Let’s be honest: the way people search online has changed forever.
For the last 20 years, “search” meant typing a few keywords into Google and scanning a list of blue links. But today, millions of users are skipping that step entirely. They are having conversations with Artificial Intelligence models like ChatGPT, Gemini, or Perplexity to get direct answers.
If your brand isn’t part of those conversations, you are invisible to this new wave of potential customers.
That’s why we built the AI Visibility module in TrueRanker.
What is GEO (Generative Engine Optimization)? #
You know SEO (Search Engine Optimization). Now, meet its evolution: GEO.
While SEO focuses on ranking your website at the top of a search results page (SERP), Generative Engine Optimization focuses on optimizing your content so that Large Language Models (LLMs) select your brand as the recommended answer or a trusted source.
- In SEO: You fight for position #1, #2, or #3.
- In GEO: You fight to be “The Answer”. It’s about Share of Voice.
How AI Visibility works in TrueRanker #
We don’t just “guess” what the AI thinks about you. We go to the source.
When you set up an AI Visibility project, TrueRanker acts as a real user. We send specific questions (Prompts) to the major AI models—ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Claude, and Perplexity—and we analyze their responses in real-time.
We treat these AI models as if they were users asking for advice about your industry. Then, we interpret the data to give you actionable insights.
The Metrics that Matter: Mentions vs. Citations #
In the traditional SEO world, you care about “Rank” and “Volume”. In the AI world, we focus on two new critical metrics:
1. Mentions (Brand Awareness) #
A Mention occurs when the AI explicitly names your brand, product, or service in its text response.
- Why it matters: This means the AI “knows” you. It proves that your brand is present in the AI’s training data or live search results.
- The Goal: You want the AI to not just list you, but to recommend you as a top solution (e.g., “The best tool for this is [Your Brand]”).
2. Citations (Traffic & Authority) #
A Citation (or Annotation) happens when the AI provides a clickable link to your website as a source for its answer.
- Why it matters: This is the holy grail of GEO. Unlike a simple mention, a citation drives direct traffic to your site. It signals that the AI considers your content authoritative enough to reference it as proof.
Why you need to track this right now #
Ignoring AI search today is like ignoring mobile search in 2012. Here is what the AI Visibility module helps you achieve:
- Protect your Reputation: AI models can sometimes “hallucinate” or give outdated pricing/features. You need to know exactly what they are saying about you to correct the narrative on your site.
- Benchmark against Competitors: Is ChatGPT recommending your competitor instead of you? You need to know why (maybe they are cited in a specific blog post that you are missing).
- Discover new Link Building Opportunities: By analyzing the sources the AI uses (the Citations), you can find the high-authority websites that feed these models. Getting a backlink there is doubly effective: it boosts your Google SEO and your AI Visibility.
Ready to start? #
The future of search is conversational. Let’s make sure your brand is part of the conversation.