Are competitors becoming the answer before buyers find you?
Most SEO reports show rankings, clicks, traffic, and keywords. But AI search adds a different question: when buyers ask AI who to trust, what to expect, or which company to compare, does your business show up — or does someone else become the answer?
The DIY Audit itself
Step 1: Can AI find your business?
Before checking competitors, start with the basics: can AI clearly identify your business and explain what you do?
Open one or two AI search tools, such as ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Copilot, or Google AI search, and test the prompts below.
Use your real business name, city, state, and main service.
- What does [Business Name] in [City, State] do?
- Is [Business Name] a good option for [service] in [city]?
- What services does [Business Name] offer?
- Where does [Business Name] provide service?
| Result | Score |
|---|---|
| AI clearly explains the business | 3 |
| AI partially explains the business | 2 |
| AI gives vague/incomplete info | 1 |
| AI cannot find or explain it | 0 |
Diagnostic note
If AI struggles to explain your business, your online presence may not be giving search engines and answer engines enough clear, consistent information.
Step 2: Are competitors becoming the answer?
- Who are the best [service type] companies in [city]?
- What should I look for before hiring a [service provider] in [city]?
- Compare [Business Name] to other [service type] companies near [city].
- Which [service type] companies near [city] have strong reviews?
What to record
- Did your business appear?
- Which competitors appeared?
- Did AI explain why those competitors were relevant?
- Did AI mention reviews, credentials, locations, services, or proof?
- Was your company missing, vague, or less clearly explained?
Score it
| Result | Score |
|---|---|
| Your business appears clearly and competitively | 3 |
| Your business appears, but competitors are explained better | 2 |
| Competitors appear, but your business is missing | 1 |
| AI gives poor or irrelevant answers | 0 |
This is the most important section because it ties directly to the winning ad angle.
Step 3: Does your website answer buyer questions?
Give 1 point for each yes.
| Buyer question | Yes/No |
|---|---|
| What services do you provide? | |
| Where do you provide them? | |
| Who do you help? | |
| What problems do you solve? | |
| What affects cost? | |
| What should buyers know before choosing? | |
| What makes your business trustworthy? | |
| What proof supports your claims? | |
| What questions do customers commonly ask? | |
| What should someone do next? |
Score it
| Score | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 0–3 | Weak answer foundation |
| 4–6 | Some useful information, but major gaps |
| 7–8 | Decent foundation |
| 9–10 | Strong answer-ready page structure |
Diagnostic note
AI search depends heavily on clear, crawlable, helpful content. If your website does not answer buyer questions clearly, AI has less reason to use your business as part of the answer.
Step 4: Does your business have trust signals?
Checklist:
| Trust signal | Yes/No |
|---|---|
| Google Business Profile is complete | |
| Reviews are recent | |
| Reviews mention specific services | |
| Business responds to reviews | |
| Service pages are detailed | |
| FAQs are present | |
| Photos, case studies, or examples are visible | |
| Credentials, certifications, or years in business are clear | |
| NAP info is consistent: name, address, phone | |
| Business is mentioned on other trusted websites/directories |
Score it
Give 1 point for each yes.
| Score | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 0–3 | Low trust visibility |
| 4–6 | Moderate trust signals |
| 7–8 | Stronger local trust foundation |
| 9–10 | Strong trust support for AI/local visibility |
Final scoring
Add the scores:
| Section | Max score |
|---|---|
| AI can find/explain business | 12 |
| Competitor visibility | 12 |
| Website answer foundation | 10 |
| Trust signals | 10 |
| Total | 44 |
Score interpretation
| Total score | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 0–14 | AI may struggle to understand or trust your business |
| 15–25 | Your business has some visibility foundation, but competitors may be easier to explain |
| 26–35 | You have a decent foundation, but likely have answer/content gaps |
| 36–44 | Strong foundation; next opportunity is competitor differentiation and authority expansion |
Want the professional version?
The DIY check helps you spot the obvious gaps. The DFY AI Search Visibility Audit goes deeper by testing your business across AI search tools, comparing your visibility against competitors, reviewing your website and local trust signals, and building a 90-day roadmap to improve your chances of becoming part of the answer.
What the DFY audit includes
- AI visibility testing across major answer/search tools
- Competitor visibility comparison
- Website answerability review
- Google Business Profile and review signal review
- Service page and FAQ gap analysis
- Local entity clarity review
- Content opportunities based on buyer questions
- 90-day AEO improvement roadmap