AI Answer Baseline Capture (Onboarding)

AI Answer Baseline Capture (Onboarding)

1. 01

   Freeze the client's current organic and AI visibility state before any optimization work begins

   Pull 90 days of Google Search Console impressions, clicks, and average position for the ten highest-intent service queries, then archive the export so later gains have a defensible starting line.

2. 02

   Build a fixed prompt set of 25 to 40 buyer questions that mirror how prospects actually phrase the problem

   Mix branded, category, and comparison prompts. Keep the wording locked for the engagement so week-over-week movement reflects visibility change rather than prompt drift.

3. 03

   Run every prompt across at least four engines and record which brands get named

   Query ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, and Google AI Overviews. Note whether the client appears, which competitors appear instead, and whether any client URL is cited as a source.

4. 04

   Capture the citation layer, not just the mention layer

   Log the domains each engine cites for the client's core prompts. Government, research, and regulatory sources now dominate many answer sets, so an explainer page that ranks well in classic search may never be cited in an AI answer.

5. 05

   Score each prompt on four axes: visibility, citation, mention, and sentiment

   Platforms such as Ayzeo and Pallix structure reporting around these dimensions, which makes the baseline comparable to what the client will see in monthly reviews.

6. 06

   Map the keyword gap against two or three named competitors

   Use overlap data from a platform like SpyFu to identify terms where competitors rank and the client does not, then flag which of those gaps also appear in AI answers.

7. 07

   Audit the client's backlink profile for lost or toxic links that suppress authority

   A monitoring tool such as Linkody surfaces new, lost, and changed links across client domains, and the baseline should record referring-domain counts so link-building results are measurable later.

8. 08

   Deliver a one-page baseline memo with the raw prompt log attached

   State the date of capture, the engines queried, and the exact prompt list. This memo becomes the reference document for every subsequent visibility claim in the retainer.