GEO Audit
Key takeaways
- GEO audits answer a different question than SEO audits: "What do AI systems say?"
- Clarivy Snapshot measures 5 buyer questions across 7 production model endpoints.
- Good GEO content is easy to quote: direct answers, tables, definitions, timestamps, and evidence links.
GEO audit vs SEO audit
| Area | SEO audit | GEO audit |
|---|---|---|
| Primary question | Can search engines crawl, index, and rank the page? | Can AI systems identify, describe, and cite the brand? |
| Typical evidence | Rankings, crawl data, Core Web Vitals, backlinks | Raw AI responses, mention counts, citation sources, omission patterns |
| Output | Technical and content SEO fixes | Entity, evidence, and content actions for AI-answer visibility |
| Clarivy scope | Not a full technical SEO audit | Snapshot diagnostic with raw LLM evidence |
Three terms to separate
AI search visibility
AI search visibility is the degree to which AI answer systems recognize a brand, include it in relevant answers, and describe it accurately for buyer questions.
LLM citation audit
An LLM citation audit reviews the sources that language models or AI search products mention when answering a question. It helps identify whether your own site, competitors, publishers, or no source at all support the answer.
API-surface audit
An API-surface audit tests controlled prompts against model endpoints and records reproducible payloads. It is more controlled than a product UI capture, but it does not mirror personalization, memory, or signed-in product state.
What Clarivy Snapshot measures
- Whether your brand is mentioned for 5 questions you choose.
- How 7 production model endpoints respond to the same buyer questions.
- Which domains or sources are cited or mentioned in those responses, when available.
- What actions are most directly supported by the raw response evidence.
What Clarivy Snapshot does not measure
- It does not replay a signed-in ChatGPT or Gemini user interface.
- It does not replace a technical SEO audit or backlink audit.
- It does not forecast future rankings, revenue, or AI answer share.
FAQ
What is a GEO audit?
A GEO audit checks whether AI answer systems can identify, describe, and cite a brand for target questions.
How is a GEO audit different from an SEO audit?
An SEO audit reviews crawlability, keywords, backlinks, and ranking signals. A GEO audit reviews how AI systems answer buyer questions, whether the brand is mentioned, and which sources support the answer.
Does Clarivy Snapshot replace a full SEO audit?
No. Clarivy Snapshot is one input for AI-search visibility. It does not replace technical SEO, backlink analysis, conversion analytics, or user research.
What should I read next?
Start with the AI search visibility audit service page, then review the methodology and sample report.