research · reviewed 24 July 2026

Australian AI Search Visibility Index

A transparent research system for measuring which Australian brands appear when buyers ask AI systems what to choose. The index separates fetched, mentioned, cited and recommended instead of collapsing them into one inflated visibility score.

Searchmaxxed publishes this work so you can inspect the evidence, use the method, and decide what deserves to be built next.

How Searchmaxxed uses this research

Searchmaxxed turns this evidence into an ordered build queue: the pages, proof, technical fixes, internal links and authority work most likely to improve qualified enquiries and revenue.

Key findings

  • 4 states kept separate Fetched, mentioned, cited and recommended.
  • Fixed prompt set The same prompts, market and date window per comparison.
  • Public methodology Scoring rules and limits remain inspectable.

What the index is designed to answer

A buyer can ask ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity or Google a commercial question without ever starting on a brand website. The index is designed to show which brands enter that answer, which sources support them and whether the facts are accurate.

It is not a permanent rank tracker for language models. It is a controlled market sample that can be repeated after meaningful changes to the website, public proof, entity consistency or authority footprint.

  • Who gets mentioned for commercial category prompts.
  • Which sources are cited or used to support an answer.
  • Whether company, service, location and proof facts are correct.
  • How the strongest competitor earns its visibility.

The measurement model

Every run records the exact prompt, model, retrieval state, market, date and answer. A brand that appears without a link is a mention. A brand whose page is attributed is a citation. A favourable description is not automatically a recommendation.

The methodology also checks the source behind the answer. Owned pages are strongest for official facts. Independent reviews, directories, articles, partner pages and forums are stronger for third-party opinions and recommendations.

What the score must never imply

The index does not prove revenue, permanent visibility, model preference or a direct causal link between one website change and one generated answer.

AI answers move. The honest use is directional: find missing official facts, weak corroboration, competitor source advantages and inaccurate entity information, then decide what to improve.

Use it now

  1. Lock the prompt set before the first run.
  2. Record mentions, citations, recommendations and fact accuracy separately.
  3. Retain every answer and source URL with the retrieval date.
  4. Turn gaps into website, proof, authority and entity actions.
  5. Retest only after a material change or fixed reporting interval.

Sources and related assets

  • Google guidance for AI features and website owners
  • OpenAI publisher guidance for ChatGPT search
  • DataForSEO SERP and AI visibility interfaces
  • Searchmaxxed measurement doctrine