Last updated: October 28, 2026
Short answer: Ask ChatGPT the questions your buyers ask, with web search on, and note whether it names your brand, what it says, and which sources it cites. For a faster snapshot, use a free AI visibility checker such as Eclincher's free audit. Because answers change between runs, track the same prompts over time to see real trends.
Key takeaways
- A manual check takes about 15 minutes: 10 buyer-style prompts in a clean ChatGPT session, each run two or three times.
- Check five prompt types: your brand name, your category, comparisons, problems you solve, and facts like prices or hours.
- For each answer, record whether you're mentioned, where, how accurately, in what tone, next to which competitors, and from which sources.
- Free AI visibility checkers from Eclincher, HubSpot, Ahrefs, and Search Atlas give a one-time snapshot in minutes.
- One check is a snapshot. To see whether your visibility is improving, track the same prompts on a schedule.
How to check what ChatGPT says about your brand (manually)
A manual check takes six steps and about 15 minutes for ChatGPT alone.
- Start a clean session. Use a temporary chat or a logged-out window so your history and memory don't shape the answers. Result: answers closer to what a new buyer sees.
- Turn web search on. Most buyers get answers that draw on live search, and search answers show their sources. Try a few prompts with search off too, to see what the model "remembers." Result: both views of your brand.
- Ask 10 buyer-style prompts. Cover the five prompt types below, using the words customers use. Result: a realistic sample.
- Run each prompt two or three times. AI answers vary between runs, so one answer isn't proof. Result: a rough mention rate.
- Log every answer. Use a simple sheet: date, prompt, mentioned (yes/no), position, accuracy, tone, competitors named, and sources cited. Result: a baseline you can compare later.
- Repeat in other engines. Run the same prompts in Gemini, Perplexity, and Google AI Mode. Result: you see where you're strong and where you're missing.
Which prompts should you use?
Use a mix of five prompt types, because each one reveals something different.
| Prompt type | Example | What it shows |
|---|---|---|
| Brand | "What is [brand]?" or "Is [brand] any good?" | Whether ChatGPT knows you, and how accurately and positively it describes you |
| Category | "What are the best [category] tools for [audience]?" | Whether you're recommended when buyers don't name you |
| Comparison | "[Brand] vs [competitor]: which is better for [use case]?" | How you're positioned against rivals |
| Problem | "How do I [problem your product solves]?" | Whether you're suggested as a solution |
| Facts and local | "How much does [brand] cost?" or "[service] near [city]" | Whether prices, hours, and locations are right |
Category and problem prompts matter most, since that's where buyers discover options they didn't know. To find the questions buyers really ask, see Prompt Research.
What to look for in the answers
For each answer, check six things.
- Mention. Is your brand named at all?
- Position. Are you first, in the middle, or last in a list?
- Accuracy. Are your prices, features, locations, and hours right?
- Tone. Is the description positive, neutral, or negative?
- Competitors. Who is named instead of you, or next to you?
- Sources. Which websites does ChatGPT cite? These are the pages shaping its answer.
The sources are the most useful part. They tell you where to act: your own site, a directory, a review platform, or a competitor's comparison page.
Free AI visibility checkers compared
Free AI visibility checkers run a set of prompts for you and summarize the results in minutes. They differ in what you enter, which engines they test, and what they report.
| Checker | What you enter | AI engines checked | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eclincher free AI visibility audit | Your website | Not listed on the page | An overview of 9 prompts and a ranking chart against competitors |
| HubSpot AI Search Grader | Company name, location, product, industry | GPT-5.4 mini, Perplexity, Gemini | A score out of 100 across sentiment, presence, recognition, share of voice, and competition |
| Ahrefs free AI visibility checker | Brand name | ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Copilot, Google AI Overviews, AI Mode | Mentions by platform, plus top 5 topics, domains, and pages cited |
| Search Atlas free checker | Brand or domain | ChatGPT, Gemini | 10 prompts with mention rate, citation rate, and competitor gap |
Sources: each tool's own page, checked October 28, 2026: Eclincher · HubSpot · Ahrefs · Search Atlas.
All four are one-time snapshots: none shows how your visibility changes over time, and each uses its own prompts and scoring, so results won't match exactly. Use them to spot obvious gaps, then confirm with your own prompts.
Manual check, free checker, or ongoing tracker?
Start with a manual check or free checker, and move to a tracker when you need trends or the checks take too long.
| Manual check | Free checker | Ongoing tracker | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free (your time) | Free | Paid plan |
| Time | About 15 minutes per engine | A few minutes | Set up once, then runs on a schedule |
| Prompts | Your own | The tool's | Your own, at scale |
| Trends over time | Only if you repeat by hand | No | Yes |
| Competitor comparison | By hand | Some tools | Yes, with share of voice |
| Best for | A first look | A quick benchmark | Proving progress and finding gaps |
Manual checks add up fast: 25 prompts across four engines, run three times each, is 300 checks a month, roughly five hours of work. That's the point where a tracker usually pays for itself. (See AI Visibility Tool for Brands and Best AI Visibility Tools for Small Businesses.)
What to do with the results
Your check will usually show one of three problems, and each has its own fix.
- You're not mentioned. Strengthen the sources AI engines cite in your category: your own pages, listings, reviews, and third-party mentions. See Why Isn't My Business Showing Up in ChatGPT?
- You're mentioned, but wrong. Find the cited source with the wrong fact and fix it first. See How to Fix Wrong Information ChatGPT Says About Your Business.
- Competitors are named ahead of you. Compare the sources cited for them with yours, and close the gap with content, reviews, and listings. See AI Share of Voice.
How to check and track your brand in Eclincher
Eclincher takes you from a free snapshot to ongoing tracking in six steps.
- Run the free audit. Enter your website on the AI Visibility page. Result: an overview of 9 prompts and a ranking chart, in seconds.
- Start a trial and add your brand. Set up the six tabs: Brand, AI Engines, Competitors, Persona, Topics, and Prompts. Result: a tracked brand.
- Add your own prompts. Use the prompts from your manual check, grouped by topic. Result: tracking that matches how your buyers ask.
- Read the six metrics. See your AI Visibility Score, brand mentions, website citations, share of voice, average position, and brand favorability, broken out by engine. Result: a full baseline.
- Open individual prompts. See the sample AI answer, its cited sources, and your position and favorability for each prompt. Result: the details behind the score.
- Work the gaps over time. Sort Prompt Gaps by opportunity score and compare date ranges. Result: proof your visibility is improving.
AI Visibility Standard costs $249/month, billed monthly, with a 14-day free trial. It tracks ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini with 100 unique prompts, 3,000 responses a month, and up to 5 competitors. Enterprise tracks all 11 engines, with 300 prompts, 9,000 responses a month, up to 10 competitors, 3 personas, and SSO.
FAQ
How do I check what ChatGPT says about my brand?
Open a clean ChatGPT session with web search on and ask 10 buyer-style questions, including your brand name, category, comparisons, and problems you solve. Run each prompt two or three times and note mentions, accuracy, tone, competitors, and cited sources.
Is there a free AI visibility checker?
Yes. Eclincher, HubSpot, Ahrefs, and Search Atlas all offer free checkers that show a one-time snapshot of how AI engines mention your brand. None of them track changes over time, so repeat checks or use a tracker for trends.
What prompts should I use to check my brand?
Use five types: your brand name, your category, comparisons with competitors, problems you solve, and facts like prices, hours, or locations. Category and problem prompts matter most, because that's where buyers discover brands they didn't know.
Why does ChatGPT give different answers each time?
AI answers are generated fresh for each request, and they vary with wording, web search results, location, and account history. That's why a single answer isn't reliable evidence. Run each prompt several times and track trends.
Should I check with web search on or off?
Check with search on first, since it shows the sources shaping the answer. Then try a few prompts with search off to see what the model learned in training, which changes only with newer models.
How do I check other AI engines, like Gemini and Perplexity?
Run the same prompts in Gemini, Perplexity, and Google AI Mode, and log the answers in the same sheet. Results often differ by engine, so checking several shows where you're strong and where you're missing.
What should I look for in the answers?
Check whether your brand is mentioned, its position in any list, the accuracy of facts, the tone, which competitors appear, and which sources are cited. The sources show you where to act.
How accurate are free AI visibility checkers?
They're useful snapshots, not full audits. Each uses its own prompts, engines, and scoring, so results differ between tools. Use them to spot obvious gaps, then confirm with your own prompts.
When do I need a paid AI visibility tracker?
When manual checks take too long or you need trends. Twenty-five prompts across four engines with three runs each is 300 checks a month. A tracker runs them on a schedule and adds competitor share of voice.
What should I do if ChatGPT doesn't mention my brand or gets it wrong?
Look at the sources ChatGPT cites, then fix or strengthen them: your website, listings, reviews, and third-party mentions. If facts are wrong, correct the source page first and make every listing match.
Conclusion
Checking what ChatGPT says about your brand takes 15 minutes and a list of the questions your buyers ask. A free checker speeds that up, but only repeated checks show whether you're gaining ground. Start with Eclincher's free audit, then track the prompts that matter. Run a free AI visibility audit or start a 14-day free trial of Eclincher.
Related reading
- Prompt Research: How to Find the Questions Your Customers Are Asking AI
- AI Share of Voice
- What Is AI Visibility?
Sources: Eclincher AI Visibility · HubSpot AI Search Grader · Ahrefs free AI visibility checker · Search Atlas free AI visibility checker
