The best AI visibility tools, and the manual method that costs nothing

AI visibility is how often assistants cite or name you for buyer questions. Think ChatGPT Search, Google’s AI Overviews, Perplexity and Microsoft Copilot as of 2026.

AI visibility tools ask a fixed set of prompts on a schedule. They log which domains are mentioned and in which positions. They graph changes over time. Some also group prompts by topic or intent. Names in this space as of 2026: Profound, Peec AI, Otterly, Scrunch, Semrush’s AI toolkit, Ahrefs Brand Radar.

You use the output to decide which pages to improve. For example, if “best payroll for contractors” never cites yourproduct.com, you add a straight answer on /guides/contractor-payroll, then ask for citations from sources the assistants already trust.

Two broad SEO suites now touch AI visibility. Semrush added an AI toolkit. Ahrefs added Brand Radar. They sit beside the usual keyword, audit and backlink modules each suite is known for. Use them when you already work in those suites and want AI checks in one place.

This does not replace Search Console. Search Console is still pre click truth for Google Search: queries, impressions, clicks and positions for your own site. It does not show rivals or your assistant citations. Treat AI visibility as a separate track you read alongside Search Console and GA4.

• Assistants covered: which engines are monitored now. At minimum, look for coverage of the assistants your buyers use in your market.
• Markets and languages: which countries and languages are supported. A US only tracker will miss UK or DE answers if you sell there.
• Prompt set: can you use a library of buyer questions and also add your own exact prompts. Prompts should reflect your funnel, not generic “best X tools”.
• Cadence: how often the checks run. Weekly is fine for most small sites. Daily is for volatile categories.
• Evidence and history: do you get a log with the prompt, date, assistant, and the raw answer or citation list for audit and screenshots.
• Breakouts: can you group prompts by product area, persona or competitor so you can act on themes, not isolated wins.
• Export: a CSV or sheet export lets you keep your own record and compare to your release notes.
• Team fit: who will own it for an hour a week. If that person lives in Semrush or Ahrefs, their add on may be simpler than a new tool.

You can track AI visibility with a shared sheet and ten minutes a week. It is not pretty, but it works for a small site.

1. 1

   List five to fifteen buyer prompts

   Use real questions from sales emails and support. Add two comparison prompts, two how to prompts and two “best for [use case]” prompts. Example: “best time tracking app for agencies”, “how to migrate from X to Y”, “Y vs Z for freelancers”.

2. 2

   Pick the assistants and markets

   Choose up to four assistants your buyers actually use. Set the market or language for each. For example, US English and UK English for Perplexity and Copilot.

3. 3

   Create your sheet

   Columns: Date, Assistant, Market, Prompt, Your brand cited? (Y/N), Your URL if linked, Position or order, Competitors named, Notes, Screenshot link. Keep one row per check.

4. 4

   Run the checks

   Once a week, paste each prompt into each assistant. Save a screenshot or copy the citations. Fill the sheet. This takes half an hour once you have the rhythm.

5. 5

   Tag themes

   Add a column Theme and tag prompts like Pricing, Integration, Security, Onboarding. This helps you plan work in chunks.

6. 6

   Review monthly

   Sort by Theme and look for zero citation areas. Compare to your roadmap. Pick two pages to improve next month.

A good entry reads: 2026 09, example day, Perplexity, US, “best payroll for contractors”, N, -, -, “gusto.com rippling.com quickbooks.intuit.com”, “no SMB case study found”, link to screenshot. This is an example, not a measured result. After your fix, the same row a month later shows Y and the exact URL cited.

Generic “best [category]” lists are crowded. Add prompts that map to your sales path and moats. Assistants often value clarity, sources and narrow fit answers.

• “Best [category] for [niche or constraint]” for example “best CRM for two person teams”.
• “[Your product] alternatives” and “[competitor] alternatives” to catch switchers.
• “How to do [job] with [stack]” to surface integration guides.
• “[Category] for [region or compliance]” if you serve a market with local rules.
• “Cost to switch from [competitor] to [your product]” if migration is the barrier.

Write the matched pages. Use a clear h1, a short opening that answers the prompt, and links to proofs: docs, demos, customer quotes and independent sources. Keep the URL simple, for example /guides/best-crm-for-two-person-teams.

• Fill gaps first. If three assistants never cite you for “Y vs Z”, create a straight comparison at /comparison/y-vs-z with transparent trade offs.
• Strengthen proofs. Add named customers, quantified outcomes, screenshots of the exact feature that answers the prompt, and links to third party sources where allowed.
• Tighten structure. Add a summary at the top that answers in two sentences. Use short sections with headings matching the prompt words.
• Add sources. If assistants cite a rival’s guide, reference it and explain differences. Update any claims with year markers, for example “as of 2026”.
• Connect pages. From /guides/getting-started link to the deep pages you want cited. Add breadcrumb links so crawlers and assistants can trace context.
• Ask for citations. Share your new page with authors the assistants already cite on the topic. Be factual. Point to the exact paragraph worth citing.

After an update, re run your manual checks next week, then log again at 28 days. Look for first mentions. If a page earns one citation, improve it for more markets before you start a new page.

Use Google Search Console for your own search queries, pages, impressions, clicks and positions. It is pre click and shows nothing about rivals. It does not report AI assistant citations. Pair it with your AI visibility log to see if your page changes lift both lines over time.

Use Bing Webmaster Tools for backlinks, keyword research and IndexNow. It also does not show your AI citations. If Bing Copilot is a target assistant for you, include it in your manual checks and note when it links out.

1. 1

   Pick your scope

   Choose at most 15 prompts, 3 assistants and 2 markets. Write them at the top of your sheet with today’s date.

2. 2

   Run week zero

   Fill the sheet with today’s results. Take screenshots of all answers and store them in a dated folder.

3. 3

   Ship two fixes

   Pick the two biggest gaps. Plan one new page and one update. Book design or engineering time if needed.

4. 4

   Recheck on a schedule

   Add a calendar event for the same day each week. It should take under an hour. If it does not, reduce scope.

5. 5

   Review at 28 days

   Compare citations Y/N, the number of assistants that cite you, and which URLs are named. Tie these to your release notes.

Decide what AI crawlers can read. Your robots.txt and any llms.txt file set the ground rules. Keep them simple so you do not block your docs by mistake.

Buy a tool when your sheet takes more than an hour a week, or you need more markets, or you cannot keep evidence tidy. Choose the tool that covers the assistants and countries that match your pipeline today. Profound, Peec AI, Otterly and Scrunch focus on AI visibility tracking. If you already run most work in Semrush or Ahrefs, check their AI modules first for fit.

If you also need classic SEO modules, remember what each suite is built for. Ahrefs is known for its backlink index and Site Explorer, plus Keywords Explorer, Site Audit, Rank Tracker and Content Explorer, with Domain Rating from 0 to 100. Semrush is a broad suite with Keyword Magic Tool, Position Tracking, Site Audit, Backlink Analytics, competitive research, plus advertising and content modules, with an Authority Score. Pick on workflow, not hype.