# How it works | RankX

**How does an AI search audit work?** Three steps: audit how ready your site is for AI tools, fix what the audit found, then re-test with the same audit.

## The loop

Audit, Fix plan, Re-test. Each re-test is logged so you can see exactly what changed.

- The same checks, the same inputs, every recheck
- Verified fixed, still open or not rechecked: named, never blended into a score
- Nothing published without your sign-off

## Step by step

### 01. Audit (Now)

We audit your site across nine areas: crawl and indexing, on-page, content, links, structured data, AI search readiness, performance, security and search visibility. Areas we couldn't measure are marked "not assessed", never estimated. Page 1 is a decision block: the verdict and three moves, each tied to evidence.

### 02. Fix plan (Now)

We do the work for you, prioritized by impact and effort: technical readiness (AI crawler access, structured data, indexability), answer-ready pages on your site, and the outside profiles AI tools draw on, including review hygiene, never incentivized reviews. Nothing is published without your sign-off.

### 03. Re-test (Now)

We re-test each promised fix under the same inputs. A fix is called "verified" only when that re-test passes; otherwise it's "still open" or "not rechecked", named as such. Monthly rechecks with the Retainer are Coming.

## Now and coming

- **Now:** free check (booked, reviewed by a person) · AI Visibility Audit · Sprint
- **Coming:** prompt measurement across ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Perplexity and Google AI Overviews, as part of the Retainer

## Definitions for prompt measurement (Coming)

- **Mention:** the tool names your business in the answer text, whether or not a source is linked.
- **Citation:** one of your pages or profiles is referenced as a source for the answer.

Example (illustrative, fictional business): "Small businesses in [Local area] often shortlist Example Ledger Co." would count as a mention; listing exampleledger.example as a source would be a citation.

## The honest limits

AI tools are run by third parties and change often. No one can guarantee what an AI tool will say. We check, report honestly and show the evidence.

- **We can't promise outcomes.** We audit, fix and re-test, and report the results either way.
- **We won't fudge the ruler.** If a fix doesn't pass its recheck, you'll see "still open".
- **We'll tell you to walk away** if the free check or audit shows it isn't worth pursuing right now.

## Process questions

- **What does "verified" mean?** A fix is verified only when re-tested under the same inputs and it passes. Otherwise the report says "still open" or "not rechecked".
- **Do you measure AI mentions and citations?** Not yet. Prompt measurement is Coming, as part of the Retainer. Today's audit marks prompt measurement "not measured".
- **Do you need access to our website?** Not for the audit. For a Sprint, we need access so we can make the fixes ourselves. Nothing is published without your sign-off.
- **When do we see anything?** The free check is a short review of your site that we talk you through; the audit follows; a Sprint re-test confirms the fixes. We won't promise a timeline for AI tools to change what they say.

Start free: /snapshot/ · The audit: /services/ai-visibility-audit/ · Method: /methodology/ · Sample report: /sample-report/