Signals Semrush and BrightLocal don't track

AI Search Visibility

When customers ask ChatGPT, Perplexity, or Gemini for local recommendations, is your client mentioned? Kelsey checks across all three. Client mentioned 0 times. Competitors 8 times. A gap most tools never surface.

Agencies use AI visibility findings in Client Visibility Audits to win prospect pitches and justify retainers. It answers a question prospects are starting to ask: "Am I showing up when people ask AI for help?"

Why AI search visibility matters for agencies

Local search is no longer just Google. More people ask ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini for things like "best plumber in Sacramento" or "emergency dentist near me." When AI answers, it recommends specific businesses. If your client is not in that answer, a competitor probably is.

Semrush, Ahrefs, and BrightLocal track traditional rankings and keywords. None of them report whether a business appears when customers ask AI. That gap is invisible to most agencies and clients. Kelsey surfaces it. One line in a Client Visibility Audit ("Client mentioned 0 times in AI results. Competitors mentioned 8 times.") can be the finding that wins the deal.

Kelsey checks these platforms

People ask AI for local recommendations every day. Kelsey runs the same queries your clients' customers would and reports who gets mentioned.

ChatGPT
Perplexity
Gemini

Example queries your clients' customers are asking

These are the kinds of questions that drive local demand. When someone asks AI instead of typing into Google, your client either appears or doesn't.

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"Best plumber in Sacramento"

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"Best roofing company near me"

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"Emergency dentist in [city]"

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"Top-rated HVAC near me"

When AI answers these questions, does your client get mentioned? Kelsey runs these queries and reports client vs competitor mentions across ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini. One finding per query. Add directly to Client Visibility Audits.

How Kelsey checks AI visibility for your clients

Kelsey runs local searches across ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini using the same queries your clients' customers would type. It counts how often the client is mentioned and how often competitors are mentioned. The output is simple: client 0 times, competitors 8 times. No dashboards to interpret. Just a clear gap you can drop into a pitch deck or Client Visibility Audit.

Agencies use this for prospect pitches ("You're not showing up when people ask AI for plumbers. Here's who is."), retention reports ("Competitors are getting AI visibility. You're not."), and client briefs. It answers the question: why are competitors getting customers instead of this client? Sometimes the answer is AI.

Example finding from a Client Visibility Audit

This is the kind of gap Kelsey surfaces. No other agency tool reports it. Use it to stand out in sales calls and client reports.

Visibility Alert

Client Hawthorne Plumbing is not mentioned in AI answers for "best plumber in Sacramento." Competitors mentioned: 8×.

What to do when a client has no AI visibility

When Kelsey flags that a client is not mentioned in AI answers, the fix is usually straightforward. AI suggests businesses based on relevance signals it can find online: Google Business Profile content, website copy, and reviews. Agencies can recommend specific changes and track when visibility improves.

Recommended actions to add to client briefs:

  • Update the client's Google Business Profile with relevant service keywords that match what people ask AI
  • Add services to the profile that competitors list and that align with common AI queries
  • Ensure the client's website and reviews mention key terms so AI can surface the business
  • Kelsey tracks when clients start appearing in AI answers and alerts you. Add wins to retention reports.

How agencies use AI visibility in pitches and audits

Prospect pitches

Run a Client Visibility Audit for a prospect. Include the AI visibility finding. "You're not mentioned when people ask AI for plumbers. Competitors are. Here's what to fix." It's a differentiator most agencies never mention because they don't have the data.

Retention and client reports

Add AI visibility to weekly or monthly client reports. When a client starts appearing in AI answers after changes, surface that win. When they're still missing, add it to the recommended actions list.

AI visibility is still new territory.

More searches shift to AI every month. Semrush and BrightLocal don't track it. Agencies that surface this gap for clients stand out in pitches and reports. Add AI visibility to every Client Visibility Audit.

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