What should a GEO or AI search audit include?
An AI search audit should hand over the questions asked, which assistants answered, and the date and location used; every answer kept in full, not only a score; errors with the pages behind them; the competitors named; a starting count of AI-answer inquiries from your own records; and a short ranked list of fixes. It should not promise a recommendation or sell a secret file.
What it should hand over
- The questions asked: the ones customers use, in their words, plus your business by name.
- Which assistants were asked, and which Google feature, with the date and the location used.
- Each answer kept in full, not only a score or a summary.
- Errors listed with the pages the assistant appears to have drawn them from, so each can be corrected at its source.
- Which competitors were named, and for which questions.
- A starting count: how many inquiries your own lead records already tag as AI answer, next to search for comparison. Records that do not exist yet are a finding too.
- A short list of fixes in order, each with a plain reason and who can do it.
Why the date and the feature matter
An audit should say which Google feature was asked, and record the questions where no AI answer appeared: the related answer on whether AI visibility tracking tools are worth it has Google's own words on how AI Mode and AI Overviews differ and how often an AI Overview appears. As general advice, answers from other assistants can also differ by day and place, which is why the date and location belong in the report.
What it should not be
- A tool's score alone, with no answers to read behind it.
- A pitch for a secret file or trick. Google says "There are no additional requirements to appear in AI Overviews or AI Mode".
- A promise that an assistant will recommend you. No one can make that promise.
What Google's hiring guide asks
Google's page on hiring an SEO says that if help includes advice on optimizing for AI experiences, also known as "AEO" "GEO" services, you can ask whether it is aligned with Google Search's "official guidance on optimizing for generative AI features". That guide is about Google's products. For ChatGPT and other assistants, ask the auditor to show where each recommendation comes from. Ascent Vision offers GEO work, so read this with that in mind.
Where the rest is covered
- A general audit, unsolicited audits and giving view-only access: the related answer on what a marketing audit is.
- Doing the check yourself, with the questions to ask and what to write down: the related answer on checking what AI says about your business.
- When a tool's score is worth paying for: the related answer on whether AI visibility tracking tools are worth it.
Sources
- Google Search Central, "Do you need an SEO?" (last updated 2026-06-05)
- Google Search Central, "AI features and your website" (last updated 2025-12-10)
Related answers
- What is a marketing audit, and is it worth paying for?
- How do you check what ChatGPT says about your business?
- Are AI visibility tracking tools worth it for a small business?
GEO: recommended in AI answers
When a customer asks ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Copilot, Claude or Google's AI who to call, the answer names a few businesses. GEO is the work of making yours one of them.