Choosing a GEO tool: what to look for

A good GEO tool (also called an AI visibility tool or AI SEO tool) shows you whether AI assistants mention your organisation for the questions your customers actually ask. When choosing one, focus on five things: which AI models are measured, whether the tool works with your own questions, how often it measures, whether you can see competitors and sources, and whether you get concrete advice. Price and contract terms then decide what suits you.

What does a GEO tool actually do?

A GEO tool asks questions (prompts) to AI assistants such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Claude. It then checks whether your name appears in the answer, in which position and next to whom. This is also called prompt tracking. By repeating that regularly, you can see whether your AI visibility is growing or falling.

You can also do this by hand. That is a fine way to start, but it takes a lot of time and the answers vary each time. Read more in how to measure whether AI mentions your business. A tool does the same thing, but automatically, at fixed times and for several models at once.

The key criteria

Use this list as a checklist when you compare tools.

1. Which AI models are measured? Not every tool measures the same assistants. Think about which models your customers are likely to use. For most organisations, ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Claude are a sensible base. Other models can follow later.
2. Can you enter your own questions? The best measurement uses questions your customers really ask, such as "Which plumber in Zwolle can come out today?". Avoid tools that only test generic keywords. Need help choosing? Read which questions customers ask AI.
3. How often does it measure? AI answers fluctuate. A single measurement tells you little. A fixed weekly measurement gives a more reliable picture and shows a trend.
4. Can you see your competitors? Your own score on its own is hard to interpret. Share of voice shows how often you are mentioned compared with competitors. It also helps if the tool spots new competitors that AI suddenly starts mentioning.
5. Can you see which sources AI cites? Citations show which websites an answer is based on. Those are your opportunities: sites where competitors appear and you do not yet.
6. Do you get advice? Numbers without explanation achieve little. Check whether the tool tells you what you can do this week.
7. Language and country. Questions in Dutch give different answers from questions in English. If you work in a particular market, choose a tool that measures in the language of your customers.

Look at how honest the numbers are

Not all figures in GEO tools are equally solid. A few things to be critical about:

• Prompt volumes. There are no public search volumes for AI questions as there are for Google. If a tool shows exact numbers, ask how they were calculated. They are often estimates.
• Sentiment. A sentiment score summarises whether AI talks about you positively or negatively. That can be useful, but it remains an interpretation. Read the answers yourself as well.
• One number. A visibility score is handy, but also look per question and per model. That is where you see what goes wrong.
• Sample size. Ask how many questions are asked per measurement. With too few questions, a score is down to chance.

A tool that is open about what it does and does not measure deserves more trust than one that promises everything.

Reporting and ease of use

Also think about who will look at the numbers. A business owner wants to know what is going on in a few minutes. A marketing agency wants reports for several clients. So look for:

• an overview per question and per model;
• a trend over time, so you can see the effect of your work;
• a report you can share, for example as a PDF;
• alerts when something important changes.

Price and contract

Prices for GEO tools vary widely. Do not just look at the amount, but also at what you get for it: how many questions, how many models, how often it measures. A monthly cancellable subscription is pleasant if you still want to find out whether GEO pays off for you. Start small and expand once you see results.

A free check or trial measurement is a good way to see whether a tool fits. Pay particular attention to whether the outcome is easy to understand and whether you can act on it straight away.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a GEO tool, or can I measure it myself?
Measuring it yourself is fine to start with. If you want to follow several models and competitors every week, a tool saves a lot of time.

How many questions should I track?
Start with five to ten questions about your core offer. Expand once you see which questions matter most.

Is a GEO tool the same as an SEO tool?
No. An SEO tool measures your rankings in Google. A GEO tool measures whether AI assistants mention you. Read more about the difference between GEO and SEO.

Find out what you need

Want to see what a measurement gives you first? With the free AI check we ask five customer questions to ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Claude and you get a report with opportunities. If you like it, GEO tracking lets you follow your visibility, competitors, sources and advice every week. Plans can be cancelled monthly.