If your brand isn't showing up in AI-generated answers, you're missing out on the next big wave of digital discovery. As search behavior shifts toward generative AI platforms like ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, and Perplexity, a new kind of visibility is taking shape: AI visibility.

Unlike traditional SEO, this isn't just about keywords or backlinks. It's about getting mentioned, cited, or recommended by large language models (LLMs). And to grow your presence, the first step is learning how to track it.

Let's break down how to measure your current AI visibility, how to use Google Analytics 4 (GA4) and other tools to track AI-sourced traffic, and what you can do to grow your presence across AI platforms.

What is AI visibility, and why does it matter?

AI visibility refers to how often your brand is mentioned or recommended in AI-generated responses. This includes direct answers from ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, and Gemini, as well as snippets in Google’s AI Overviews and citations or paraphrased mentions in generative search results.

Why does this matter so much? 

For one, more than 70% of U.S. consumers are now using AI tools as part of their search journey. Additionally, traffic from AI responses converts significantly better — up to 4.4 times higher than traditional organic search, based on Semrush data. 

As AI-driven platforms become more central to how people discover information, your visibility on these channels could soon rival or even surpass that of Google Search.

How AI visibility differs from traditional SEO

Traditional SEO still matters. High-quality content, backlinks, and domain authority are helpful. But AI visibility leans on other signals as well.

For instance, unlinked brand mentions across the web can influence whether a brand appears in AI responses. Language models are designed to understand reputation and relevance from context, even without explicit links. Additionally, platforms like Reddit have emerged as major citation sources. In fact, Reddit is a top reference source for both Perplexity and Google's AI Overviews.

Finally, content formatting plays a larger role. Structured formatting with clear headings, concise answers, and schema markup makes it easier for AI models to parse and quote your content.

How to track your AI visibility (step-by-step)

Chatgpt.jpeg

Before you can improve anything, you need to measure it. Here are four methods to track AI visibility accurately.

1. Run manual prompts on top AI platforms

This is the simplest and fastest way to get a baseline of your brand's visibility across AI tools.

Step-by-step:

  1. Open ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, and Perplexity.
  2. Enter realistic prompts your audience would use. For example:
    • "What’s the best CRM for small businesses in 2025?"
    • "Top SEO platforms for startups"
  3. Review the answers carefully:
    • Note whether your brand is mentioned.
    • Look for direct citations or links.
    • Observe the tone: is it favorable, neutral, or critical?
  4. Log this data in a spreadsheet and repeat the process monthly.

By tracking changes in mentions or tone over time, you can spot whether your visibility is growing or shrinking.

2. Use AI visibility tracking tools

Manual analysis is helpful, but specialized tools give you scale and automation. Several platforms have emerged to help track brand mentions across LLMs and generative search.

Recommended tools:

  • Semrush AI Toolkit: Offers visibility scores, sentiment analysis, and competitive benchmarks across LLMs.
  • TryProfound: Tracks how often and in what context your brand appears in AI outputs.

These platforms allow you to:

  • Benchmark your performance against competitors.
  • Uncover sentiment trends over time.
  • Pinpoint where your brand is being discussed (and where it's missing).

3. Set up UTM tracking to detect AI-attributed traffic

Traffic from AI-generated content often appears in Google Analytics as "direct" or lacks identifiable referral data. That makes attribution difficult unless you use UTM parameters.

Here’s how to track it more accurately:

  1. Create unique URLs using a campaign URL builder. These URLs should include parameters like utm_source=chatgpt or utm_medium=ai to distinguish traffic.
  2. Use these tagged URLs in strategic places:
    • Share them in Reddit threads, Quora answers, or forums.
    • Include them in email replies to LLM feedback tools (e.g., ChatGPT's feedback links).
    • Embed them in documentation or landing pages likely to be cited.
  3. Monitor traffic to these URLs via GA4. Over time, you’ll be able to attribute visits that stem from AI-generated sources with greater accuracy.

4. Use GA4 to monitor AI-related traffic

While GA4 won’t tell you outright that traffic came from an AI model, you can still detect patterns and clues through custom reporting.

Step-by-step setup:

  1. Open GA4, go to Explore, and create a new blank exploration.
  2. Add Session source/medium as a dimension and Sessions as a metric.
  3. Create a new session segment filtering Session source using a regex pattern that matches AI tool domains, e.g.:

.*chatgpt.*|.*perplexity.*|.*openai.*|.*bard.*|.*edgeservices.*

  1. Apply this segment in your exploration to isolate AI-driven sessions.

This approach won't be flawless, but with enough context, you'll start to see behavioral trends that correlate with your brand's AI presence.

How to grow your AI visibility

AI-connection.jpeg

Once you understand where you stand, you can implement tactics to increase your brand’s presence in AI-generated results.

1. Increase unlinked brand mentions

The more your brand appears in conversations, the more likely LLMs are to surface it.

  • Participate in discussions on Reddit and Quora by offering helpful insights. Target threads closely aligned with your niche or audience's needs.
  • Pitch expert quotes or data to journalists, bloggers, influencers, and industry experts.

2. Publish experience-backed, original content

AI systems favor trustworthy and expert-level content. The more unique your insights, the better your chances of getting cited.

Instead of rehashing generic advice, share internal data, user case studies, or lessons from failed experiments. Contrarian takes can also get picked up more often, especially if supported with logical reasoning or real-world proof. If your content adds something new, AI is more likely to surface it.

3. Structure your content for AI consumption

Make your content easy for LLMs to understand and cite.

  • Use subheadings that match real user prompts, like "What is the best way to improve page speed?"
  • Answer the question in the first sentence, followed by explanations or details. You should also have a summary (TL;DR) at the very top.
  • Implement schema markup, especially FAQPage, HowTo, and Product.
  • Include citations, quotes, or brand names that increase the credibility and context of your content.

This type of formatting can improve not just AI visibility, but also SEO and UX.

For more information, check out our detailed guide on how to structure your content for LLMs. 

4. Target AI-native queries with new content

AI search queries are often longer, more conversational, and different from typical Google searches.

Steps to find and serve these queries:

  1. Use tools like Semrush AI Toolkit or TryProfound to surface the questions your audience asks AI platforms.
  2. Look for repeated patterns in Reddit threads, support tickets, or industry Slack groups.
  3. Create help articles, how-to guides, or product pages that directly address those questions.

Monitor improvement month by month

Tracking progress is key to long-term visibility gains.

Each month, revisit the LLM prompts and log new mentions or sentiment shifts. Tools like Semrush and TryProfound can give you trend reports and visibility scores. Cross-reference this with GA4 traffic, especially to pages you know are cited in AI tools.

Also, track:

  • Which AI tools mention you more often.
  • The types of queries your brand appears in.
  • Whether user sentiment in AI answers is improving.

If these indicators are trending upward, you’re on the right path.

AI visibility is the new frontier of brand discovery. The rules are still forming, but brands that take action now will have a clear edge.

To succeed, build processes for visibility tracking using both manual checks and analytics. Use that insight to publish better content and get in front of the audiences that LLMs influence most. 

AI discovery is only going to grow, and the sooner you align with it, the better your long-term reach will be.