Short answer: to measure your AI visibility, define a set of real questions from your industry, run them several times on each assistant and record whether you're mentioned, in what position and which sources are cited. From that you calculate a mention rate and compare it with your competitors'.
Why one try isn't enough
An AI assistant's answers aren't fixed. They change between queries, between assistants and over time. A single test shows a moment, not a trend.
That's why measurement needs two things: many questions and repetitions.
Step by step
- Build the question list. Write them the way a customer would: recommendations ("which [industry] would you recommend in [city]?"), comparisons and definitions. Between 20 and 50 questions is a reasonable starting point.
- Pick the assistants. For example ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini.
- Run each question more than once. That reduces the effect of an atypical answer.
- Record every answer. Whether your brand appears or not, in what position in the list, which competitors appear and which domains are cited as a source.
- Calculate the indicators and write down the method, so you can repeat it exactly next month.
Indicators to calculate
| Indicator | What it measures | How it's calculated |
|---|---|---|
| Mention rate | In what percentage of answers your brand appears | Answers with a mention ÷ total answers |
| Share of voice | Your weight against competitors | Mentions of your brand ÷ mentions of all brands |
| Average position | What place you take when you appear | Average of the positions where you appear |
| Cited sources | Which sites AI cites | Count of domains across answers |
Common mistakes
- Measuring with too few questions. With three or four, the result depends on chance.
- Naming your brand in the question. If you ask "what do you think of [my brand]?", you'll always appear. Ask about the category, not about yourself.
- Not repeating. A single answer isn't a measurement.
- Changing the method between measurements. If the questions or assistants change, the numbers can't be compared.
How Signal does it
The free check applies this method to your brand and your competitors and shows you the mention rate per assistant, the comparison and the most-cited domains. The Visibility Audit adds it to the other areas and turns it into a plan of priorities.