There are around 1,500 companies in the Netherlands claiming they can make you more visible in ChatGPT, Google and Perplexity. Everyone measures it differently, and there is no uniform standard. That is why IAB, the digital advertising trade association, published a framework for measuring AI visibility on 3 August. It helps you assess whether a GEO measurement is being carried out properly.
Suppose your brand appears in 18 out of 100 AI answers. That puts your visibility at around 20%. But that still tells you nothing about whether AI places your brand near the top, how it describes you or whether it recommends you. A mention at the bottom of a long list is different from a recommendation in response to a buyer’s question. That is why IAB divides AI visibility into four layers.
Presence
Presence is about whether AI mentions your brand. In this example, it does so in 18 out of 100 answers. Those 18 mentions only show that AI names your brand. A citation to your website is something else. Neither one is automatically a recommendation.
Prominence
Prominence is about the position you get in an answer. Does your brand come first in a list of providers? Does it appear only after four competitors? Or does AI mention you in passing? Your position determines how prominent your brand is in that answer.
Portrayal
Portrayal is about how AI describes your brand. AI might present your company as a specialist, a market leader or a budget option. It could also place you in the wrong industry, misrepresenting what you offer.
Persuasion
Persuasion is about the step from being mentioned to being recommended. An answer might list your brand as one of several options. AI might also say your company is a good fit for a specific situation, or name it as its first choice. Even an active recommendation is not yet a click, a lead or revenue.
These measurement levels can help you assess a potential GEO provider: are they reinventing the wheel, or following IAB’s guidelines?
My GEO Monitor follows IAB guidelines
My GEO Monitor shows all four layers in your personal dashboard. You can see the results by platform and question type, together with a range and a label indicating measurement quality. Want to know what this looks like for your brand? Send me a message, and I’ll show you.
This translation was made by AI.