The six topics of AI visibility
AI visibility involves several kinds of work. This course groups them into six topics: AI presence, entities, reviews, on-page content, citations, and press. This teaching framework is broader than the current audit score.
Topic 1: AI presence
What it is: Measuring whether AI systems mention your brand in the buying-intent questions you test.
Share of Model (SOM) describes your sampled answers, not every answer a buyer might see. Keep prompts, engines, geography, and coverage consistent when comparing runs. A mention is different from a recommendation; inspect the answer as well as the number.
Topic 2: Entities
What it is: Your brand's identity and the consistency of its name, description, category, and contact details across sources.
Compare your website with the directories and profiles you control. Correct outdated facts and explain real differences, such as separate locations. Consistency can make information easier to interpret; it cannot force an AI recommendation.
Useful work: Agree a canonical description, maintain relevant directory listings, and use accurate structured data on your website.
Topic 3: Reviews
What it is: The available customer feedback about your business on relevant review platforms.
Read the actual feedback alongside ratings, recency, and coverage. Request honest reviews from eligible customers and respond constructively. Never fabricate reviews or condition a request on a positive rating. The right platforms vary by business.
Topic 4: on-page content
What it is: How clearly your own website explains your business and answers useful questions.
Check headings, accessible content, relevant structured data, sitemap coverage, and direct answers. Publish material you can substantiate. Clear structure helps people and machines read a page, but does not ensure indexing or citation.
Topic 5: Citations
What it is: References to your brand in relevant third-party discussions and other sources.
Investigate the sources that appear in your sampled answers. A relevant public discussion may be an opportunity to help, subject to its community rules and appropriate disclosure. A posted comment is not evidence that an AI system retrieved or used it.
Topic 6: Press and earned media
What it is: Independent reporting, interviews, and other editorial coverage about your business.
Distinguish independent coverage from your own hosted release or a pitch. Journalists decide what to cover. Coverage may provide useful public evidence, but no placement or visibility increase is assured. Press workflows are separate from the current audit score.
How the AI visibility score works
The current composite uses the audit's declared eligible scope. Scope exclusions can change the applied weights; failed checks do not redistribute their weight to successful areas. Incomplete evidence can produce a partial lower-bound score or an unavailable score. Read the saved status and coverage; an unmeasured area is not a confirmed zero.
| Pillar | Current audit status | What to inspect |
|---|---|---|
| AI presence | Included when selected and measured | Sampled mentions, answers, and engine coverage |
| Entities | Included when selected and measured | Identity consistency and source evidence |
| Reviews | Included when selected and measured | Applicable platforms and available feedback |
| On-page | Included when selected and measured | Content and technical findings |
| Citations | Included when selected and measured | Relevant sources and brand mentions |
| Press | Coming soon; excluded from scoring | Review earned-media work separately |
Do not treat a composite score as a category percentile or compare runs with different coverage as though they measured the same thing. Use individual findings to choose work you can verify.
How each topic maps to Outrigger
| Topic | Module | Practical action |
|---|---|---|
| AI presence | Sonar | Review sampled answers and prompt gaps |
| Entities | Entity | Check identity consistency and directory listings |
| Reviews | Reviews | Review feedback and request honest customer reviews |
| On-page | On-Page | Improve useful content and page structure |
| Citations | Citations | Review relevant threads and draft helpful responses |
| Press | Press | Prepare stories and review journalist outreach |
In Outrigger
An audit provides a dated snapshot and suggested priorities. Check its selected scope, exclusions, and evidence before sharing a report or acting on its recommendations. Public free scans have a narrower scope than a workspace full audit.