1. Prompt set
Agree the buyer questions, problem questions, reporting questions, and competitor questions worth tracking.
> TomHow / Resource / Reports
AI search visibility report and AI citation tracking report.
If buyers now ask ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity, or Google before they shortlist you, the report has to show more than rankings. It has to show where the brand appears, where competitors are cited, which URLs support the answer, and what gets fixed next.
Last reviewed 2026-10-08
> TomHow proof stance
The proof asset is the fabricated public sample monthly report. It uses Acme Industries data only, so the format can be judged without exposing TomHow internal data, client data, or private project data. The next step is the paid audit, because that creates the prompt set, competitor baseline, technical findings, and first action plan.
> Format demonstration
Inspect the fabricated sample report before you pay for the audit.
This is not outcome proof. The sample report shows the reporting format: executive summary, visibility snapshot, citation index, organic movement, shipped work, next actions, signature, and source index. The company, prompts, and numbers are fabricated.
Fabricated Acme Industries data only
Prompt evidence and source index shown
PDF sample plus page viewer
Paid audit creates your real baseline
> Paid audit path
The audit is the setup work behind the real report.
A visibility report is only useful once the prompt set, platform checks, competitor list, technical findings, and evidence rules are fixed. The GBP 2,250 paid audit builds that baseline first.
2. Evidence capture
Check the selected prompts across AI systems and record brand mentions, citations, competitors, source URLs, and limits.
3. Diagnosis
Check access, page relevance, public facts and cited sources independently. Keep confirmed defects separate from possible explanations of missing citations.
4. Action plan
Turn the evidence into the first work list: pages to fix, pages to publish, schema to add, and prompts to rerun.
> Primary references
Check the platform guidance and the limits.
These are platform requirements, not measured TomHow results. Google eligibility does not guarantee inclusion. OpenAI documents search access separately from training access. Check the current guidance before changing crawler controls or buying an optimisation claim.
- Google AI features: eligibility, access and measurement Normal SEO, indexed pages and snippet eligibility; no special AI schema is required.
- Google generative AI optimisation guidance Useful original content and the limits of AI-specific files and formatting.
- OpenAI crawler roles and controls Search, training and user-request access have distinct roles.
> Report job
The report turns AI search visibility into evidence.
An AI search visibility report should explain how the brand is being found, ignored, or replaced inside AI answers and search surfaces. It should not rely on one screenshot, one score, or one lucky prompt.
- Fixed buyer prompt set
- ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Gemini, and Google checks where available
- Brand mention and cited URL separated
- Competitor citations logged separately
- Source notes and confidence notes on every useful row
> Citation tracking
The citation table is the spine of the report.
An AI citation tracking report records the prompt, platform, answer state, cited brand, cited URL where exposed, competitor, source type, and next move. That source row is what keeps the report honest.
- Evidence id and capture date
- Exact prompt text and prompt cluster
- Platform, mode, and country when known
- Brand present, brand absent, competitor present, or no useful citation
- Support check and data quality note
> Sections
Separate the observation, the diagnosis and the action.
A useful report states where the brand was absent, which sources appeared and what independently checked defects need attention. Absence alone does not identify a cause. Label possible explanations as hypotheses, give each action an owner and preserve enough detail to repeat the check. Keep the executive summary short and the appendix inspectable.
- Executive summary
- Visibility snapshot
- AI citation tracking index
- Competitor citation comparison
- Technical AEO, content, and authority roadmap
> Search data
Traditional SEO still belongs in the report.
Keep search performance, website visits and answer observations separate. Search Console can show search exposure; GA4 can show measured visits; crawl checks can identify access defects. None alone explains why an AI answer omitted a brand. Use them together to prioritise independent checks rather than infer a single cause.
- Organic query movement
- Landing pages gaining or losing visibility
- Content that supports citation eligibility
- Technical blockers affecting retrieval
- Pages to fix before the next prompt rerun
> Useful private gaps
Missing citations belong in the private report first.
A completed answer that omits the brand records absence for that prompt and capture only. A failed request or an answer without exposed sources is a measurement limitation, not zero citation evidence. Inspect the intended page and cited sources before choosing a content, access or profile task. Preserve raw captures privately unless a separate public-safe version is approved.
- Shortlist prompts with no brand mention
- Competitor or tool citations replacing the brand
- Source types that influence answers
- Technical blockers that reduce retrieval
- Pages to publish before the next check
> Corroboration
The report should show which evidence the web is missing.
If competitors keep appearing, the report should not stop at naming them. It should explain what public evidence they have that the audited brand lacks, then split the fix between owned pages and third-party corroboration.
- On-site evidence: service pages, audit method, report examples, schema, FAQs, and internal links
- Third-party evidence: profiles, listings, reviews, partner mentions, guest posts, directory entries, and founder content
- Consistency check: same name, offer, audience, and category wording across each source
- Source gap: which outside pages AI systems already cite or repeat
- Rerun rule: no movement claim until the same prompt set is checked again
> Monthly rhythm
Tracking only matters if it creates a work loop.
A monthly report should show what shipped, what moved, what stayed missing, and what gets worked on next. Otherwise the report becomes theatre.
- Prompt rerun
- Citation delta
- Technical fixes shipped
- Content published
- Next action list
> Source appendix
The appendix is where trust is won.
The executive summary can be short, but the appendix should let a sceptical buyer inspect the evidence. It should include raw rows, source notes, and clear limits.
- Prompt table
- Cited URL table
- Competitor table
- Technical access notes
- Platform gaps and manual checks
> Buyer questions
Plain answers.
What is an AI search visibility report?
An AI search visibility report shows how a brand appears across AI answers and search surfaces. It should include prompts, platforms, cited brands, cited URLs where exposed, competitor mentions, search data, limitations, and next actions.
What is an AI citation tracking report?
An AI citation tracking report is the prompt-level evidence table inside the wider visibility report. It records whether AI systems mention or cite your brand, your competitors, or another source instead.
Can I see a sample AI search visibility report?
Yes. TomHow publishes a fabricated sample monthly report so buyers can inspect the structure. It uses Acme Industries sample data only and contains no real client data.
How often should AI citations be reported?
Monthly is usually enough for leadership reporting. Weekly prompt checks can feed the monthly report if the prompt set is stable.
Should screenshots be included?
Screenshots can support the report, but they should not be the report. The source table is more important because it records prompt, date, platform, mode, and citation result.
What is the main output of the report?
A ranked action list. The point is to decide what to publish, fix, rewrite, promote, or rerun next.
Does an AI visibility report guarantee citations?
No. A credible report shows evidence, limits, gaps, and the work most likely to improve citation eligibility. Guaranteed AI citations would be fake certainty.