow: Room for improvement
- Any Red: Prioritize this area
Audit Item #5: LLMS.txt and Structured Data (2 minutes)
What to Do:
- Visit
yourwebsite.com/llms.txt - Visit
yourwebsite.com/robots.txt - Run your site through Google's Rich Results Test
LLMS.txt Check:
- File exists at yoursite.com/llms.txt
- File is publicly accessible (loads in browser)
- Contains business name and description
- Contains service list
- Contains location/service area
- Contains contact information
- Information is current and accurate
Robots.txt Check:
- File exists (most sites should have one)
- Doesn't block important pages
- Doesn't block search engines
Schema Markup Check:
Go to: https://search.google.com/test/rich-results Enter your homepage URL.
Results:
- LocalBusiness schema detected
- No critical errors
- Organization schema present (bonus)
Your Audit Results Summary
Fill in your scores:
| Audit Item | Status | Priority |
|---|---|---|
| AI Visibility Test | Green/Yellow/Red | |
| Google Business Profile | __% complete | |
| Information Consistency | __/25 | |
| Review Profile | Green/Yellow/Red | |
| LLMS.txt & Schema | Yes/No/Partial |
Priority Actions
Based on your audit, here's what to tackle first:
If You're Not Appearing in AI at All:
- Complete Google Business Profile (this week)
- Create LLMS.txt file (today)
- Fix any consistency issues (this week)
- Begin review collection (ongoing)
If You Appear But With Wrong Info:
- Identify source of incorrect information
- Update all platforms with correct info
- Create LLMS.txt with accurate details
- Monitor for changes
If You Appear But Not Prominently:
- Build review volume and recency
- Complete directory presence
- Create more specific content
- Monitor competitor positioning
If Google Business Profile Is Incomplete:
- Complete all fields (priority 1)
- Add photos
- Write full description
- Set up regular posting schedule
If Consistency Is Poor:
- Create master business information document
- Update all platforms to match
- Set quarterly consistency audit reminders
If Reviews Are Weak:
- Implement review collection process
- Respond to all existing reviews
- Diversify to multiple platforms
If No LLMS.txt/Schema:
- Create LLMS.txt file today
- Add basic schema markup this week
- Test to verify implementation
Quick Wins You Can Do Today
Right Now (10 minutes):
- Create basic LLMS.txt file
- Respond to any unresponded reviews
Today (30 minutes):
- Update Google Business Profile hours if stale
- Add missing photos to Google Business Profile
- Write one Google Business Profile post
This Week (2 hours):
- Complete Google Business Profile fully
- Fix top consistency issues
- Email 5 recent customers asking for reviews
Scheduling Your Next Audit
AI visibility isn't "set and forget." Schedule regular check-ins:
Weekly:
- Check for new reviews and respond
- Monitor any AI mentions
Monthly:
- Run AI visibility tests
- Check review counts and ratings
- Post to Google Business Profile
Quarterly:
- Full consistency audit
- Update LLMS.txt file
- Review and update service descriptions
- Check competitor positioning
Beyond the Audit: Automated Tracking
Manual auditing works but is time-intensive. BrandIndex AI automates:
- Continuous visibility monitoring across AI platforms
- Automatic consistency checking
- Review tracking and alerts
- Competitor position tracking
- Actionable improvement recommendations
For businesses serious about AI visibility, automated tracking ensures you catch issues immediately rather than waiting for quarterly audits.
Conclusion
This 30-minute audit gives you a clear picture of your AI visibility status:
- Direct Visibility: Are you appearing in AI recommendations?
- Google Business Profile: Is your most important asset complete?
- Consistency: Is your information aligned across the web?
- Reviews: Do you have the social proof AI values?
- Technical: Are you making it easy for AI to understand you?
Run this audit today. Note your results. Then focus your optimization efforts on your weakest areas.
Ready for deeper visibility tracking? BrandIndex AI provides ongoing automated monitoring across all major AI platforms.