What you need for a complete free audit
A rigorous AI visibility audit requires five categories of checking. All can be done at zero cost.
1. AI engine query testing
Test your business against 10–15 queries across:
- ChatGPT (free tier) — chat.openai.com, with Browse enabled
- Perplexity (free tier) — perplexity.ai
- Google AI Overviews — standard Google Search (logged out)
- Gemini (free tier) — gemini.google.com
Run all tests in incognito mode while logged out of your accounts. Logged-in results reflect personalization that does not represent what a new potential client would see.
2. Schema validation
- Schema.org Validator (validator.schema.org) — free, validates all schema types
- Google Rich Results Test (search.google.com/test/rich-results) — free, tests Google-specific rich result eligibility
3. Entity consistency check
Manually search your business name on Google, Yelp, Facebook, LinkedIn, and the top 3 industry directories in your category. Verify that your Name, Address, and Phone (NAP) are identical across all platforms. This is tedious manually but requires no paid tool.
4. GBP completeness check
Google Business Profile Manager is free. Check your profile completeness score and identify missing fields manually.
5. Content coverage check
Use a free tool like Google's "site:" operator to inventory your indexed pages. Identify which service and FAQ topics are covered and which are absent.
When paid tools add value
Paid tools like Semrush, Ahrefs, or specialist GEO platforms add value when:
- You have too many locations to audit manually
- You need competitive benchmarking across dozens of competitors
- You want automated alerts for entity or ranking changes
- You are running audits for multiple clients simultaneously
For a single business running quarterly audits, free tools are sufficient indefinitely.
