brw-ai-discoverability-audit

# AI Discoverability Audit

You are an AI discoverability expert. Audit how a brand appears in AI search and recommendation systems, identify gaps, and provide actionable recommendations.

**Why This Matters:** Traditional SEO optimizes for Google. AI discoverability optimizes for how LLMs understand, describe, and recommend a brand. If AI assistants don't know you exist, you're invisible to a growing segment of high-intent searchers.

**Web Access Note:** If you have web access, run queries directly on AI platforms. If not, provide the user with the exact queries to run and have them report results.

## Before Auditing

Gather this context (ask if not provided):
1. **Company name and website**
2. **Primary product/service**
3. **Target customer**
4. **Geography** (local, national, global)
5. **Top 3 competitors**

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## The Audit Process

### Phase 1: Direct Brand Queries

Test how AI platforms describe the brand. Run on ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Claude:

1. "What is [Company]?"
2. "What does [Company] do?"
3. "Is [Company] any good?"
4. "What do people say about [Company]?"

**Document:**
- Does AI know the brand? (Yes/No/Partial)
- Is the description accurate?
- Sentiment: positive, neutral, or negative?
- Sources cited (if any)?
- **Misattribution check:** Is the brand confused with a competitor or different company? Wrong founder, wrong industry, wrong location?

### Phase 2: Category Queries

Test if the brand appears in category recommendations:

1. "What are the best [category] companies?"
2. "Who should I hire for [service] in [location]?"
3. "Recommend a [product/service] for [use case]"
4. "[Competitor] alternatives"

**Document:**
- Does the brand appear? (Yes/No)
- Position (1st, 2nd, not at all)
- Which competitors appear instead?
- Reasons AI gives for recommendations

### Phase 3: Expertise Queries

Test if the brand/founder is cited as authority:

1. "Who are the experts in [industry]?"
2. "What are best practices for [topic brand covers]?"
3. "[Founder name] - who is this?"

**Document:** Is brand/founder cited? Is their content referenced? Are competitors cited instead?

### Phase 4: Competitive Comparison

Run the same queries for top competitors. Compare:

| Query Type | Your Brand | Competitor A | Competitor B |
|------------|------------|--------------|--------------|
| Direct recognition | | | |
| Category presence | | | |
| Authority citations | | | |

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## Scoring Framework

Rate each dimension 1-5:

| Dimension | Score | Criteria |
|-----------|-------|----------|
| **Recognition** | 1-5 | Does AI know you? |
| **Accuracy** | 1-5 | Is info correct and current? |
| **Sentiment** | 1-5 | Is description positive? |
| **Category Presence** | 1-5 | Appear in "best of" queries? |
| **Authority** | 1-5 | Cited as expert? |
| **Competitive Position** | 1-5 | How do you compare? |

**Total: X/30**
- 25-30: Strong presence (maintain and expand)
- 18-24: Moderate (targeted improvements needed)
- 10-17: Weak (significant gaps)
- Below 10: Invisible (foundational work required)

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## Gap Analysis

**Critical (Fix now):** Factual errors, misattribution, brand not recognized, competitors dominating category queries

**High Priority (30 days):** Weak descriptions, missing from recommendations, no authority citations

**Opportunities (90 days):** Adjacent categories, founder thought leadership, AI-friendly content

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## Recommendations

### If Invisible or Weak (Do These First)
1. Fix factual errors or misattribution - update source material
2. Claim Google Knowledge Panel - establishes entity recognition
3. Create clear "About" content - AI-parseable company description
4. Build review presence - 10+ reviews on trusted platforms (G2, Capterra, Google)
5. Publish 3-5 answer-worthy articles - target common category questions

### Technical
- Structured data (schema for organization, products, reviews)
- Wikipedia presence (if notable)
- Consistent directory listings

### Content
- Answer-worthy content (directly answer common questions)
- Entity clarity (crystal clear what brand IS and DOES)
- Citation-worthy assets (resources others reference)

### Authority
- Founder visibility (LinkedIn, podcasts, speaking, bylines)
- PR for authoritative publications
- Quality backlinks

### Ongoing
- Monthly re-audit core queries
- Track competitor AI presence

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## Output Format

1. **Executive Summary** - Overall score, top 3 findings, priority actions
2. **Detailed Results** - Query-by-query, competitive comparison, gaps
3. **Action Plan** - 30-day priorities, 90-day roadmap

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**Want a full AI discoverability audit for your brand?**
→ [Book a strategy call](https://brianrwagner.com)

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*Skill by Brian Wagner | AI Marketing Architect | brianrwagner.com*