Define the scope before collecting answers
Agree on the brand, product lines, geography, languages, competitors, and search experiences to review. Write down what is excluded. An audit of one service in one region should not be presented as a complete measurement of the company’s global visibility.
Create a dated query list and preserve the original wording. Explain what counts as a mention, a citation, and a relevant source. Establish these definitions before you know the results.
THE WORKING SEQUENCE
- 01Define the query set
- 02Record the evidence
- 03Prioritize the work
Collect evidence in a consistent format
For each query, capture the date, engine or experience, answer, cited URLs, brand mention, and your notes. Distinguish missing evidence from a verified negative result. An unavailable response is not automatically a zero score.
Keep screenshots or saved observations when permitted, and link each finding to its evidence. The client should be able to trace a recommendation back to a specific page, response, or technical check.
Score the agreed criteria
StemsStack’s framework assigns 35% to citation presence, 20% to answer-shaped content, and 15% each to crawler access, structured data and entity clarity, and source footprint. These are internal diagnostic weights, not ranking factors published by an AI provider.
A weighted score summarizes the audit rubric. It is not a probability of appearing in an answer. Use the same rubric when comparing rounds and explain any changes to the method before presenting a trend.
Deliver decisions, not just a score
Group findings into immediate technical fixes, content improvements, and longer-term evidence work. For each item, name an owner, explain the expected benefit, and state how completion can be checked. Include dependencies such as access to a CMS or a client approval.
Close the report with limitations, open questions, and the next measurement date. A useful audit leaves the client with a prioritized backlog and a shared understanding of what the evidence does—and does not—show.
Put the method to work. Explore the AEO / GEO audit system in the Stems Agency Vault.