When AI answers your customers, is your business in the answer?
Last updated: 7 September 2026
An AI Visibility Audit from Optimus Consulting is a fixed-price diagnostic that tests whether ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity and Google AI Overviews name your business when your buyers ask, and shows you why.
Search is changing. Your customers are asking ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity and Google AI Overviews for recommendations, not trawling through ten blue links. An AI Visibility Audit tells you if you are in those answers, and shows you how to get there if you are not.
Across the sixteen businesses we measure every week, AI engines name the brand in about 10% of shortlist answers and under 1% of problem answers. 8,321 measured answers, to 7 September 2026.
In short
The AI Visibility Audit and 90-Day Action Programme is a paid engagement that measures whether your business is named or cited when buyers ask AI for a provider, then manages the first 90 days of improvement. It agrees 16 buyer prompts with you, tests them across ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity and Google AI Overviews, reviews your site across 13 SEO categories and 8 AEO categories, and turns the findings into a tracked action plan in your own portal, with weekly internal monitoring, fortnightly updates and a full re-measurement at day 90. The investment is £1,995 + VAT.
Two things happen. Only one is good for you.
Right now, when someone asks an AI tool "who is the best specialist insurance broker in the UK?" or "recommend a UK broker for commercial cover," one of two things happens.
Your business shows up in the answer, and you get the introduction.
Or a competitor shows up, and you never knew they were even in the running.
This is AI Visibility. Sometimes called Answer Engine Optimisation or AEO inside the SEO industry, but most UK service businesses have no idea how they score either way. The signals that drive traditional SEO (Google rankings, keywords, backlinks) are not the same signals that drive answer engine results. Being on page one of Google is no longer enough.
Five questions that decide whether AI sees you
Pass three, you're competitive. Pass all five, you're winning. The audit scores them against your live site.
- 1
Can an AI engine read what you do?
One-sentence summary on the homepage, or you're invisible. - 2
Are buyer questions actually answered on your site?
If the question isn't in your FAQ, the AI cites someone else's. - 3
Does your site signal credibility a machine can verify?
Trading history, FCA status, offices, reviews, trade press. None of it counts unless it's marked up and echoed by third parties. - 4
Are you visible in the right geography?
Offices the AI doesn't know about are silent assets. - 5
Are you publishing things worth citing?
Original data, real numbers, named customer stories. Brochure copy doesn't make the cut.
Want the full version? Read the long-form explainer: What is an AI Visibility Audit?
Or start with the questions people actually ask before they call us: the six real questions, answered
What we found in the wild
We ran the audit on ourselves, so you can see the method on a real business before you buy it. Same sixteen questions, same engines, same scoring.
3 of 10
shortlist questions named. 0 of 6 problem questions.
SEO 7.8 / 10
Optimus Consulting, 6 September 2026.
AEO 7.5 / 10
Optimus Consulting, 6 September 2026.
Not a visibility problem. A packaging problem. We win where the buyer already knows what they want, and disappear everywhere the buyer is still deciding.
Want the full story, with the sector-by-sector pattern and the 90-day fix? Read the POV: AI Visibility for UK brokers and claims businesses →
From evidence to action
Free Snapshot
We test a system-selected set of 16 commercially relevant buyer prompts across ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity and Google AI Overviews.
A clear first view of whether you are named, cited or absent, and who is visible instead.
Prompt sign-off
We review the proposed 16-prompt set with you before the paid work begins.
The measurement is based on the services, problems, locations and buyer questions that matter to your business.
Audit and 90-Day Action Programme
We establish the baseline, complete the audit, set up your portal, manage priorities and re-measure at the end of the programme.
A route from evidence to practical improvement, not a report left in a folder.
Ongoing AI Visibility
If you want continued monitoring and improvement after the first 90 days.
A managed, measurable visibility programme that can adapt as your market and AI search change.
Start with a free AI Visibility Snapshot
The Snapshot is a practical first look at how visible your business is when prospective customers ask AI for help.
We use a system-selected set of 16 buyer-focused prompts and test them across four AI and search surfaces. That gives a potential measurement set of 64 answers. We check whether your business is named, whether your website is cited as a source, which competitors or alternative providers appear, and what types of sources the engines rely on.
Engines tested
- ChatGPT
- Claude
- Perplexity
- Google AI Overviews, where an overview is returned
Your Snapshot includes
- A preliminary 16-prompt AI visibility test across four engines
- A high-level view of named visibility and cited-source visibility
- Examples of competitors and sources appearing instead
- A short view of key on-site visibility blockers where evident
- Three immediate actions you can take without consultancy
- A conversation about whether a full Audit and 90-Day Action Programme is worthwhile
Snapshot boundaries. The Snapshot is an introductory assessment, not a full audit or implementation service. It does not include a complete crawl, a category-by-category SEO/AEO assessment, a full evidence log, a 90-day roadmap, portal access, ongoing monitoring, implementation or detailed consultancy.
AI Visibility Audit and 90-Day Action Programme
A full diagnostic, followed by a managed route to improvement
An AI Visibility Audit identifies where your business is visible, where it is absent, what AI systems cite instead and what is holding you back. The 90-Day Action Programme makes sure the findings become decisions, actions and evidence rather than a report that sits unused.
This is the standard paid route for businesses that want to act on the audit findings.
Investment
£1,995 + VAT
The investment includes the full AI Visibility Audit and the compulsory 90-Day Action Programme. The programme begins once the 16 priority buyer prompts have been agreed.
What is included
Phase 1: Audit and baseline
- Final client-approved set of 16 buyer-focused prompts
- Prompt set designed around relevant category, service, location and problem questions
- Measurement across ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity and Google AI Overviews, where available
- Analysis of named visibility, cited-source visibility, competitor appearance and citation patterns
- A technical, content and AI-readiness review of the live website
- SEO review across 13 defined categories
- AEO review across 8 defined categories
- Crawl, sitemap, robots, AI crawler-access and indexation checks where access and platform data allow
- Review of key pages, heading structure, content clarity, internal linking, metadata, structured data and trust signals
- Competitor and source-gap analysis
- Priority findings presented in plain English and translated into commercial implications
- A structured 90-day action plan, prioritised by impact, effort and owner
- A full written audit pack, including executive summary, results, evidence and jargon buster where relevant
- A 45-minute audit walkthrough and decision call
- Client portal setup, including actions, owner, status, evidence and sign-off process
Phase 2: 90-Day Action Programme
- Weekly internal monitoring of the agreed prompt set
- Fortnightly client-facing progress update through the portal, written update, recorded update or agreed review format
- Continued portal access for the 90-day programme
- Action tracking, owner assignment, due dates and completion evidence
- Clarification of findings and recommendations within the agreed 90-day action plan
- Review of client-completed actions submitted through the portal
- Up to 2 defined Optimus-led on-site optimisation items across the 90 days
- Priority guidance on what should be done first and why
- A final re-measurement using the agreed prompt set
- A 90-day review covering movement, completed actions, outstanding blockers and recommended next-quarter priorities
Scope in short
The programme includes up to two defined optimisation items across the 90 days. It does not include unlimited implementation, content production, development work or guarantees.
From you we need a nominated decision maker, sign-off on the 16 prompts and agreed access to the website and analytics.
Read the full scope, boundaries and responsibilitiesHow it works
Free Snapshot
We test a system-selected set of 16 commercially relevant buyer prompts across ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity and Google AI Overviews, and show you whether you are named, cited or absent.
Prompt sign-off
We review the proposed 16-prompt set with you before the paid work begins, so the measurement reflects the services, problems, locations and buyer questions that matter to your business.
Audit and baseline
We establish the baseline, complete the full audit across 13 SEO categories and 8 AEO categories, deliver the written pack and walkthrough call, and set up your portal.
90-Day Action Programme
Weekly internal monitoring, fortnightly client updates, tracked actions with owners and evidence, up to 2 defined Optimus-led optimisation items, and a final re-measurement with a 90-day review.
Your AI Visibility portal
The portal makes responsibilities and scope visible at every stage. It is not a ticketing system for unlimited requests. It is the shared operating board for the agreed 90-day plan.
This is not a vanity metrics tool. It is where you watch the work actually land. The audit is the diagnosis. The portal is how you live with the fix, see the movement, and know exactly what is being worked on and why.
What it shows
Programme dashboard
Programme status, start date and scheduled 90-day review, latest measurement date, named and cited-source visibility, movement since baseline, actions due this fortnight and actions blocked pending client input.
Prompt and visibility area
Your 16 agreed prompts, the prompt type, the engines tested, the latest result by engine, competitors and sources appearing, and baseline against latest measurement.
Action board
Every action carries an owner, priority, due date, definition of done, evidence and a sign-off control, plus a clear scope label.
Included items counter
Two included Optimus optimisation items across the programme, with used and remaining shown, so included implementation never becomes unlimited support.
Reporting area
Baseline report and audit pack, fortnightly progress updates, completed-action log, blockers, the final re-measurement and the 90-day review.
Methodology note
Individual AI answers vary between runs, so direction is read over time rather than from a single response.
Every action carries a scope label
- Client action, included in programme
- Optimus action, included in programme
- Optional implementation, quote required
- Blocked pending client access or approval
- Completed and awaiting review
- Completed and verified
Continue AI Visibility after the Action Programme
At the end of the 90 days, Optimus reviews what has moved, what has been delivered, what remains blocked and what should happen next.
AI Visibility Monitor
£295 + VAT per month
Suitable for businesses that want ongoing monitoring, a clear monthly view of AI visibility and up to 2 defined on-site optimisation items each month.
- Ongoing agreed prompt-set monitoring
- Monthly visibility insight and priority update
- Portal access while the plan remains active
- Up to 2 defined optimisation items each month
- Quarterly prompt-set review
AI Visibility Monitor & Fix
£695 + VAT per month
Suitable for businesses that want ongoing monitoring and more active improvement work.
- Everything in AI Visibility Monitor
- Up to 5 defined on-site optimisation items each month
- Monthly prioritisation and action planning
- Quarterly strategic review
Additional work is £150 + VAT per defined optimisation item, where the task is within the defined item framework and capacity is available. Larger tasks, content production, website development, technical remediation, authority building and off-site work are scoped and priced separately.
If the audit shows the site itself is the blocker, an AI-Ready Website build may be the better next move. The full price list is on the services and pricing page.
Operators, not marketers.
Most AI visibility services are run by marketers bolting AEO onto an SEO pitch.
We are different. Optimus is run by operators, not marketers. Chris Latham spent 25 years in motor claims, credit hire, and insurance operations before building this audit. That means we understand what a law firm, broker, or claims business actually does, what your clients ask, and which queries genuinely matter for your business.
The audit reads like a consultant's report, not a marketing dashboard.
Why not just use a tool?
There are plenty of AI visibility tools on the market. We use some of them ourselves. They give you a dashboard. They do not give you a diagnosis.
A dashboard is not the same as a diagnosis.
A tool will tell you your Share of Voice is 3%. It will not tell you why, what to fix first, or which lever matters most for a UK insurance broker versus a US law firm. That needs a human reading the data in the context of your business.
And the portal? It is not a standalone tool subscription. It is the live view of the consultant-led work we are doing for you, scoped to your business. You are not paying for a dashboard. You are paying for the work, and the dashboard is how you watch it land week by week.
One honest caveat. Direct revenue attribution from AI Visibility is unsolved across the industry, including by the tool vendors making the boldest claims. The audit gives you directional evidence (16 buyer questions, Share of Voice, AI-referred traffic where GA4 shows it) that genuinely informs your SEO, PR and content investment, not a promised revenue lift.
Request your free Snapshot pack
Two-page Snapshot, one-page Results sheet and one-page Primer covering the full 16-query Share of Voice test. Delivered within 48 hours. No commitment, no cost.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the difference between the free Snapshot and the paid programme?
- The free AI Visibility Snapshot is a preliminary view of whether a business is appearing in a selected set of AI-assisted searches. The paid programme includes a client-approved prompt set, full audit, detailed evidence, technical and content analysis, 90-day action plan, portal access, managed progress and re-measurement.
- Why does the audit include 90 days of management?
- The audit identifies the gap. The first 90 days make sure the priorities are understood, assigned, tracked and reviewed. Without that period, a detailed audit can become a report that sits unused while questions and implementation decisions remain unresolved.
- Do you monitor every week?
- Optimus monitors the agreed prompt set weekly internally to identify issues and changes early. Client-facing updates are provided fortnightly through the agreed reporting format. AI answers can vary between individual runs, so movement is assessed as a direction over time rather than from one isolated answer.
- Can we change the 16 prompts?
- The prompt set is agreed before the audit starts. It is held stable during the 90-day programme so the baseline and re-measurement remain comparable. A prompt can be replaced where both parties agree that it is materially inaccurate or commercially irrelevant.
- Does the programme include blogs and new service pages?
- The programme includes up to two defined Optimus-led optimisation items over 90 days. Larger content work, multiple blogs, new service pages and substantial copywriting are scoped separately. The audit and portal make it clear what should be created and why before any additional work is approved.
- Does the programme guarantee that we will appear in AI answers?
- No. AI platforms change their systems and answers regularly, and no provider can guarantee rankings, citations, recommendations, traffic, leads or revenue. The programme measures the current position, addresses the controllable gaps and tracks movement against the agreed buyer prompts.
- What happens after the first 90 days?
- At the 90-day review, Optimus presents what changed, what was delivered, outstanding blockers and the recommended next priorities. Clients can then move to AI Visibility Monitor (£295 + VAT a month), AI Visibility Monitor & Fix (£695 + VAT a month), separately scoped implementation, an AI-Ready Website project or an internal handover.
- How much does the AI Visibility Audit and 90-Day Action Programme cost?
- £1,995 + VAT. That covers the agreed 16-prompt set, the four-engine measurement, the full audit across 13 SEO categories and 8 AEO categories, the written pack, the walkthrough call, portal setup, 90 days of monitoring and action management, up to two defined Optimus-led optimisation items, and the final re-measurement and review.
- How is this different from an SEO audit?
- An SEO audit measures how you rank on Google's traditional search results. An AI Visibility audit measures whether you appear in the AI-generated answer above those results, which is increasingly where customers stop reading. Our audit covers both. For a deeper comparison see /aeo/aeo-vs-seo.
- What sectors do you cover?
- UK service SMEs. We have delivered audits for insurance broking, legal, credit hire, accident management, leasing, and professional services. If your sector is not listed, ask.
See where you stand in your sector.
Free Snapshot pack. 16 buyer questions across the major AI engines. Within 48 hours.