What is an AI visibility score? How to read it and what counts as “good”

An AI visibility score is a percentage that shows how often AI assistants such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Claude mention your organisation when they answer customers' questions. If you are mentioned in 4 out of 20 answers, your visibility is 20%. In a single number, the score tells you how well AI knows you and recommends you.

Why you need a visibility score

On Google, you can look up your ranking. With AI assistants it is not that simple. Every conversation is different, and every model gives its own answer. You cannot check once and know where you stand.

A visibility score solves that. You ask a fixed set of questions (prompts) to several models and count how often you appear in the answers. That gives you a number you can compare: with last week, with your competitors and between the models themselves.

How is the score calculated?

The basics are simple. You have a list of questions your customers ask AI, for example "Which plumber in Zwolle can fix a leak quickly?". You ask those questions to different AI models. Then you count:

• The number of answers. For example 5 questions × 4 models = 20 answers.
• The number of answers that mention you. A brand mention counts when your name appears in the answer.
• The percentage. Mentions divided by total, times 100.

Many tools also look at your position in the answer. Are you mentioned first (#1) or only fifth? A mention at the top is worth more, because the reader sees it first. That is why you often see an average position next to the percentage.

Bear in mind there is no official standard. Every tool calculates it slightly differently. So only compare scores within the same tool and with the same set of questions.

How do you read your visibility score?

Do not just look at the overall number. The details tell you more:

1. Per AI model. Perhaps Perplexity mentions you often and ChatGPT hardly ever. That says something about which sources each model uses. Also read why AI answers differ.
2. Per question. An overview of question × model shows which topics you are missing from. An online store selling garden furniture may score well on "buy a lounge set" but be invisible for "how to look after a teak garden table".
3. Compared with competitors. This is called share of voice: what part of all mentions goes to you and what part to others? More on this in share of voice in AI.
4. Over time. A single measurement says little. AI answers fluctuate. A trend over several weeks shows whether you are really making progress.

What is a good visibility score?

There is no fixed answer, and anyone who promises you a hard benchmark is exaggerating. What counts as "good" depends on a few things:

• Your market. In a small niche with few providers, you can be mentioned often. In a crowded market with many big players, a lower score is already an achievement.
• Your questions. General questions ("best lawyer in the Netherlands") are harder than specific ones ("employment lawyer in Deventer for business owners").
• Your competitors. The best yardstick is relative. If your biggest competitor scores 40% and you score 15%, you know where you stand.
• Your starting point. Going from 0% to 10% is already a big step for a local business.

A practical rule of thumb: your score is good when you are among the top three providers mentioned for your most important questions and your trend is rising or stable.

How to improve your score

A low score is not the end of the road. It tells you what to work on. Start with this:

• Make sure your website answers the questions. Write pages that directly answer the questions from your measurement. See writing content AI cites.
• See which sources AI uses. Are your competitors on comparison sites, in trade directories or in the local paper? Try to get there too. Read more about citations in AI answers.
• Keep your details consistent. The same name, address and description everywhere online.
• Collect reviews. AI assistants often take reviews into account when they recommend a provider.

Frequently asked questions

Is a visibility score the same as a Google ranking?
No. A Google ranking is about a single list of links. A visibility score measures how often you are mentioned in generated answers, across several models and questions.

How many questions do I need for a reliable score?
The more, the more stable. Start with the five to ten questions your customers ask most often and expand when you want to know more.

Why does my score change a little every week?
AI answers are not identical every time. Small fluctuations are normal. Look at the trend over several weeks.

Check your own visibility score

Want to know how visible you are right now? The free AI check asks five customer questions to ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Claude and shows your opportunities. Want to follow your score every week, per model and next to your competitors? Use GEO tracking.