Our own AI visibility audit: starting from zero
We ran our Expert AI Visibility Audit on this website two days after it launched. It scored 0 out of 100. This page tracks every fix we make and every re-test, and we'll publish the results either way.
The baseline, 29 September 2026
We ran our own Expert AI Visibility Audit on this site: 19 questions New Zealand businesses ask about getting recommended by AI, asked up to five times each on ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity, Google AI Mode and Google AI Overviews. That's 507 answers, and we counted any answer that named or linked aivisibilityaudit.co.nz.
What we found
- Google and Bing hadn't indexed the site yet, so most AI tools couldn't find it.
- Our name is also the name of the service. "AI Visibility Audit" is used by other businesses overseas, so AI mixed us up with them.
- ChatGPT found us in 3 of 6 answers when asked about us by name, and described Rove correctly. Claude didn't find us once.
- No page on our site said what the audit costs, so AI quoted other businesses' prices instead.
- In buying questions, AI named established NZ SEO agencies and overseas tools. It never named us.
What we've fixed
| Date | Fix |
|---|---|
| 29 Sep | Added a pricing page that answers "How much does an AI visibility audit cost in New Zealand?" |
| 29 Sep | Business details added for search engines and AI: name, address, phone, founder and profiles |
| 29 Sep | Linked Rove's LinkedIn page and our founder's profile from every page |
| 29 Sep | Submitted the site to Google Search Console, Bing Webmaster Tools and IndexNow |
| 29 Sep | Updated Rove's Google Business Profile with the audit and the free check as services |
| 29 Sep | Relaunched Rove's own site, rove.agency, which now links here |
| 29 Sep | Improved text contrast so the site is easier to read for everyone |
| 29 Sep | Published this case study, a plain-English guide to AEO, GEO and AI SEO, and a free checker page |
| 5 Nov | Set up automatic weekly re-tests, published here good or bad |
| 5 Nov | Asked Google to index the 7 pages it had found but not indexed, and sent all 10 pages to Bing again |
| 5 Nov | Published a guide to who does AI visibility audits in New Zealand, with each provider's published prices |
The targets we set on 29 September
We set these targets before making any fixes, so we can't move the goalposts. Each full re-test scores them as met or not met.
Site indexed on Google and Bing
Claude finds the site in at least 3 of 6 answers about us
At least 4 of 8 price answers give our real price (NZ$1,295 + GST)
Named in at least one buying-question answer on at least two AI tools
Re-tests
We re-test every week: the free mini audit most weeks and the full audit every fortnight. Each result is added here automatically, good or bad.
| Date | Test | Result | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 29 Sep 2026 | Full audit, 19 questions | 0/100 (0 of 507 answers) | Baseline. Site not yet indexed. |
| 4 Oct 2026 | Free mini audit, 3 questions | 0/100 (0 of 27 answers) | Google has now indexed 3 pages, Bing none yet. ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google AI Mode still don't name us. |
| 5 Nov 2026 | Full audit, 19 questions | 1/100 (6 of 506 answers) | Google has indexed 3 pages, Bing 0. Buying questions 6 of 240. Targets met: 2 of 4. AI search returned our site in 6 of 269 answers we could check. First full re-test, run late (due 13 Oct). |
| 9 Nov 2026 | Mini audit, 3 questions | 67/100 (18 of 27 answers) | Google has indexed 9 pages, Bing 0. AI search returned our site in 18 of 18 answers we could check. |
Why it hasn't moved much yet
- Search engines haven't read most of the site yet. Five weeks in, Google has indexed 3 of our 10 pages and Bing none. Google says it has found the other 7 but hasn't got to them yet.
- Almost no other websites link to us. A brand-new site with no links is low on the list for search engines to visit, and many AI tools find businesses through search.
- AI repeats what other websites say. Most AI answers rely on reviews, directories, news and articles, not the business's own site. All our fixes so far were on our own site.
What we're doing next
Our site is in better shape now. The work that's left is getting other websites to mention us. That's also the slowest part for most businesses we audit.
| When | Step |
|---|---|
| November | List the business on the directories and agency lists that AI cites in its answers |
| With our relaunch | Share this case study on LinkedIn, and send a press release about NZ businesses being invisible to AI |
| December | Pitch our results to the NZ articles and guides that AI already quotes on this topic |
Want to know where you stand?
Run the free AI visibility check on your own business, read our plain-English guide to AEO, GEO and AI SEO, or book your full audit.
Free mini audit
Not ready to book?Start for free.
Two ways to find out if AI recommends you. Start with the free mini audit, or go straight to the full audit.
Free mini audit No cost
- 3 questions your clients ask, e.g. “Who are the best engineers in Christchurch?”
- Each asked 3 times on ChatGPT, Google AI Mode and Perplexity
- Your score out of 100 and the websites AI relies on, in about 2 minutes
Good for: a quick read on where you stand.
Full audit NZ$1,295 + GST
- Up to 8 questions your clients actually ask
- Each asked 5 times on 6 AI tools, against your competitors
- A fix list ranked by impact, checked by a person
Good for: knowing exactly what to fix. Book your full audit
Your next client is asking AI today. Make sure it says your name.
While AI names someone else, those enquiries go to them. Book your full audit and get a clear plan to become the business AI recommends.