Our Methodology
Transparency is key. Here's exactly how we calculate your AI visibility score and what data we use to empower your brand.
How We Calculate Your Score
Query AI Engines
We query both Perplexity AI and ChatGPT with your target keyword and analyze their responses. For example: "What are the best project management tools for remote teams?"
For accuracy:
We run 2 parallel queries per AI engine and average the results. This reduces the natural variance in AI responses and gives you a more stable score.
Extract Citations
We identify which sources the AI cited in its response. These citations are the URLs that the AI referenced to build its answer. Citations = Visibility.
Calculate Combined AI Visibility Score
We calculate three separate pillars and combine them to create your final SeenScore.
Presence (35%)
Does AI mention your brand?
Authority (35%)
What % of cited sources are YOUR content?
Preference (30%)
Where do you rank in AI recommendations?
Source Quality Classification
We classify each citation into tiers based on domain authority and citation context.
Tier 1 — Ground Truth
Ground Truth for AI — Impossible to ignore: Le Soir, De Standaard, VRT, RTBF, La Libre.
Tier 2 — Strong Signal
Strong Signal — Confirms your expertise: Trends-Tendances, L'Echo, De Tijd, Test-Achats.
Tier 3 — Low Trust
Belgian blogs, forums, small local directories. One Le Soir mention > 100 blog posts.
Understanding the Authority Gap
A brand can be mentioned everywhere (100% Presence) and highly recommended (100% Preference) but still have weak Authority (e.g., 9%). This creates an "Authority Gap."
Why This Matters
When your position is built on brand recognition alone (not cited authority), it's fragile. A single competitor article in a Tier 1 publication like Le Soir, De Standaard, or Wikipedia could shift your rankings overnight. SeenScore detects this vulnerability and tells you exactly how to "harden" your position.
Frequently Asked Questions
How accurate is the visibility score?
Your score is based on real queries to real AI engines — not estimates or predictions. To ensure stable, reliable scores, we run 3 separate queries to each AI engine and average the results. This methodology reduces the natural variation in AI responses by ~60%, giving you confidence that score changes reflect real visibility shifts, not random fluctuations.
Does improving visibility help with other AI engines too?
Yes, likely. While each AI engine has its own algorithms, the fundamentals of AI visibility are universal. Quality content, authoritative sources, and structured data help across all systems.
How often can I refresh my audit?
Audits can be refreshed once every 24 hours. This cooldown ensures your trend data shows meaningful changes rather than random AI response variations. When you're ready to refresh, the button will become active again.
What if I have a high score but low Authority?
This indicates a risk. It means your visibility relies on brand recognition, not trusted citations. We call this a 'Fragile Leader' position—you're #1 today, but vulnerable to any competitor who secures authoritative citations. Your Action Roadmap will prioritize fixing this.
What is GEO (Generative Engine Optimization)?
GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) is the practice of optimizing your brand's visibility in AI-generated responses. As AI engines like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and others become primary discovery channels, appearing in their recommendations is crucial for brand awareness and customer acquisition.
Unlike traditional SEO which focuses on search engine rankings, GEO focuses on citation frequency, source authority, and recommendation positioning in AI responses. When users ask AI engines for recommendations, you want your brand to be mentioned, cited, and recommended.
Why Perplexity + ChatGPT?
We use two AI engines for comprehensive visibility tracking:
- Perplexity AI — Citation-focused search engine that shows explicit sources
- ChatGPT — World's most-used AI assistant with billions of users
Together, they represent the dominant AI discovery channels where your customers are already searching.
What We Know vs. What's Evolving
What We Know (Proven)
Citation frequency matters. Source authority matters. Brand mentions increase visibility. These insights are backed by academic research from Princeton University's GEO study.
What's Still Evolving
AI engines update constantly. Ranking algorithms aren't public. Best practices are emerging through experimentation. We update our methodology quarterly as new research emerges.
Academic Foundation
Our methodology is built on peer-reviewed research and continuous experimentation:
Princeton University GEO Study
Analyzed thousands of AI responses to identify what drives visibility. Key findings: Statistics (+39.5%), Expert Quotations (+38.1%), Credible Sources (+40.4%).
arxiv.org/abs/2402.01346GEO Deep Research 2025
Extended research on technical factors: HTML tables (2.5x more citations), page speed under 0.4s (3x more citations), structured data impact.
SE Ranking Research
Industry analysis on page speed correlation with AI citation likelihood.
We continuously update our methodology as new research emerges. All recommendations are tagged with their source study.
Update frequency: Scores are calculated in real-time when you run an audit. Methodology version: v2.1 (December 2024). We update quarterly as new research emerges.
Our Commitment to Transparency
GEO is an emerging field. We don't have all the answers, and we won't pretend to. What we do have is real data from real AI engines, academic research to guide our methodology, and a commitment to being transparent about what we know and what we're still learning.
Our goal is to give you actionable insights based on the best data available today, while acknowledging that GEO best practices are still evolving. We update our methodology as new research emerges.
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