AI Visibility 8 min read

Test AI Visibility: Is Your Store Recommended by ChatGPT?

A practical guide to finding out if and how AI systems perceive your online store – with specific test prompts and evaluation criteria.

1 Why You Should Regularly Test Your AI Visibility

Most online retailers have no idea whether AI systems know their store. Yet this question is as relevant today as "Is my store on page 1 of Google?" was ten years ago.

A regular AI visibility test shows you:

  • Whether AI systems use your store as a source
  • Which products are recommended – and which are not
  • How you compare to competitors
  • Whether your optimizations are having an effect

2 Test 1: Direct Product Queries in ChatGPT

Start with ChatGPT (or another AI system) and ask typical purchase queries from your industry. Use the web search feature for this.

Example prompts for an equestrian supply store:

→ "Which online store has the best selection of riding helmets?"

→ "Recommend me a reputable store for equestrian supplies in Germany."

→ "Where can I best buy [product name] online?"

Evaluation criteria:

  • ✓ Is your store mentioned by name?
  • ✓ Are specific products with prices mentioned?
  • ✓ Is a link to your store provided?
  • ✗ Is only the competition recommended?
  • ✗ Is your store not mentioned at all?

3 Test 2: Check Company Awareness

Ask AI systems directly about your company:

→ "What do you know about [company name]?"

→ "Is [company name] a reputable online store?"

→ "What products does [company name] offer?"

Pay attention to: Is the information correct? Are current products mentioned? Is the address right? Incorrect or outdated information indicates missing structured data.

4 Test 3: Competitor Comparison

Compare how AI systems rate you versus your competitors:

→ "Compare [your store] with [competitor] for [product category]."

→ "Which stores for [your niche] in Germany would you recommend?"

If competitors are recommended and you're not, analyze their websites: Do they have better Schema.org markup? An llms.txt file? More complete product data?

5 Test 4: Technical Check

In addition to AI queries, you should check the technical basics:

robots.txt

Are AI crawlers (GPTBot, ClaudeBot, GoogleBot-Extended) allowed?

llms.txt

Does an llms.txt exist in the root directory?

Schema.org

Is Product markup with price and availability present on product pages?

Sitemap

Is the XML sitemap up to date and linking all important pages?

Load time

Can AI crawlers load the pages quickly enough?

6 Document and Improve Results

Create a simple scorecard for your AI visibility test:

Criterion Status
Store mentioned in product queries ☐ Yes / ☐ No
Correct company information ☐ Yes / ☐ No
Products recommended with prices ☐ Yes / ☐ No
robots.txt allows AI crawlers ☐ Yes / ☐ No
llms.txt present ☐ Yes / ☐ No
Schema.org Product markup correct ☐ Yes / ☐ No
FAQ markup present ☐ Yes / ☐ No

Tip: Run the test monthly and document the results. This way you can identify trends and measure the impact of your optimizations.

Further reading on AI visibility:

AI Visibility in E-Commerce: Why Now Is the Right Time Schema.org for AI Recommendations: How Your Products Get Found in ChatGPT llms.txt: The New Standard for AI Crawlers in E-Commerce

Frequently Asked Questions About AI Visibility Testing

How often should I test AI visibility?

We recommend monthly tests with a fixed set of prompts. AI systems regularly update their knowledge base, so results can change over time. Document the results to identify trends.

Why does ChatGPT recommend my competitor but not me?

Common reasons: The competitor has better structured data, more complete product descriptions, more linking sources, or an llms.txt file. AI systems prefer sources that are machine-readable, complete, and trustworthy.

Can I influence what ChatGPT says about my company?

Indirectly, yes. Through complete structured data, an llms.txt file, accurate company information, and high-quality content, you increase the likelihood that AI systems output correct and positive information about you.

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