You’ve probably noticed by now that when you search for something, you don’t always get the usual list of blue links anymore. Instead, you often see a nice summary paragraph right at the top — that’s AI doing the talking. So you read it… and your brand isn’t mentioned anywhere. That’s frustrating. It means people are hearing about your competitors first, even when they’re searching for exactly what you offer.
This is becoming more common every month in 2026. Traditional search is still around, but AI-generated answers (Google AI Overviews, Perplexity, ChatGPT Search, Gemini, Claude) are now the first thing many users see. If your brand isn’t showing up in those summaries, you’re basically invisible to a large and growing group of searchers.
A lot of business owners are asking the same question these days: “Is my brand even visible in AI results?” This post shows you exactly how to check it yourself in just a few minutes. In addition, I’ll explain why it matters and share realistic steps you can take to start getting mentioned more often.
Quick test you can do right now
The fastest way to find out is to put yourself in your customer’s shoes.
Open several AI tools (use incognito mode or different accounts if possible, because results can sometimes be personalized):
- Google (make sure AI Overviews are turned on)
- ChatGPT
- Perplexity
- Gemini
- Claude
Then type questions your real customers would use. Be specific and natural.
For example:
- “best seo agency in [your city]”
- “top digital marketing companies for small business”
- “how to improve website speed fast”
- “best tools for google ranking monitoring”
- “top local seo services near me”
After that, read the summary answer carefully.
Ask yourself:
- Does your brand name appear at all?
- Are you listed among the top recommendations?
- Does the AI link to your site, or does it only talk about competitors?
- Does it describe what you do accurately?
Try 8–10 different queries. Meanwhile, jot down which ones mention you and which ones skip you completely. After doing this, you’ll already understand about 80% of the situation.
We recently did this exact test for a client. They ranked reasonably well in classic Google for “best local SEO agency”, but across five different AI queries they got zero mentions. That result told us clearly: the issue wasn’t just rankings — it was authority and citations.
Free/quick tools that give you a bigger picture
Manual checks are great for a quick test. However, if you want to track this regularly, use these tools:
- HubSpot AI Search Grader — free, gives a quick score showing how often your brand appears in AI answers.
- Semrush AI Visibility Tracker — displays mentions across different AI platforms (they offer a free trial).
- Perplexity or ChatGPT with follow-up prompts — simply ask “list more options” or “include smaller agencies” to see whether you appear lower down.
Set a calendar reminder to run this check every 2–4 weeks. After a few rounds, you’ll start seeing clear patterns: some questions mention you, others completely ignore you.
Why you might not be showing up (what’s really happening)
AI doesn’t rank pages the same way traditional search does. Instead, it reads content, summarizes it, and selects what it considers the best answers based on several factors:
- How clearly and completely the content answers the actual question
- Whether the source appears trustworthy and authoritative
- How often the brand is mentioned positively across other trusted websites
- How fresh and original the information feels
For example, common reasons brands get skipped include:
- Weak E-E-A-T signals (no real case studies, no named authors, no original data)
- Too few mentions from authoritative third-party sites
- Content that feels too salesy or thin — AI strongly prefers helpful, detailed answers
- Inconsistent use of the brand name across the web
Small changes that can start getting you mentioned
You don’t need to rebuild your entire site overnight. Start with these realistic steps:
- Answer real customer questions directly and in depth — use natural language, include examples, numbers, and your own real experience.
- Add structured data (Organization schema, FAQ schema, LocalBusiness schema) — this helps AI better understand who you are and what you offer.
- Get mentioned on trusted external sites — through guest posts, interviews, directories, news features, or client reviews.
- Update your most important pages every 4–6 months — add new case studies, fresh statistics, or current trends.
- Use your brand name naturally throughout content — not stuffed, but clearly and consistently.
We’ve seen clients go from zero mentions in AI answers to appearing in 4–5 important queries within just a couple of months simply by focusing on these actions.
If your brand isn’t showing up in AI search results yet, don’t worry — it’s not too late. However, it is time to start checking and fixing. At Holinex, we do this kind of visibility work every day — audits, content strategy, structured data implementation, reputation building. Reach out on our contact page or LinkedIn — we’ll take a quick look at your current AI presence for free and tell you what’s worth fixing first.
About the Author:
This blog is written by Holinex Digital, a leading full-service digital and creative marketing agency specializing in result-driven, data-driven strategies for online growth. With expertise in digital marketing, Holinex helps businesses achieve measurable success through practical and innovative digital marketing solutions. Holinex always believes in making a meaningful community that is open-minded to help each other to grow up together. so, please follow & Keep in touch with Holinex Digital.
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