Define the evaluated set
Select the organization, tracked competitors, prompts, supported engine surfaces, locale or market context, and the time window being compared.
Methodology
How Skayle measures AI search visibility.
AI answers are sampled observations, not a fixed index. This methodology explains what Skayle evaluates, how the signals differ, and what the resulting metrics can—and cannot—support.
An evidence-to-comparison workflow.
Every reported number should remain tied to the prompt set, engine set, organization, competitor configuration, and collection period that produced it. Without those boundaries, the number is not reproducible or comparable.
Collect sampled responses
Run the defined prompts across the selected engines and retain the response evidence associated with that observation. Results can vary by engine, model, time, and response conditions.
Evaluate distinct signals
Record brand presence, citations, source domains, competitors, and other supported classifications separately. A mention does not become a citation unless the response identifies a supporting source.
Compare like with like
Trend and competitor comparisons use the same defined prompt, engine, organization, and period scopes. Changing the evaluated set changes what the result represents.
Route evidence to action
Use the observed gap to inspect content, authority, site structure, or positioning. The observation supports prioritization; it does not prove that a proposed change caused a later model response.
Definitions that should not collapse.
- Presence
- The tracked brand appears in an evaluated answer.
- Citation
- The response provides an explicit linked domain or source as supporting material. A brand name without that source link is a mention, not a citation.
- Citation coverage
- The share of evaluated responses in which the tracked organization or domain is cited under the evaluator.
- Competitive citation gap
- The difference between the tracked organization and selected competitors for the same evaluated set.
- Authority score
- A named Skayle calculation derived from observed citation or source behavior; it is not a third-party domain authority metric.
Interpretation
What the data can support.
- • Compare presence and citation behavior within a defined evaluated set.
- • Identify sources and competitors observed in sampled answers.
- • Track directional movement when the comparison scope remains consistent.
- • Prioritize content, site, authority, or positioning investigation.
Limitations
What the data does not prove.
- • Complete coverage of every answer an engine may generate.
- • Guaranteed rankings, traffic, inclusion, citations, or recommendations.
- • That a brand mention is also a source citation.
- • That a later visibility change was caused by one isolated action.
Last updated: August 11, 2026. Method definitions may evolve as supported engine surfaces and evaluators change.