Methodology
In short
The AI Visibility Score is MxdifyLocal's named measure of how findable and quotable a local business is inside AI answers. It is scored 0 to 100 and reported with four sub-metrics: visibility score, mention rate, average AI position and gap to leader. Every score we publish states the date it was measured, the prompt set used and the engines checked.
[ 01 ]Definition
A single number hides too much, so every score is reported with the four figures behind it. Engines checked: ChatGPT, Google AI Mode, Google AI Overviews, Gemini, Perplexity.
0 to 100, always published with its measurement date
The headline 0 to 100 figure. A weighted roll-up of the other three sub-metrics across the recorded prompt set and engines, weighted toward being named with a citation rather than merely described.
Percentage of runs, with the run count stated
The share of prompt runs in which the business is named at all. Each prompt is run several times per engine because AI answers vary between runs, so this is a frequency, not a single result.
Mean ordinal position among named businesses
Where the business tends to appear when it is named: first business mentioned, later in a list, or a passing reference. Averaged across runs and engines.
Points, signed, against the leading business in the measured set
The difference in visibility score between the business and the highest-scoring local competitor in the same prompt set, described by category rather than named. This is the number we work to shrink, because local AI visibility is relative, not absolute.
[ 02 ]Inputs
40 points
Whether the business appears, and how it appears, in answers to a fixed set of buyer-intent prompts.
We run a written prompt set for the vertical and service area across ChatGPT, Google AI Mode, Google AI Overviews, Gemini and Perplexity, tracked in Surfer's AI Tracker. Points are awarded for being named, cited with a link, and described accurately. The prompt set is recorded with the score so the check can be repeated.
Instrument: Surfer AI Tracker
25 points
How easily an assistant can extract a correct answer from the site.
Measured by MxdifyLocal directly. We check for question-form headings with self-contained answers, definition-first copy, text present in the raw server-rendered HTML, valid JSON-LD linked by @id, and crawler access in robots.txt for the major AI user agents.
Instrument: MxdifyLocal source audit
20 points
Whether the business identity is the same everywhere an engine might look.
Measured by MxdifyLocal directly. We compare the name, address and phone on the site, in schema, on Google Business Profile, on Yelp and in major directories, plus categories, service area, hours and review volume and recency.
Instrument: MxdifyLocal local signal audit
15 points
Whether the site is fast and stable enough to be crawled and trusted.
Measured by MxdifyLocal directly. Mobile Largest Contentful Paint, Cumulative Layout Shift, Interaction to Next Paint and total page weight, measured with Lighthouse on a throttled mobile profile.
Instrument: Lighthouse, throttled mobile profile
The AI Visibility Score is MxdifyLocal's composite. Only the answer presence component is measured inside a third-party tracker. The other three components we measure directly, and we name the instrument for each so the check can be repeated.
Engines tested every run: ChatGPT, Google AI Mode, Google AI Overviews, Gemini and Perplexity. Methodology version 1.0. Last revised August 11, 2026.
[ 03 ]Method
[ 04 ]FAQ
It is our 0 to 100 measure of how often and how prominently your business appears across the 5 major AI engines (ChatGPT, Google AI Mode, Google AI Overviews, Gemini, Perplexity) for your key local searches, benchmarked against your local competitors. It tracks your mention rate, your average position in AI answers, and the gap between you and the leading business in the measured set.
We run your real local queries across the major AI engines on a set schedule and record whether and how prominently you are mentioned, then score it and compare it to your competitors over time. It is a measured, repeatable check, not a guess.
No one can guarantee a specific AI answer, and anyone who claims otherwise is overselling. What we can do is optimize the signals these engines rely on, your site, your citations, your reviews and your content, and grow your AI Visibility Score over time. We show you the movement honestly.
The AI Visibility Score is a 0 to 100 measure, defined by MxdifyLocal, of how findable and quotable a local business is inside AI answers. It is built from AI answer presence (40 points), source readability (25), local signal consistency (20) and site performance (15), and reported alongside four sub-metrics: visibility score, mention rate, average AI position and gap to leader. It is produced by a documented manual and automated check, not by a black box.
Visibility score is the headline 0 to 100 roll-up. Mention rate is the share of prompt runs in which the business is named. Average AI position is where it tends to sit among the businesses named in an answer. Gap to leader is the point difference between the business and the highest-scoring local competitor in the same prompt set.
ChatGPT, Google AI Mode, Google AI Overviews, Gemini and Perplexity. We record the model or surface and the date, because AI answers change over time and an undated score is not evidence.
No, and we say so. AI answers vary between runs. We run each prompt several times and record how often the business appeared, so the presence component reflects frequency rather than a single lucky result.
Never. The audit form does not display an instant score. A score appears only in a report or a case study, with the measurement date, prompt set and engines listed alongside it.
Only within the same vertical and service area, measured with the same prompt set on nearby dates. Comparing across verticals or months is not meaningful and we do not present it that way.
Part of the Mxdify family
Same studio standards as Mxdify, scoped and priced for businesses that serve a town.
