How to Track Your Visibility in AI Chatbots and Search Engines?

AI tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, DeepSeek, and many more are transforming how people search for and access information. Instead of scrolling through a list of links, users are asking these tools more complex questions. In turn, these tools identify and present the most relevant, high-quality information to provide accurate answers.

We mainly know how Google Search rankings work, but AI tools like Chat GPT aren’t like Google; they don’t rank content traditionally, they curate and recommend based on context, quality, and relevance. 

It’s less about ranking, it’s more about relevance and authority.

The tricky part is that AI does not pick only from one source; it draws from text-based content, metadata, video transcriptions, and even users' sentiment around a piece of content. Now, Google is one piece of that puzzle when it comes to getting noticed and recommended by AI. 

Visibility is everything; the more platforms recommend your content, the bigger your audience becomes. If ChatGPT or other AI tools recommend your content, your credibility is a big advantage. It’s like an authority figure saying: Worth watching, worth reading.

What Influences AI Tools' Recommendations?

• Content Relevance - content that matches user intent exactly; use a descriptive title that mirrors how users phrase their questions.
• Quality and Authority - accurate information, expert knowledge. 
• Metadata and Transcripts - AI tools scrape metadata, scrape title, descriptions, tags, etc., to understand your content; make sure these are set up properly for your content. 
• Engagement Metrics - shares, likes, positive feedback; AI considers users' satisfaction, how often people refer to your content, or share it.
• Cross-platform Presence - your name, your content should be consistent across blogs, articles, and media to increase your authority.

AI tools are a powerful, massive marketing engine that can increase your brand awareness, build your authority, and drive traffic to your content and business.

 

Now that we understand how to optimize our website for ChatGPT and other tools, the next question is: how can we determine if our efforts are effective?

How to Track Your Brand, Website, and Content Visibility in AI Chatbots and Search Engines?

Here are two ways to track your brand visibility in AI searches: 

1. Manual testing (direct AI interaction)

2. Tracking tools 

#1.  Direct AI Interaction 

The concept of Direct AI Interaction refers to using AI tools to gain insights, ideas, or feedback about your brand or industry by asking them simple questions such as, "What is [Your Brand]?" or "What are the best services in [Your Industry]?" What features do customers look for in [Your Service]? “How did you hear about [Your Website]?”. It costs nothing. 

Test different ways to ask your questions. Use synonyms and various phrases to see how these AI tools understand your content. Use the feedback options in ChatGPT to report or rate the responses about your brand. 

Monitor how users reference your brand in forums, reviews, surveys, and other sources of feedback often scraped by AI.
This will help you improve your strategy and understand how your brand appears online.

Use your existing list of organic keywords and ask relevant questions in AI chatbots. See if your website is present in the Sources/Citations panel.

Identify similar content on your competitor's websites and ask related questions, and see if your website is cited in AI tools.

Explore relevant questions in the People Also Ask section in Google search and test these questions in ChatGPT. Explore the Related section in the Perplexity search engine for more ideas.

#2. Tracking Tools for AI and Web Visibility 

Some platforms help monitor and optimize your brand's presence across AI-driven search engines/chatbots like ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Perplexity, and others.

Below, we will briefly explore the features of some recent tools that can assist us in this effort.

Otterly.AI 

Otterly.AI launched in April 2024 to help brands and marketers track their visibility in AI search tools like Google AI Overviews, ChatGPT, and Perplexity. As AI search results become more popular, using tools like Otterly.AI is important for maintaining an online presence. 

Otterly. AI includes features such as brand and keyword monitoring, so you can easily track mentions and citations of your brand across the web. The link tracking allows you to see which URLs AI tools use. Competitor analysis helps you monitor competitor mentions and visibility to refine your strategies if needed. And, weekly reporting keeps you updated on brand visibility, link mentions, and keyword performance, to be informed and to know about the latest updates.

Regarding prices, Otterly.AI offers a basic plan for $29 per month that includes monitoring 10 search prompts, as well as a standard and pro plan allowing monitoring based on your needs.

Peec AI

Peec AI is another tracking tool that helps marketing teams analyze how their brand is performing and keep track of major AI platforms like ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, LLaMA, DeepSeek, and Cloud.

With Peec AI, you can track competitor mentions, measure your performance against competitors, identify which sources have the highest impact, and follow conversations where your brand is mentioned. The platform monitors your prompts, sources, and responses.

Pricing starts at $90 per month, which includes tracking 25 search prompts, monitoring 3 competitors, and providing unlimited brand and keyword monitoring, along with email reports.

XFunell AI 

XFunell AI assists businesses in understanding and optimizing their presence in  ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, and Cloud. The tool simulates real buyer queries, analyzes performance across these platforms, and provides strategic recommendations. 

XFunell AI also analyzes customer behavior, optimizes different stages of the sales funnel, and provides insights to boost return on investment (ROI). The platform includes features such as A/B testing, automated lead nurturing, and performance tracking, all available in one user-friendly dashboard.

XFunell AI offers a free plan that includes basic AI search analysis and basic reporting. Advanced features are available in paid plans starting at $199 per month, with more analytics and integration options.

Am I on AI?

Am I On AI helps companies to track their presence on AI platforms like ChatGPT and Perplexity. This tool monitors how often your brand is mentioned and provides features such as visibility tracking, citation checks, competitor rank, and sentiment analysis.

It keeps you informed about your online presence and tracks your growth, providing weekly reports and actionable insights.  

The website allows users to initiate a free analysis of their AI presence. The free trial lasts for one week, after which users can access the full product via two packages: Trak at $250/month and Improve at $500/month.

BrandBeacon.Ai 

BrandBeacon.Ai monitors your brand's presence in AI search across platforms like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Claude. It tracks mentions, analyzes sentiment, and compares your visibility to competitors.

The platform offers real-time data, trend analysis, and easy-to-understand reports, making it a valuable tool for marketing teams aiming to understand and improve their brand's AI search performance.

Regarding prices, it provides a free plan that includes daily snapshot reports of your brand's visibility across AI platforms, basic competitor analysis, and key metrics. There is no subscription required; you can perform a free check every 24 hours or pay for additional single analyses as needed.

Quick Comparison: AI Search Visibility Tools

Now that we have analyzed each of these tools separately, let's examine them in comparison.

Tool	AI Platforms Monitored	Key Features	Ideal For	Pricing
Otterl.AI	Google AI Overviews, ChatGPT, Perplexity	Brand & keyword monitoring, link tracking, competitor analysis, weekly reports	SMBs, marketers, SEO professionals	Basic: $29/month; Standard & Pro plans available
Peec AI	ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, LLaMA, DeepSeek	Competitor tracking, performance benchmarking, impactful sources identification, and conversation tracking	Marketing teams, agencies	Starts at $90/month (25 prompts, 3 competitors)
XFunell AI	ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Claude	Buyer query simulation, sales funnel optimization, ROI insights, A/B testing, lead nurturing	B2B businesses, agencies	Free plan; Paid plans start at $199/month
Am I On AI	ChatGPT, Perplexity	Visibility tracking, citation checks, competitor rank monitoring, sentiment analysis, weekly reports	Small businesses, startups	Free trial; Paid packages: Trak at $250/month and Improve at $500/month.
BrandBeacon.AI	ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude	Real-time data, sentiment analysis, trend tracking, easy-to-read reports, and daily snapshots	SEO teams, marketers	Free daily checks; pay-as-you-go analyses

All these tools have their own strengths, however, the best choice depends on your needs—whether you're looking for detailed analytics, simple tracking, or strategic improvements.

Tracking AI-Driven Traffic with Google Analytics 4 (GA4)

In addition to these tools, tracking of AI-generated traffic can be done with Google Analytics 4 (GA4).

While GA4 doesn't natively categorize traffic from AI platforms, you can set up custom tracking to monitor visits originating from them.

Identify Referral Sources: Look for referral traffic from domains like chat.openai.com (ChatGPT), gemini.google.com (Gemini), or perplexity.ai (Perplexity).

To see these traffic sources, go to Reports - Acquisition - User Acquisition and create a secondary dimension. Include the First user source and see all the traffic sources.

Create a custom report by going to Explore - Free form report and reproducing the above table. Include a filter to only show chatbots and AI search engines. Here’s an example of a filter:

First user source matches regex:

Chatgpt\.com|perplexity\.ai|perplexity|gemini\.google\.com|chat\.deepseek\.com|grok\.com|claude\.ai

Create Custom Channel Groupings: In GA4, set up custom channel groupings to categorize and analyze traffic from AI sources separately.

AI Tools for SEO and Brand Tracking

It's important to mention SEO and content tools that use AI insights, like SEMrush and Ahrefs. These tools help you track keywords and backlinks. Use SEMrush's Position Tracking and Ahrefs' Site Explorer to check how visible your site is in AI Overviews. 

Additionally, Ahrefs just launched a dedicated feature in beta called Brand Radar, which tracks the AI visibility, mentions, market share, etc. of your brand and your competitors in Google AI Overviews.

You should also consider brand mention trackers, such as Brand24 or Mention. These tools show where people mention your brand online, which can help you understand how AI tools view your brand's popularity.

Knowing where your website visitors come from is important. This detailed tracking helps you to find out which channels bring the best traffic, improve your content strategy, and adjust your marketing efforts.

Summing Up

AI tools are changing the way we find and share information. They focus on relevance, authority, and user engagement, making them essential for increasing your brand’s visibility. To succeed, you need to create high-quality content, optimize metadata, and stay active on all platforms.. 

In this new era, it’s not just about being seen—it’s about being trusted. Adapting to AI search makes your brand stand out and stay ahead.