An AI engine can only mention a business it has read about. It does not know you exist because you have a website. It knows you exist because your name, and what you do, shows up clearly in the places it reads. Getting mentioned is about being in those places, with the same story everywhere.
Where AI reads about businesses
For most questions, engines draw on a mix of:
- Your own site. The clearest statement of who you are and what you offer.
- Review platforms and directories. The ones that matter differ by industry.
- "Best of" lists and roundups. Engines often lean on these for "who is the best..." questions.
- Industry and local press. Articles that describe what you do and where.
- Associations and certifications. Proof that you are what you say you are.
If a competitor shows up across these and you show up on one, the engine has far more to go on for them.
Step 1: State the plain facts on your own site
Write down, in plain sentences, what you do, where you do it, who it is for and what makes you different. Put it where it is easy to find: your home page, your about page, your service pages. Then answer the common questions your customers ask, one per heading, with the answer in the first sentence. Engines quote plain, specific statements far more readily than slogans.
Step 2: Make the same facts appear everywhere
Your name, address, phone number, hours, services and categories should match on every listing. Inconsistent details make an engine less sure it is talking about the right business, and an engine that is unsure tends to leave you out.
Step 3: Get onto the sources cited for your questions
Ask the engines your customers' questions and look at what they cite. You will see the same sites come up again and again for your category. Those are the ones to be on. Claim and complete your profiles, ask happy customers for reviews on the platforms that keep appearing, and pitch the lists and publications that cover your field. To see which sources are behind the answers that name your competitors, look at who AI replaced you with.
Step 4: Climb from mentioned to cited
A mention is the first rung, not the goal. The Citation Ladder reads each answer from the top:
- Cited with a link. The answer links to your site.
- Named as a recommendation. You are on the shortlist.
- Mentioned. You come up, but not as a pick.
Moving up usually means giving the engine a reason to pick you for the exact question asked. Price, location, specialty, availability: the more specific the facts you publish, the more questions you fit.
Step 5: Count your mentions every week
One ask tells you little, because answers change from one ask to the next. Ask the same questions on a schedule and count how often you are named compared with your competitors. That share is your AI Share of Voice, and it tells you whether your work is paying off.
For what this looks like in a specific industry, see our guides for med spas, dental practices, law firms and car dealerships.
Find out where you are mentioned now
The free AI Visibility Snapshot checks you plus three competitors across ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini, and shows who AI names instead of you. If you would rather have the work done for you, our team can fix it for you, with nothing going live until you approve it.
