How we measure AI visibility

When a homeowner asks an AI assistant who to call for a broken AC, it names a few local companies. We measure which ones, how often, and in what order. This page explains exactly how, including what the numbers can and cannot tell you.

1. The questions

For each city we ask five questions written the way homeowners actually ask, from “What is the best HVAC company in Tampa, Florida?” to “My AC stopped working. Who should I call?”. Every ranking page lists the exact questions used.

2. How we ask

• We use OpenAI's API with web search turned on and the city set as the searcher's approximate location. This is close to, but not identical to, what someone sees in the ChatGPT app.
• AI answers change from one conversation to the next, so we ask each question several times. A ranking based on five questions asked three times each rests on fifteen answers.

3. Reading the answers

A language model lists every business named in each answer, in order. We keep only names that appear word for word in the answer, skip directories such as Yelp or Angi, and merge spelling variants of the same company (for example “Del-Air Tampa” and “Del-Air Heating & Air Conditioning”).

4. Scores

• Named in X of Y answers is the plain count, and the main number we show.
• Average position is where a company appears in the answers that name it (1 means first).
• Visibility score (in reports) weights early mentions more: top 3 counts fully, positions 4-5 count 70%, later positions 40%.

5. Limits

• Small samples move. Between two measurements a day apart, a company can go from being named in 1 of 15 answers to 4 of 15. Look at the pattern over several weeks, not one number.
• We currently measure ChatGPT. Other assistants such as Gemini and Perplexity can recommend different companies.
• Rankings record what the AI said. They are not our endorsement or a review of service quality.

Corrections

If your business was merged with another by mistake, or you spot an error, email hello@bemention.com and we will fix it.